The sugar creek coho salmon refugia project phase 2 and 3 project will connect one acre of slow, cold water refugia rearing habitat to one acre of floodplain habitat constructed in phase 1 of the…

The sugar creek coho salmon refugia project phase 2 and 3 project will connect one acre of slow, cold water refugia rearing habitat to one acre of floodplain habitat constructed in phase 1 of the project, resulting in a total two acres of new high quality rearing habitat for juvenile coho salmon, and connects sugar creek, a key scott river watershed spawning and rearing stream, to the new habitat the projects purpose is to increase the production of scott watershed coho salmon, a native fish population that has been deemed hatchery influence free by NOAA, thereby supporting downlisting of the species the new permanent cold water rearing areas have been designed to withstand climate change and drought, and also provide rich food resources that allow juvenile fish to thrive and grow large, even as ambient and stream temperatures rise, thereby increasing survival into adulthood the project builds on 10 years of restoration actions, and associated effectiveness monitoring, within sugar creek that demonstrated a thousand fold increase in juvenile coho production over pre restoration conditions an anticipated project outcome is similarly large increases in juvenile coho production this request leverages years of collaboration amongst the many entities involved in the prior restoration, scientific monitoring, project design, and the landowner commitment at the site funding for phase 1 has been secured, further indicating support for the project the project is identified as the highest priority scott watershed restoration project in the integrated fisheries restoration and monitoring program and is a tier 1 management action in the scott groundwater sustainability plan the project will benefit the entire community by addressing regulatory requirements to improve groundwater sustainability and support recovery and potential downlisting of coho salmon quartz valley indian reservation, a funded project partner, will benefit by employment and the projects attention to tribal cultural values residents of the community, which the CDC has identified as a moderate to high socially disadvantaged community, will benefit by employment local companies will be sub recipients for construction and regional firms for professional engineering specific activities include 1 construction of multiple connection points between sugar creek and the project area 2 channel forms with variable side slopes and benches inundated at different widths and water depths in a 1 acre constructed floodplain 3 roughened channel grade control that provides bed stability and helps oxygenate water entering the downstream rearing area 4 33 large wood habitat features that provide structure and cover, moderate velocities, entrain sediment, and contribute food 5 treatments that promote healthy soil development e g , nurse logs, brush trenching, wood chips, biochar, and topsoil 6 1 acres of native planting and seeding 7 removal of existing roadways and addition of a waterway crossing structure 8 project effectiveness monitoring 9 project reporting and public dissemination