Habitat Conservation on the West Coast: Habitat Focus Area - Russian River, California

NOAA's Habitat Blueprint provides a forward-looking framework to think and act strategically across NOAA programs and with partner organizations to address the growing challenge of coastal and marine habitat loss and degradation. Increasing the effectiveness of our efforts, our main outcomes of the Habitat Blueprint include sustainable and abundant fish populations, recovered threatened and endangered species, protection of coastal and marine habitats at risk, resilient coastal communities, and increased coastal/marine tourism, access, and recreation.

The Russian River in northern California was selected as a Habitat Focus Area in 2013, to focus expertise, resources, and actions to maximize benefits to marine resources. Our objectives for the Russian River Habitat Focus Area are to:

• rebuild endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead stocks to sustainable levels through habitat protection and restoration,
• improve frost, rainfall, and river forecasts in the Russian River watershed through improved data collection and monitoring, and
• increase community resiliency to flood damage within the Russian River watershed through improved water planning and management strategies.

Learn more about our NOAA-wide collaborations and efforts to achieve these objectives below.

Policy and Management

Russian River Biological Opinion: In 2008, NOAA Fisheries drafted a biological opinion under the Endangered Species Act to address the impacts of water supply, flood control, and channel maintenance in the Russian River on ESA-listed fish. The biological opinion provides a 15-year blueprint to help protect and conserve endangered ­fish and ensure a reliable water supply within the Russian River watershed.

Success Stories

• California Camp Teaches by Example: Balancing Water Needs to Recovery Salmon
• Progress in the Russian River

Resources and Links

• Russian River Factsheet
• Habitat Blueprint Factsheet
• Fish Friendly Farming
• Water Quality Impacts and Foraging Opportunities for Steelhead in Russian River Estuary (NOAA Technical Memo, 2017)

Videos

• Russian River Restoration
• From Gravel Pits to Salmon Habitat

Partners

NOAA Fisheries works with many partners throughout the West Coast to carry out multiple habitat conservation efforts, projects, and objectives in the Russian River watershed.

NOAA Participating Offices

• Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research
• National Weather Service
• National Ocean Service
• Restoration Center
• California Sea Grant

Federal Agencies

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• U.S Geological Survey
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

State Agencies

• California Department of Fish & Wildlife
• California Department of Parks & Recreation
• California State Coastal Conservancy

County Districts & Agencies

• Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District
• Mendocino Resource Conservation District
• Sonoma County Water Agency
• Sonoma Resource Conservation District

Partner Organizations

• Center for Ecosystem Management & Restoration (CEMAR)
• Endangered Habitats Conservancy
• National Fish & Wildlife Foundation
• The Nature Conservancy
• Russian Riverkeeper
• Sonoma County Wine Grape Commission
• Trout Unlimited
• UC Berkeley
• UC Cooperative Extension Mendocino County
• UC Cooperative Extension Sonoma County

More Information

• Habitat Conservation on the West Coast
• NOAA’s Habitat Blueprint
• West Coast Region About Us