Wood Creek Phase III - Felt Ranch Off-Channel Rearing Habitat Planning Project

Salmonid Restoration Planning and Assessments

Project ID	1611968195786
Recovery Domains	N Central California Coast
Start Date	07/08/2021
End Date	02/14/2024
Year	2020
Status	Completed
Last Edited	05/03/2024

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Description

Project activities resulted in completion of 100% design plans which included creating a perennial hydrologic connection between restored tidal channels on Wood Creek and Felt Ranch freshwater wetlands, 7,511 ft of salmonid lotic habitat and access to 36 acres of wetland habitat. Plans call to install 440 large wood pieces for instream and terrestrial cover structures, channel scour and avian perches in pools, ponds, and alcove habitats. Plans include replacement of Wood Gulch Road crossing with 12ft wide embedded box culvert, recreating 8.1 acres of Sitka spruce-partially forested wetland including and hummocks, planting 0.86 acres of riparian species along the rerouted Wood Creek reach and 2.02 acres of upland forest, backfill 1,285 ft of ditch and remove invasive plant species and replant 1.01 acres with natives to control reed canary grass.

Project Benefit

This project, once implemented, will connect a continuum of rearing conditions from fully freshwater marsh on Felt Ranch to brackish and fully tidal marsh habitats in lower Wood Creek, and thus provide a complex, interconnected mosaic of rearing opportunities for listed Coho Salmon, Chinook Salmon, steelhead trout, and other wildlife.

Source

Funds

PCSRF

$315,179

Other

$188,480

In-Kind Donated Labor

$4,300

Report Total:

$507,959

Worksites

1611968196013

Worksite Identifier: 1611968196013
Start Date:
End Date:

Area Description
Felt Ranch

Location Information

Basin:
Subbasin:
Watershed:
Subwatershed:

State: California
Recovery Domain: N Central California Coast
Latitude: 40.780927
Longitude: -124.088199

ESU

California Coastal Chinook Salmon ESU
Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho Salmon ESU
Northern California Steelhead DPS

Map

Photos

Metrics

B.0 Salmonid Restoration Planning and AssessmentsY (Y/N)

. . B.0.a Planning And Assessment Funding 503,659.00
. . B.0.b.1 Area Encompassed 44.0
. . B.0.b.2 Stream Miles Affected .33

. . B.1 Restoration Planning And CoordinationY (Y/N)

. . . . B.1.a Planning and Coordination funding 503,659.00

. . . . B.1.b.11 Engineering/design work for restoration projectsY (Y/N)

. . . . . . B.1.b.11.a
Name of plan implemented

National Marine Fisheries Service. 2014. Final SONCC Coho Recovery Plan. NOAA Fisheries. Arcata, CA.

. . . . . . B.1.b.11.b

Description and scope of the plan implemented

This project has developed engineering designs that address the following NMFS recovery actions: - Humboldt Bay Tributaries. SONCC-HBT.1.1.5.2 Target: Estuary. Strategy: Improve connectivity of tidally-influenced habitat. Action Description: Remove, set back, or reconfigure levees and dikes. Step Description: Remove or set back levees and dikes and restore channel form and floodplain connectivity, guided by the plan. Action area: Tidally influenced habitat in the lower portions of tributaries where coho salmon would benefit immediately. - Humboldt Bay Tributaries. SONCC-HBT.2.1.1.1 Target: Floodplain and Channel Structure. Strategy: Increase channel complexity. Action Description: Increase LWD, boulders, or other instream structure. Step Description: Assess habitat to determine beneficial location and amount of instream structure needed. Action area: All streams where coho salmon would benefit immediately. - Humboldt Bay Tributaries. SONCC-HBT.8.1.13.1 Target: Sediment Strategy: Reduce delivery of sediment to streams. Action Description: Reduce road-stream hydrologic connection. Step Description: Assess and prioritize road-stream connection, and identify appropriate treatments. Action area: All areas where coho salmon would benefit immediately. - Humboldt Bay Tributaries. SONCC-HBT.2.2.2.2 Target: Floodplain and Channel Structure. Strategy: Reconnect the channel to the floodplain. Action Description: Construct off channel habitats, alcoves, backwater habitat, and old stream oxbows. Step Description: Implement restoration projects that improve off channel habitats to create refugia habitat, as guided by assessment results. Action area: All streams where coho salmon would benefit immediately.