Restore instream and riparian habitats in a reach of the scott river that has been highly degraded

The Scott River Watershed Council will receive $189,859.56 under a five-year Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 8, through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program (CFDA 15.631), to conduct instream and riparian habitat restoration in the Scott River watershed in California from September 1, 2023 through September 1, 2028. Specifically, the Council will install 15 engineered log jam structures and 8 smaller log structures to improve channel complexity and sediment retention, and plant willows and cottonwoods on 0.5 acres of floodplain and within the instream structures. Plantings will be monitored and maintained for up to four years. This project aims to enhance habitat for threatened salmonids and continues previous restoration efforts by the Council in the tailings reach of the Scott River through technical coordination and on-the-ground actions.

The project occurs in the tailings reach on the scott river south of etna, CA. The tailings reach was dredge mined in the early 1900S. This activity greatly reduced channel complexity and floodplain connectivity, and all but eliminated existing riparian habitat. To address these issues this project proposed to construct a series of engineered log jams and plant native willow and cottonwood along the river margins. Specifically, 15 large log structures, consisting of 14 to 18 logs, will be constructed instream to creat scour pools, sort gravels, and retain fine sediment throughout an approximately 1,200 foot reach of the scott river. On the river left bank and on the river right gravel bars, a series of eight small log structures consisting of eight to ten logs will be constructed to retain fine sediment. Willows will be planted downstream of the smaller structures in the sediment retention zones and within the instream large log structures. Two larger areas totaling approximately 0.5 acres on the river right floodplain will also be planted with willows and cottonwoods. Plantings will be watered in late summer for up to four years post planting to increase survival. This project will occur immediately downstream and is a continuation of four previously completed restoration projects in the tailings reach designed to improve migratory habitat for coho salmon, increase spawning habitat for chinook salmon, and promote the development of a healthy and functioning riparian corridor.