Salmon Habitat Restoration Priorities in the South Fork Eel River

The first application of the SHaRP process is now complete in the South Fork Eel River in Northern California. This effort targeted seven focus areas within the larger South Fork Eel River watershed:

• Bull Creek
• Redwood Creek
• Sproul Creek
• Indian Creek
• Standley Creek
• Hollow Tree Creek
• South Fork Eel River headwaters

Why was the South Fork Eel River chosen as the first location?

Restoration of the Eel River will play a critical role in removing salmonids from the list of threatened species. Historically, the Eel River supported countless California Coastal Chinook Salmon, Southern Oregon/Northern California Coho Salmon, and Northern California steelhead. Those fish, in turn, supported a vibrant ecosystem, tribal cultures, and renowned commercial and recreational fisheries.

Within the larger Eel River watershed, several factors make the South Fork Eel River a priority location for restoration. While the entire Eel River watershed has experienced significant declines in salmon and steelhead populations, the South Fork continues to support higher numbers of these wild fish. Much of the habitat remains intact, and there is an engaged restoration community actively seeking tools to prioritize their restoration activities. 

These unique characteristics make the South Fork Eel River essential to the recovery of salmon and steelhead, and to preserving these species in the face of challenges like climate change. They make the region an ideal location for implementing the “protect the best” approach that forms the foundation of the SHaRP process.

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How have local communities been engaged?

The success of SHaRP depends heavily on community engagement. Creating these highly-specific restoration plans requires a deep, local understanding of the South Fork Eel River. The people who live and work in the region, and who have spent time studying or observing a particular area, have invaluable knowledge. Their insights are key to determining the:

• Most pressing problems facing salmonid habitat 
• Best forms of habitat restoration to address those problems 
• Specific locations where this restoration should happen 

The community was invited to help determine the focus areas within the South Fork Eel River. The data used to rank potential areas and the draft scores for each area were presented at four public meetings held across Humboldt and Mendocino counties. Comments were received over a 120-day period. 

Local experts were invited to participate in meetings to identify challenges and potential solutions for each focus area. Representatives from tribes, government agencies, timber companies, environmental groups, and the surrounding community all participated in carrying out the SHaRP process and authoring the plan for the South Fork Eel River. Many members of this group continue to work with NOAA Fisheries and CDFW as they develop proposals for funds to implement restoration projects described in the plan.

The South Fork Eel River Restoration Strategy

The SHaRP plan for the South Fork Eel River includes chapters for each of the seven focus areas. Each of these chapters describes the focus area’s natural setting, history of land use, biggest habitat challenges, and specific restoration projects needed to address these challenges. 

Download the full South Fork Eel River SHaRP Plan (PDF, 284 pages), or download the individual chapters, including action plans for each focus area, below:

• Chapter 1: Understanding SHaRP (PDF, 6 pages)
• Chapter 2: Selection of Focus Areas (PDF, 10 pages)
• Chapter 3: Identifying the Problems and Restoration Solutions in Each Focus Area (PDF, 19 pages)
• Chapter 4: Physical and Land-Use Context for Aquatic Habitat in the South Fork Eel River (PDF, 18 pages)
• Chapter 5: Bull Creek Action Plan (PDF, 29 pages)
• Chapter 6: Redwood Creek Action Plan (PDF, 30 pages)
• Chapter 7: Sproul Creek Action Plan (PDF, 26 pages)
• Chapter 8: Indian Creek Action Plan (PDF, 25 pages)
• Chapter 9: Standley Creek Action Plan (PDF, 26 pages)
• Chapter 10: Hollow Tree Creek Action Plan (PDF, 21 pages)
• Chapter 11: South Fork Eel River Headwaters Action Plan (PDF, 26 pages)