Conservation Projects

Devil's Gulch

NBTU’s main restoration project is at Devil’s Gulch which is part of the Lagunitas Watershed in Marin County. There are four phases in the project which will relocate a trail and provide refuge for salmon and steelhead fry and smolts during heavy periods of rain. This project is being undertaken in cooperation with the California State Parks.

Phase I was completed in August 2010. Five work teams installed six signs to notify park visitors of the fragile habitat, repaired a bridge damaged by a fallen tree and constructed 100 feet of split-rail cedar fencing to reduce the possibility of Coho salmon and steelhead being spooked off of their redds this winter by park visitors. Funding for Phase 1 was provided through a grant from the Marin Fish & Wildlife Foundation. A special thank you goes to Ralph Alexander and Associates for their plans and supervision of the work.

Phase II was completed in November 2010 and focused on eliminating erosion around the creek. Nine wattles were installed on the Barnabee trail to provide basins for sediment to accumulate instead of entering the creek. Eighteen plants were relocated into channels created by runoff in hopes of stabilizing the stream banks. A bridge [previously installed by NBTU] was repaired and 60 feet of split rail fencing were installed to eliminate foot traffic on the creek banks. In October 2011, the wattles were replaced after the heavy rains last winter. A number of steelhead fry were spotted in the creek.

Phase III is currently awaiting approval by the CA State Parks and will re-route a portion of the trail to eliminate human contact with the fish.

Phase IV will consist of in-stream habitat restoration to provide refuge for young fish.

Thanks to the many volunteers who participated in Phases I and II and to the Dennis and Carol Ann Rockey Fund which is providing a grant to fund Phases III and IV. If you are interested in volunteering at Devil’s Creek or other conservation efforts, please send an email to info@NBTU.org.

Redwood Creek

The North Bay Chapter of Trout Unlimited is sponsoring a number of workdays at Muir Beach to restore the Redwood Creek watershed to its natural state. Redwood Creek is the southernmost watershed in North America with active Coho salmon and steelhead runs. More than a century of landscape modifications, including road construction, have diverted the natural flow of the creek and reduced water flows in the creek and tidal lagoon. This multi-year restoration project includes widening the creek channel, expanding the tidal lagoon, improving related wetlands through the replanting of native plants and the excavation of several ponds to provide habitat for the California red- legged frog. The restoration is being undertaken by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in partnership with the National Park Service. Additional information can be found at www.parksconservancy.org/our-work/trails-forever/accomplishments/redwood-creek-restoration.html.

NBTU hosted its most recent workday on Saturday, January 21st. Sixteen volunteers planted over 400 native plants along a new creek channel excavated to provide an easier swim for spawning fish. The new channel is wider and deeper than the original creek and more true to the historical flow of the watershed before human intervention. Returning fish are currently using this channel and several have been spotted in Muir Woods. NBTU is planning additional workdays, with the next workday in March focusing on placing woody debris in the new channel. If you are interested in participating in Redwood Creek or other restoration projects, please send an email to Info@NBTU.org.

Redwood Creek Workday – January 21, 2012

Redwood Creek Workday – November 13, 2011

Redwood Creek Workday - July 16, 2011

Redwood Creek Workday – February 19, 2011

Thanks to the many volunteers who have made our past Redwood Creek restoration days so successful.

The president of the newly formed Truckee TU Chapter Stefan McLeod's impassioned testimony to the Lahontan Water Board (LWB), along with NBTU's past president John Regan's many years of bird dogging, has led to, what my be, the final chapter in the fight to save the Paiute Cutthroat. NBTU began field trips to the Silver King Creek area over twenty years ago and, along with the CA Dept. of Fish & Game, found a solution to saving this species - only to be thwarted, a few years ago, by a last minute cell phone call to the site with a stop work order from the courts.

As of 2011, the CA Dept. of Fish & Game is waiting to hear from the courts concerning any challenges to their plan for removing non-native fish from Silver King creek.

For the entire story on the LWB meeting, please go to www.tu.org or read the Fall 2010 issue of Trout magazine.

Paiute Cutthroat Trout - Oncorhynchus clarki seleniris

The Paiute cutthroat trout is a member of the Salmonidae (trout and salmon) family. It is distinguishable from other cutthroat trout by the absence or near absence of body spots. Body spots are the diagnostic character that distinguishes the Paiute cutthroat from the Lahontan cutthroat. Paiute cutthroat trout rarely have more than five body spots; Lahontan cutthroat trout typically possess 50 to 100 body spots and may have more. A secondary distinguishing character is body color. Lahontans typically have a coppery to purplish-pink body color, whereas Paiutes from comparable streams are normally yellowish to light green.

Paiute Cutthroat in Silver King Creek

Paiute Cutthroat Trout have survived for thousands of years exclusively in the watershed of Silver King Creek and its isolated tributaries in Alpine County. By the early 1970's, Paiute cutthroat trout had reached such low population levels that they were near extinction. The US Fish and Wildlife Service determined that the Paiute cutthroat trout be placed on the Federal Endangered Species list.
The main causes of the Paiute's demise were; hybridization, competition with introduced trout species, and habitat degradation caused by poor range management. The introduction of rainbow trout to Silver King Creek by unnamed sources in the 1950's and 60's had caused hybridization and the loss of important pure Paiute cutthroat genetics. Small tributaries to Silver King Creek still hold a pure strain of Paiute cutthroat trout. Hybridization can be a double- edged sword, by not only losing important genetics, but also the competition for valuable food sources.

Sheepherders have utilized Silver King Creek since the late 1800's and cattle grazing began in the 1950's. However, poor range management has led to extensive habitat degradation.

Finally, in 1985, the United States Forest Service (USFS) developed a Paiute Cutthroat Trout Recovery Plan that involved the California Department of Fish and Game, and Trout Unlimited volunteers, spearheaded by the North Bay Chapter. The plan focused on habitat restoration above Llewellyn Falls at Silver King Creek. From 1986 to 1993, over 400 TU volunteers worked tirelessly on restoration projects to improve the Paiute habitat. In-stream log structures were installed in the creek to stabilize the bank and reduce siltation, and solar powered exclusionary fencing was erected to prevent further habitat degradation from grazing. The majority of hybridized fish in the area above the falls were removed through electro-shocking and transported to high mountain lakes. Almost ten years later, all the hard work resulted in an increased population of only pure strain Paiute Cutthroat trout above Llewellyn Falls.

Trout Unlimited continues to spearhead the work on Silver King Creek while relying on the cooperative agencies for scientific and logistical support. We are planning the next phase of the project in conjunction with the agencies and will provide an abundance of volunteer labor as well as funding for equipment, materials, and transportation. The project for this next phase will extend the range of the Paiute trout below Llewellyn Falls to an additional six miles of native stream. The same successful methods will be used as in 1993. Most of the hybridized fish will be removed by electro-shocking (see photo at right).

The fish will be moved downstream below the barrier falls for angling. Any remaining hybrids will be eradicated from the six miles of stream. Healthy Paiute trout will then be reintroduced to their original habitat. A successful reintroduction of the Paiute Cutthroat Trout to the entire length of Silver King Creek could ultimately result in the Paiute Cutthroat being the first fish species removed from the Federal Endangered Species List.

Above all, the greatest benefit will be to the survival of the Paiute Cutthroat trout by restoring the species to their native runs and ultimately being de-listed from the Endangered Species List, a first in fisheries.