A stream gage on Arroyo Grande Creek
has blocked steelhead migration for almost a century.
The stream gage has been rated as one of the top ten barriers for migrating fish in San Luis Obispo County. After more than a decade of working behind the scenes, we’re thrilled to finally be going into construction this fall to lower the jump height of this historic barrier, making it surmountable by steelhead trout so they can once again migrate upstream and access 3.3 additional miles of breeding and rearing habitat that they need to thrive.
Steelhead trout are an integral part of California's ecosystems and cultural heritage.
There was a time when as many as 20,000 steelhead would return annually to our Central Coast streams. Isha’kowoch (“Glistening Salmon”) were a vital source of seasonal nourishment for the native Chumash, embodying profound spiritual and ecological importance. Today, we are lucky to see steelhead runs of 500. South-Central CA Coast steelhead have been listed as federally threatened since 1997.
It is difficult to overstate the importance of steelhead trout in our coastal streams. As a keystone species and top predator, steelhead are the glue that holds our coastal aquatic ecosystems together. The effects of their complete loss would cascade down the food chain in ways we hope never to witness.
Barriers like this have prevented steelhead from migrating freely between the ocean and their freshwater spawning grounds, stranding them in mere fragments of their historic habitat. Without access to vital habitat, population numbers suffer. We have an opportunity to change course and create a future where our Central Coast streams are again teeming with steelhead trout.
Almost everything is in place— just one small funding hurdle remains.
We need $30,000 by October 31st
to close the gap before this decades-long project becomes reality.
With your gift, we can fix this barrier and help restore steelhead populations on the Central Coast.
Help us make the jump!
Our contribution to California's year of river reclamation
Each barrier removed creates a cumulative ripple effect in the larger river reclamation movement across California, giving steelhead and salmon the freedom to once again roam the waters they historically inhabited. With four dams on the Klamath River coming down this year in the largest dam removal effort in U.S. history, California is leading the charge in river restoration. Projects big and small are gaining momentum, all working collectively to restore steelhead and salmon habitat across the state.
We feel privileged to make our small but mighty contribution to barrier removal for steelhead trout here on California’s Central Coast.
Thank you to our current project sponsors!
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