Restoration of floodplain habitat, including off-channel ponds and side channels, provides important “winter refugia”- shelter from high flows during intense winter storm events, and increased habitat diversity that leads to improved food resources for fish. This project also benefitted from streamlined permitting processes developed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and State Water Resources Control Board specifically for habitat restoration projects. Historically, thousands of Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and Steelhead Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) returned annually to spawn in the rivers and streams of Northern California and Southern Oregon. The watersheds that supported this fishery supported robust and resilient populations of Coho salmon that could persist under a range of environmental conditions. Habitat alterations caused by land management, including historic logging practices, led to declines in these populations. Current population estimates state that steelhead are distributed in mainstem Yager Creek in all its forks and tributaries (approximately 53 miles). At least 19 of the available stream miles are potentially used by Coho Salmon and approximately 30 miles are utilized by Chinook salmon.

Lawrence Creek is a tributary to Yager Creek, which is located 11 miles upstream of the confluence with the Van Duzen River, and a tributary to the South Fork Eel River in Humboldt County, California. Yager Creek and its tributaries (including Lawrence Creek) are among the most important Coho and Chinook Salmon streams in the Van Duzen River basin (CDFW 2017). The Lower Eel/Van Duzen River Coho population is at high risk of extinction (NOAA 2014), and within the Van Duzen River Basin, the Yager Creek Subbasin most likely maintains the highest salmonid fisheries value, particularly concerning the presence and viability of Coho Salmon within the Lawrence Creek watershed. Anadromous salmonids found in the Van Duzen River basin include the Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC) Coho Salmon (status: threatened); California Coastal (CC) Chinook Salmon (status: threatened); and Northern California Steelhead Trout (status: threatened); as well as cut-throat trout.

This off-channel habitat restoration project in the Lawrence Creek Sub-basin has been implemented in three phases.

• Phase 1 (Lawrence 1.0): In 2015 NOAA and the landowner, Humboldt Redwood Company (HRC), collaboratively designed and constructed ¼ acre pond (150’ x 45’). Approximately 2,000 cubic yards of sediment were removed to create two separate deep-water pools, with shallow edge-water habitat to provide a diversity of habitat types and conditions to maximize potential food resources and other ecosystem benefits. This project provided a valuable opportunity to learn more about off-channel pond design, construction and physical monitoring, fish utilization and overall project performance. After one-year post-construction, Coho Salmon and steelhead were found utilizing the habitat. The complex wood structures and willow plantings provided habitat diversity in the pond that allowed for increased macroinvertebrate production and utilization by northwestern salamanders and Pacific tree and red-legged frogs, as evidenced by egg masses observed on small wood and submerged willow plantings. • Phase 2 (Lawrence 2.0): In 2017, Trout Unlimited (TU) was awarded funds from the NOAA Restoration Center to expand on the work that occurred in 2015, and to complete two additional off-channel habitat restoration projects. In 2018, construction was completed on a second off-channel pond on Lawrence Creek (2.0), which restored hydrologic connectivity to 260’ of an unnamed tributary and enhanced the habitat through the excavation of a pond and alcove feature and placement of large wood. Coho Salmon and Steelhead Trout have since been observed utilizing the pond feature year-round. Although the pond became hydrologically disconnected during the 2019 and 2020 summers, water quality conditions did not impact salmonid summer growth or survival. • Phase 3 (Lawrence 3.0): The final phase (III) of this project (Lawrence 3.0) is the final deliverable under the NOAA Restoration Center grant and is also being supported with FY21 NFHP project funding through the California Fish Passage Forum. The scope of this project is focused on providing ESA species access to historic floodplain habitats by enhancing and restoring hydrologic connectivity to an existing side channel habitat feature connected to Lawrence Creek that will provide shelter during intense storm events. Low-velocity refugia are important for reducing juvenile salmonid mortality during high-flow events. The project will create low-velocity winter refugia off-stream of Lawrence Creek and add shelter and complexity to the available aquatic habitat in the reach. The project was developed and designed following a collaborative public-private partnership between Trout Unlimited, Humboldt Redwood Company, Pacific Watershed Associates, and the Western Region NOAA/NMFS staff to capitalize on shared expertise, experience, and resources.

With an innovative Approach to Permitting, this project benefitted from streamlined permitting processes offered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (Coho Habitat Enhancement Leading to Preservation (HELP) Act; Habitat Restoration Enhancement (HRE) Act), and the California State Water Resources Control Board (Clean Water Act Section 401 General Water Quality Certification for Small Habitat Restoration Projects (SHRP)). Projects eligible for coverage under these programs are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) due to the small project size and adherence to environmental protection measures, which combined do not result in significant impacts to environmental or cultural resources. These permits and approvals have a shorter review period (~ 60 days on average) than traditional permits and can help accelerate the implementation of restoration projects for the recovery of listed salmonids.

Benefits to Local Recreational and Tribal Fisheries The Lawrence Creek Off-Channel Restoration Project is located in the Eel River watershed, the third-largest watershed in California, and historically one of the state’s most productive rivers for anadromous salmonids. Today, the Eel River supports a year-round recreational sport fishery, and while it is especially known for winter steelhead fishing, there is also a recreational fall Chinook fishery. Sport fishing in the Eel River is subject to a low flow fishing closure each year beginning Oct 1.

Adult Chinook salmon and lamprey are an important cultural and nutritional food source for local Tribes. Despite historical landscape alterations, the Yager Creek subbasin contains some of the best potential for high-quality salmonid habitat in the Van Duzen River Basin (CDFW 2017). The overall goal of the recovery plans that helped guide this restoration is to have self-sustaining populations of salmon and steelhead trout. Restoring access to off-channel habitat in Lawrence Creek will help increase the survival rates of juvenile salmonids, increasing their likelihood to return to the sport fishery and Tribal harvests.

Project Timeline:

2015 - Lawrence Creek 1.0

2018 - Lawrence Creek 2.0

2021 - Lawrence Creek 3.0

Project Partners:

Trout Unlimited (Project Lead) Humboldt Redwood Company NOAA Restoration Center NMFS West Coast Region Pacific Watershed Associates California Fish Passage Forum

Video:

This project was profiled in PBS’ Saving Species Together. The excerpt on Lawrence Creek project can be found here: https://www.netaonline.org/episode/saving-species-together