Prairie Creek Restoration Project: Mary Burke, CalTrout

The Prairie Creek Floodplain Restoration Project is located 3.5 miles upstream from the ocean and marks a very important location in the lives of salmon and steelhead in the Redwood Creek watershed–this site is the last downstream opportunity to provide floodplain rearing habitat in the system. The project will provide floodplain connectivity, increase wetland and native vegetation, and enhance public access across Save the Redwoods League’s (the League) 101-acre project site. Hear from CalTrout North Coast Regional Manager and project lead Mary Burke to learn more about the project!

Prairie Creek is one of the most pristine redwood watersheds in California. It is critical habitat for threatened Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and steelhead, as well as coastal cutthroat trout. Between this location and the ocean 3 miles of Federal flood control levees create poor conditions for salmonid habitat. At the project site, the creek is being transformed from steep-sided banks and a disconnected floodplain to a connected series off-channel ponds and backwater features with large wood installations to create habitat for young salmon and steelhead. This habitat is critical in the winter when it provides shelter from high flows and rich habitat to feed and grow prior to outmigration to the ocean.

CalTrout works closely with our partners at the League, California State Coastal Conservancy, the Yurok Tribe, and a team of local consultants to implement this multi-phase project. From 2021 through 2023, this project team implemented the three years of construction and built 11 acres of riparian and wetland floodplain habitat including an off-channel pond; and removed nine acres of asphalt from the mill site. In 2024-25 construction seasons, the project team plans to do a similar amount of work to complete a new trail gateway and realize the complete habitat restoration vision.

Learn more about the project: https://caltrout.org/projects/prairie-creek-floodplain-restoration

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