Winter Run Chinook Salmon
Shortly after I moved to the Ranch, I attended the annual meeting of the Battle Creek Watershed Conservancy (BCWC). It turns out BCWC has been involved in protecting the Battle Creek Watershed for the last 25 plus years. The big project has been the Battle Creek Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Project. From a 2021 River Partners Report:
Battle Creek is arguably the most important salmonid stream in California. Upon completion of the Battle Creek Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Project in 2022, Battle Creek will support five separate runs of salmonids, more than any other stream in the state, making it a critical resource for preserving salmonid biodiversity. Battle Creek also supports Coleman National Fish Hatchery, the state’s largest hatchery, and the source of most salmon caught in the state’s commercial ocean fishery.
Battle Creek’s status as a critically important salmonid stream is the result of the watersheds unique geology, which also make Battle Creek one of the most reliable water sources in the state. The porous vesicular basalts of Mt. Lassen infiltrate large amounts of rain-fall and snow-melt, which reemerge as cool, perennial springs that sustain higher base flows than similarly sized watersheds, particularly during the dry season and droughts. Battle Creek’s dependable yield of cool water will become even more important as climate change strains the state’s ability to meet competing demands for water.
The restoration of Battle Creek is critical to the recovery of winter-run Chinook salmon. Over the last two decades, state and federal agencies have spent nearly $200 million on the Battle Creek Steelhead and Salmon Restoration Plan (BCRP) to restore winter-run and other salmonid runs, to Upper Battle Creek. These efforts would not have been successful without the active participation of the Greater Battle Creek Working Group (GBCWG) and the Battle Creek Watershed Conservancy, a non- governmental organization that played a key role organizing the GBCWG
After a few months of helping BCWC with a variety of projects, they asked me to join the board. We have about a mile of the North Fork Battle Creek on the Ranch, so the answer was yes!
We are working on a landowner access agreement to help bring resources to remove rockfall from a stretch of the North Fork that is interfering with ability of the salmon to get upstream. We are partnering on a California Strategic Growth Council grant application with CalTrout and River Partners. And we are helping keep an eye on the handful of Winter Run Chinook that are being brought up to North Fork Battle Creek.
That last part is an indication of how dire the situation is for these endangered fish. The worry is that the drought has been so bad that there is not enough water in Shasta Reservoir to consistently release cold water into the Lower Sacramento. That is what these fish need to survive. So they are literally trucking the fish up to Manton (22 so far), putting them about a quarter mile upstream of the Ranch, and hoping they spawn.
The good news is that we have seen three of the fish so far. Two are staying consistently in the deep, cold water of the Swimming Hole. I’m hoping they find the gravel to their liking and start spawning. — KLM