Smith River Alliance Inc

SMITH RIVER ALLIANCE WILL BE AWARDED $5.4M OVER 4 YEARS TO RESTORE HABITAT IN THE SMITH RIVER WATERSHED TO SUPPORT ONE OF THE LARGEST RUNS OF SALMON AND STEELHEAD IN CALIFORNIA. THIS WORK WILL ALSO HELP IMPROVE THE CLIMATE RESILIENCE OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES. FOR EXAMPLE, AN EXISTING BRIDGE WILL BE RELOCATED AND REPLACED WITH A NEW STRUCTURE THAT WILL WITHSTAND STRONGER STORMS. THIS WILL HELP IMPROVE THE RESILIENCE OF DEL NORTE COUNTY AGAINST FUTURE FLOOD AND WILDFIRE RISK THAT MAY BECOME MORE EXTREME IN A CHANGING CLIMATE.

THIS PROJECT WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A VALUABLE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTNER WITH A PRIVATE LANDOWNER TO ADDRESS ALL STREAM CROSSINGS THAT ARE BARRIERS TO FISH PASSAGE ON THEIR PROPERTY, WHILE ALSO INCREASING CHANNEL AND BANK STABILITY AND HABITAT COMPLEXITY. THESE ACTIONS WILL INCREASE THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF ACCESSIBLE PRODUCTIVE COASTAL REARING HABITAT IN THE SMITH RIVER PLAIN. THE TWO CROSSINGS ARE LOCATED ON A TRIBUTARY TO MORRISON CREEK, RAWSON CREEK. WITH MATCHING FUNDS ONE OF THE CROSSINGS WAS REMEDIATED IN 2022. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE NFPP FUNDS IS TO REMOVE THE SECOND UNDERSIZED CULVERT, THAT IS A PARTIAL BARRIER TO FISH PASSAGE, AND REPLACE IT WITH AN APPROPRIATELY SIZED CULVERT THAT ALLOW PASSAGE AT ALL MIGRATION FLOWS AS WELL AS ALLOW FOR CONVEYANCE OF DEBRIS AND WATER DURING 100-YEAR STORMS. REPLACING THE UPSTREAM CULVERT WILL IMPROVE ACCESS TO 1.1 MILES OF HABITAT BY REPLACING A 3-FOOT CMP CULVERT, 20 FEET IN LENGTH AND SET AT AN INVERSE SLOPE OF 1.1 WITH AN ALUMINUM BOX CULVERT THAT IS 12.5 WIDE BY 7.4 TALL AND 22.5 LONG. A TOTAL OF FOUR LARGE WOOD PIECES WITH ROOTWADS WILL BE PLACED AT THE CROSSING, TWO UPSTREAM OF THE CROSSING AND TWO DOWNSTREAM OF THE CROSSING, TO STABILIZE THE BANK AND PROVIDE HABITAT ENHANCEMENT FEATURES.

THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE FUNDING FOR PRELIMINARY PLANNING AND DESIGN FOR RESTORING FISH ACCESS TO SLOUGH AND TIDAL FLOODPLAIN HABITAT IN THREE SLOUGHS AND TRIBUTARIES TO THE LOWER SMITH RIVER ESTUARY. THESE PROJECT SITES WERE IDENTIFIED AS A HIGH PRIORITY IN THE SMITH RIVER PLAIN STREAM RESTORATION PLAN AND AS HIGH PRIORITY TASKS IN THE RECOVERY STRATEGY FOR CALIFORNIA COHO SALMON. THIS PROJECT WILL FUND PRELIMINARY PLANNING AND DESIGN ACTIVITIES TO APPROXIMATELY 10 PERCENT FOR ISLAS SLOUGH, AND SPRUCE CREEK IN THE LOWER SMITH RIVER ESTUARY. IT WILL COMPLETE SURVEYS AND PROVIDE A PRELIMINARY DESIGN LESS THAN 10 PERCENT FOR UPPER TILLAS SLOUGH. THE PROJECT WILL EVALUATE HABITATS AT ISLAS SLOUGH, SPRUCE CREEK, AND UPPER TILLAS SLOUGH WITH TOPOGRAPHIC AND HYDRAULIC ASSESSMENTS THAT WILL EVALUATE BENEFICIAL (I.E., HABITAT CREATION, SEA LEVEL RISE AND FLOOD CAPACITY) AND POTENTIAL DETRIMENTAL (I.E., FLOOD AREA AND INUNDATION DEPTHS) PROJECT IMPACTS TO ENSURE DESIGN DECISIONS CONSIDER COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AND FISH AND WILDLIFE BENEFITS. VEGETATION ASSESSMENTS WILL BE CONDUCTED TO SUPPORT RESTORATION PLANNING. RESTORATION OF THE THREE PROJECT SITES WILL CREATE DIVERSE TIDAL AND FRESHWATER HABITATS ACROSS THE SMITH RIVER ESTUARY THAT WILL BENEFIT ALL ANADROMOUS SPECIES, AS WELL AS MARINE AND TERRESTRIAL SPECIES AS NATURAL PROCESSES ARE RESTORED AND NATIVE VEGETATION ENHANCED. AT A MINIMUM, THE DEVELOPED PLANS AND PRELIMINARY DESIGNS AT THE THREE PROJECT SITES ARE THE CRITICAL FIRST STEPS TO RESTORING OVER 60 ACRES AND 8,300 FEET OF COASTAL FRESHWATER AND TIDAL STREAM AND WETLAND HABITATS. SINCE LEVEE CONSTRUCTION IN THE 1970S, ISLAS SLOUGH, ONE OF THE THREE PROJECT SITES, HAS BEEN REDUCED FROM 71 ACRES IN 1942 TO 12 ACRES IN 2012 (PARISH AND GARWOOD 2015). A TIDE GATE NEAR THE MOUTH OF SPRUCE CREEK, THE SECOND PROJECT SITE, HAS LIMITED FISH ACCESS TO OVER 2,000 FEET OF STREAM AND TIDAL WETLAND HABITATS. AN UNDERSIZED PERCHED CULVERT ON TILLAS SLOUGH, SITE THREE, LIMITS TIDAL CONNECTIVITY AND NATURAL MAINTENANCE OF IN-CHANNEL COMPLEXITY AND SIZE AS INVASIVE REED CANARY GRASS HAS COLONIZED THE ENTIRE CHANNEL RESULTING IN REDUCED WATER QUALITY, IN-CHANNEL COMPLEXITY, AND NATURAL CHANNEL PROCESSES, PARTICULARLY SEDIMENT TRANSPORT, ALONG OVER 1,500 FEET OF CHANNEL.

MORRISON CREEK FISH PASSAGE

THE PROJECT WILL REMEDIATE A FISH PASSAGE BARRIER ON TRYON CREEK, A TRIBUTARY TO YONTOCKET SLOUGH AND THE SMITH RIVER ESTUARY. THE PROJECT WILL RESTORE ACCESS TO 1.3 MILES OF HABITAT UPSTREAM OF THIS CROSSING. THE EXISTING 7 BY 4.5 CORRUGATED METAL PIPE CULVERT WILL BE UPGRADED TO A PREFABRICATED BRIDGE THAT MEETS ALL FISH PASSAGE REQUIREMENTS. IN ADDITION TO FISH PASSAGE IMPROVEMENT, THE PROJECT WILL IMPROVE FLOODPLAIN CONNECTIVITY AND REDUCE POTENTIAL FISH STRANDING, ENHANCE RIPARIAN HABITAT AND PROVIDE SEASONAL LIVESTOCK EXCLUSION. BARRIERS TO FISH PASSAGE ARE LISTED AS A HIGH THREAT TO THE JUVENILE AND SMOLT LIFE STAGES FOR COHO SALMON IN THE SMITH RIVER (NMFS 2014). REMOVING BARRIERS IS IDENTIFIED AS ONE OF THE HIGHEST PRIORITY RECOVERY ACTIONS FOR THE SMITH RIVER COHO SALMON POPULATION (CDFW 2004, NMFS 2014).

