The National Fish Habitat Partnership released a second video today in a series
highlighting the work of its 19 Partnerships across the country. This
spotlights restoration efforts on Grape Creek, a tributary of the Russian River
in Sonoma County, CA through the California Fish
Passage Forum. Grape Creek was named a National Fish Habitat
Partnership “Water to Watch” in 2013 because of the importance of its natural
habitat and fish species, which include steelhead trout and coho salmon.
The
partners working to improve Grape Creek habitat hail from diverse backgrounds
-- vineyards, landowners, water agencies, conservation groups and even school
groups, along with federal and state agencies active in conserving the
watershed. The focus of the project is to increase dry season stream flow
by either reducing or shifting the demand for water resources from May through
October.
This
video highlights challenges in managing the dry season, when water needs are
highest for residential, industrial and agricultural uses. The low stream flow
makes it impossible for north coast salmon to make their runs, an issue
highlighted in the national media in 2014. The National Fish Habitat
Partnership assisted partners in learning about existing water need and demand,
stream flow, the relationship between flow and salmon habitat, as well as the
variety of resources available to them.
The Grape
Creek project is an important part of the broader conservation work happening
in the Russian River Watershed. Approximately 98% of the land in Sonoma
County is privately owned and this project is establishing a precedent of using
unique landowner partnerships, gained through door-to-door relationship
building and partnering.
With just
a $100,000 contribution from the California Fish Passage Forum and $50,000 from
other partners, the Upper Grape Creek Project is having a major impact on
sustaining both water resources and precious salmon populations. The
project is also providing economic value through added jobs and increases in
sales and income at a level of more than double the investment.
The first
National Fish Habitat Partnership video featured the Eastern Brook Trout Joint
Venture project Aaron Run in
Western Maryland, which was released in November 2013. The
National Fish Habitat Partnership is planning to continue this video series in
2014 and beyond.
To watch
the video go to www.fishhabitat.org or access it directly at http://bit.ly/1w5cau3.
The Grape
Creek project video is also available on the Partnership's You Tube channel
at http://youtu.be/sX8Nwieuqqw.
About
the National Fish Habitat Partnership:
The
National Fish Habitat Partnership works to conserve fish habitat nationwide,
leveraging federal, state, and private funding sources to achieve the greatest
impact on fish populations through priority conservation projects. The national
partnership implements the National Fish Habitat Action Plan and supports 19
regional grassroots partner organizations.
