Specific Recommendations for Fisheries Restoration

Below are the recommendations for action to restore the salmon and steelhead to the South Fork Trinity River and its tributaries. Background information and findings related to the recommendations can be found in chapters dealing with various subjects and in the preceeding section.

I. Organizational Framework for Implementation of the South Fork Trinity River Restoration Action Plan

A. A Coordinated Resource Management Planning (CRMP) model should be used as the hub of the South Fork Trinity River Restoration Program patterned after either the Tomki Creek (Mendocino RCD) or the East Branch of the North Fork Feather River model (Plumas Corporation).

1. The steering committee for the CRMP should include representatives of a full spectrum of interest groups within the community and all agencies with jurisdiction over fisheries resources or land management in the basin:

a. Private interests might include:

1) Ranchers and Farmers

2) Miners

3) Merchants

4) Timberland owners

5) Woods workers

6) Indian Tribes

7) Sport fishermen

8) Environmentalists

b. Agencies might include:

1) Trinity County

2) U.S. Forest Service

3) California Department of Fish and Game

4) California Department of Forestry

5) California Department of Water Resources

6) U.S. Soil Conservation Service

7) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

8) North Coast Regional Water Quality Control

9) Bureau of Reclamation

2. The CRMP would have the benefit of staff, to guide efforts, report back on progress, and help secure additional program funding. Such staff would be provided from several sources:

a. Core staff could be provided through one of two mechanisms:

1) The Trinity County RCD would retain a full time SCS staff position paid for by the Trinity River Fish and Wildlife Program, if it is re-authorized, for a period of five years, or

2) Similar funding could also be used through an economic development corporation staff position based on the Plumas Corporation model. (If this option is adopted, TCRCD and/or SCS would need to provide a 1/2 time position along with CDFG, USFS, and USFWS as described below).

b. CDFG, USFS, and USFWS Trinity Field Office would contribute half time positions dedicated to specific tasks related to South Fork Restoration for at least five years. It is possible that Trinity River Fish and Wildlife Restortion Program might support such positions if reauthorized.

B. The U.S. Forest Service will be a major force in the South Fork Trinity Restoration Program, under its new "Ecosystem Management" approach. The USFS will contribute substantially to fisheries restoration and community economic development by:

1. Building full time professional staff to plan, over- see, and implement watershed and riparian restoration,

2. Performing much of the necessary activity on USFS lands through direct budget authorizations from Congress, and

3. Providing contract work for the local work force to help with watershed and riparian work.

II. Stock Identification and Population Trends Information Needs

Except for winter steelhead, all anadromous salmonid stocks in the South Fork Trinity basin are at risk of loss. Stocks such as spring chinook and fall chinook salmon must continue to be closely monitored if they are to be recovered. Only by understanding the biological needs and life history of each species in the basin can we hope to effectively reverse population declines.

A. Fall chinook salmon and especially spring chinook, summer steelhead and coho salmon should be closely monitored. Either CDFG should expand its monitoring efforts or solicit cooperation from the USFS to accomplish this goal.

B. Continue winter steelhead count

C. Utilization of volunteer resources from schools and the community should be considered to augment staff and lessen program costs, if necessary.

D. Continue current stream sampling of juvenile salmonids and expand monitoring to key sub-basins to better understand natural fluctuations of populations and to measure long term success of restoration efforts.

1. Request that the USFS continue to do index counts of juvenile steelhead in Big, Rattlesnake, Rusch, Hayfork and Salt Creeks.

2. Begin monitoring, via direct dive observation of standing crops of juvenile salmonids in index reaches on Plummer Creek, Smokey Creek, Madden Creek, the East Fork of the South Fork, the upper South Fork Trinity (above the E.F.) and Miner Creek.

E. Consider performing additional genetic analysis of South Fork Trinity fall and spring chinook stocks, including effective population size (Ne), if sampling techniques can be performed without sacrificing adults. This latter measure of genetic diversity would suggest if there was a problem with inbreeding.

III. Fisheries Habitat Improvement

The concept of fisheries habitat improvement in the South Fork Trinity River basin must be expanded to include watershed and riparian restoration and improved flows in the Hayfork sub-basin. (Watershed restoration is included as a separate section)

.A. Existing in-stream fish habitat improvement should be fully evaluated. This involves:

1. Determine longevity of structures and whether they are leading to increased fish production,

2. Delay future major investments in instream structures until monitoring and evaluation demonstrate which techniques are effective and cost-efficient,

B. Improve summer stream flows and fish habitat quality by:

1. Increasing efficiency of water use by replacing ditches with piped diversions and implementing drip for irrigation where feasible,

2. Exploring use of computer model to coordinate use to allow for better stream flows and better sharing among users,

3. Increasing technical assistance by using additional SCS and RCD staff time,

4. Using grey water from sewage treatment plant, if one is built, for watering athletic fields and the fair grounds, and

5. Prevent additional splits of riparian parcels so that future water extraction problems are avoided.

C. Improve water quality by:

1. Decreasing problems related to accellerated leaching from septic systems by lining the Jackson diversion ditch or preferably replacing it with a pipe,

2. Studying water quality in Hayfork Creek to the confirm need for a sewer plant and finding funds to build one if needed,

3. Reducing the return flow of warm water from flood irrigated fields through increased efficiency of water use (see above),

4. Excluding cattle from most stream side areas to decrease direct input of fecal material,

5. Checking old mill sites, land fill sites and agricultural run off for pollution to ascertain whether wter quality problems exist and take necessary actions.

D. Restore riparian zones by:

1. Conducting scientific assessments of past and present riparian conditions.

a. Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests should conduct an historical riparian assessment of tributaries and main stem environments to determine past changes and desired future conditions, and

b. The CRMP, with technical assistance from the RCD and SCS, should take the lead in conducting or contracting for an historical study of riparian conditions on private timber and agricultural land.

2. Riparian restoration can begin on agricultural lands immediately by planting alder and willow to restore primary canopy. Longer term riparian restoration on agricultural lands may include planting of cottonwoods and/or conifers to begin long term re-establishment of secondary over story.

3. Begin pilot riparian restoration projects in areas of greatest need as soon as planning efforts are completed.

IV. Redirect Efforts of California Conservation Corp

A. Increasing focus on riparian restortion projects, including planting trees and constructing fences to exclude cattle from riparian zones,

B. Installing new water lines and lining diches to improve efficiency of water use, and

C. Mulching, revegetating and performing erosion control work on sites disturbed during watershed restoration Chapter 16 continued

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