LOWER STOTENBURG CREEK FISH PASSAGE PROJECT

THE BACKWATER PROJECT WILL ENHANCE THE HYDROLOGIC CONNECTION TO 660 LINEAL FEET OF OFF-CHANNEL HABITAT, AND INCREASE THE DURATION AND RANGE OF FLOWS THAT MIGRATING AND REARING JUVENILE COHO SALMON CAN ACCESS THE OFF-CHANNEL HABITAT FEATURE BY 94 . TO ACHIEVE THIS OBJECTIVE, THE CONTRACTOR WILL REMOVE APPROXIMATELY 2,300 CUBIC YARD OF SEDIMENT FROM THE BACKWATER, INSTALL TWO LARGE WOOD STRUCTURES CONTAINING 14 LOGS WILL BE INSTALLED AT THE ENTRANCE, AND UP TO 13 SINGLE LOG STRUCTURES FROM SALVAGED TREES. IN ADDITION, UNDER LEVERAGED FUNDING, THE RIPARIAN AREA WILL BE PLANTED WITH NATIVE SPECIES INCLUDING: 1,386 WETLAND PLANTS, 114 HERBACEOUS UNDERSTORY PLANTS, 78 SHRUBS, AND 120 TREES, AND THE LANDOWNER WILL INSTALL LIVESTOCK EXCLUSION FENCING ALONG 1,800 FEET TO PERMANENTLY EXCLUDE CATTLE FROM 51 ACRES OF THE SMITH RIVER ESTUARY.

SMITH RIVER ALLIANCE NRA STEWARDSHIP

THIS PROJECT IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE SMITH RIVER ALLIANCE (SRA) AND THE ARCATA COASTAL PROGRAM TO RESTORE FOUR ACRES OF COASTAL WETLAND HABITAT IN LOWER ELK CREEK, A SMALL COASTAL TRIBUTARY TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN IN CRESCENT CITY, CALIFORNIA. THE ELK CREEK WATERSHED IS LOCATED ON THE COASTAL PLAIN ADJACENT TO CRESCENT CITY AND INCLUDES THE WESTERN SLOPE OF THE COAST RANGE MOUNTAINS. THE PROJECT REACH IS LOCATED ON THE MAINSTEM OF ELK CREEK, BEGINNING APPROXIMATELY 1.13 MILES UPSTREAM FROM THE MOUTH AT THE PACIFIC OCEAN. THIS REACH IS JUST UPSTREAM FROM AN OXBOW POND AND THE CONFLUENCE WITH THE LARGE SOUTH TRIBUTARY OF ELK CREEK. THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED ON A BROAD LOW-GRADIENT FLOODPLAIN FLANKED BY CDFW-MANAGED LANDS ON THE WEST, SOUTH, AND EAST SIDES, AND CONTAINS FRESHWATER AND TIDAL WETLANDS WITH UPLAND FORESTS PRIMARILY AROUND THE MARGINS.THE ELK CREEK RESTORATION FEASIBILITY STUDY DOCUMENTED JUVENILE SALMONIDS INCLUDING ESA-LISTED SONCC COHO SALMON AND COASTAL CUTTHROAT TROUT REARING IN THE LOWER WATERSHED AND IDENTIFIED A LACK OF STREAM COMPLEXITY AND OFF-CHANNEL HABITAT AS A LIMITING FACTOR. THE LOWER ELK CREEK WATERSHED CONSISTS OF A COMPLEX OF MAINSTEM CHANNELS, TRIBUTARIES, CONVEYANCE CROSS CHANNELS, DRAINAGE DITCHES, AND PONDS. MANY OF THESE HYDROLOGIC FEATURES, INCLUDING THE PROJECT REACH, HAVE BEEN ANTHROPOGENICALLY SIMPLIFIED, STRAIGHTENED, AND DIKED OVER THE PAST CENTURY.THE DESIGN GOAL IS TO INSTALL FOUR PAIRS OF STRUCTURES TOTALING EIGHT BDAS. THE BDAS WILL BE PLACED IN A HYDRAULICALLY SUITABLE LOCATION ALONG THE MAINSTEM OF ELK CREEK WHERE THE RELATIVELY SMALL CHANNEL SIZE WILL FACILITATE CONSTRUCTABILITY AND MULTI-THREAD PLANFORM CAN ACCOMMODATE FISH PASSAGE ALONG MULTIPLE FLOW PATHS. THE PROJECT WILL ENHANCE APPROXIMATELY 300 TO 400 LINEAR FEET OF HABITAT, INCREASE SURFACE FLOW CONNECTION TO APPROXIMATELY 3 TO 4 ACRES OF OFF-CHANNEL WETLAND HABITAT, AND WILL PROVIDE BUILDING SITES FOR BEAVER IN THE ELK CREEK WATERSHED TO MAINTAIN OR MODIFY. THE GOAL WILL BE TO MIMIC AND PROMOTE WOOD ACCUMULATION AND BEAVER DAM ACTIVITY.

INTERPRETIVE VIDEO - HURDYGURDY TRAIL

SMITH RIVER FISH COUNT & IMMERSION CAMP