CDFW to Fund 26 Projects to restore and enhance Salmon and Steelhead Habitats

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has selected 26 projects to receive a total of $14 million in order to restore, enhance, and protect steelhead and salmon habitats in northern California.

“California’s salmon continue to face the challenges of both past and present, through countless legacy impacts to fish passage and growing climate-driven threats to their seasonal cycles,” said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. “In the face of these grim challenges, we find optimism and hope through projects like these, which will restore access to miles of river habitat and acres of floodplain, greatly improving the productivity and sustainably of fish populations.”

Duffy Gulch Fish Passage

Among the locations that will receive funding is the Duffy Gulch Fish Passage Improvement Project in Mendocino County. Trout Unlimited, Inc was awarded $2 million for a plan that is scheduled to do away with a railroad stream crossing along the Mendocino Railway. This will restore access to almost three miles of premium spawning habitat in Duffy Gulch, which is a tributary to the Noyo River. The new crossing will stretch 45-feet in diameter. The steel arch will allow fish passage and is capable of handling a 100-year flood event.

Fish passage structures to be replaced include Duffy Gulch in Mendocino County. (CDFW)

California Conservation Corps Watershed Program

The California Conservation Corps Watershed Stewards Program in partnership with AmeriCorps was awarded nearly $700,000. This program will enlist 44 Corps members throughout coastal California to enhance watersheds that support steelhead, salmon, and other species of migrating fish through recruiting volunteers for hands-on projects, protection and restoration, and community education.

Lagunitas Creek Coho Habitat Enhancement Plan

The Lagunitas Creek Coho Habitat Enhancement Plan will fund the design, environmental review, and permitting of five enhancement sites located within Samuel P. Taylor State Park in Marin County. Nearly $600,000 was awarded to the Marin Municipal Water District for this project.

In response to the 2023 Fisheries Habitat Restoration Grant Solicitation, CDFW received 35 proposals requesting more than $23 million in funding. The proposals underwent a thorough technical review involving subject matter experts from CDFW and NOAA.

The complete list of approved projects is available on the Fisheries Restoration Grant Program website.

Keith Lusher

Keith Lusher is an award winning outdoor journalist that resides in Covington, Louisiana. He owns and operates NorthshoreFishingReport.com and writes a weekly outdoor column for the Slidell Independent Newspaper. He also writes for the St.Tammany Parish Tourism Commission's VisitTheNorthshore.com. He is the former host of The Northshore Fishing Report Radio Show and is on the board of the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association. Keith contributes to numerous publications both online and in print and prides himself on promoting South Louisiana’s unique fishery. To contact Keith email: keithlusherjr@gmail.com