The Current Magazine Summer 2015 | Page 11

40 to 60% of Meadows are Degraded

Several years ago, conversations began among a broad coalition of environmental groups, academic institutions, and government agencies that were all working to address the challenges of restoring Sierra meadows, an urgent issue given that 40 to 60% of the range's meadows are considered degraded. However, up until more recently, there was a paucity of coordination amongst those involved. The breakthrough came in February of 2014 during a workshop in Calistoga where members decided to come together to leverage their collective expertise and align work on restoring meadows. Last autumn, this coordination resulted in a suite of proposals being submitted to develop a standard quantification protocol for measuring greenhouse gas dynamics and apply this protocol to meadow restoration projects throughout the region.

Four of the proposals were awarded grants from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) to apply this new research and restoration approach to Sierra meadows. The DFW funding comes from California's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which is supported by the state's cap-and-trade auction proceeds. Two additional Sierra meadow projects were also funded that center on quantifying carbon sequestration.

Collectively, the body of work from all of the funded projects will inform the scientific understanding of greenhouse gas dynamics in meadows throughout the region.

CalTrout's own piece of this funding was a $922,000 grant to support its work in formalizing the quantification protocol for the partnership, carrying out restoration work at Osa Meadow in the Kern River drainage, and collecting and analyzing data. CalTrout will work with partners and a core science team to develop a predictive model that will then be used to develop a more cost-effective and efficient protocol for measuring greenhouse gases in meadows. Another key goal is to eventually establish carbon credits that can be sold to generate long-term funding for meadow restoration and management.

Dr. Mark Drew, Director of the Sierra Headwaters Program with CalTrout, sees this as an exciting new chapter in meadow restoration work. "We have a tremendous opportunity, collectively and through CalTrout's leading role in the partnership, to accelerate and coordinate our restoration work while dramatically increasing our scientific understanding of meadow systems."

A portion of the Preserve’s lands will be returned to their historic function as an extensive network of slough channels draining tidal marsh, seasonal marsh, and freshwater runoff from Russ Creek and Centerville Slough to support salmon rearing. These wetland areas will act as rearing habitat for coho, steelhead, and Chinook salmon, with a newly planted native hardwood and conifer riparian corridor along Russ Creek and Centerville Slough.

Improving Fish Passage

Since the estuary currently has limited access to salmon rearing habitat within creek and tidal slough channels, the restoration is designed to increase salmon rearing habitat for out migrating juveniles in the Eel River delta. The current tide gates prevent fish passage due to high water velocity during their open periods and a properly designed gate will allow fish to access the inboard wetland habitats. In the springtime, fish access to rearing habitat into Cutoff Slough, a restored Centerville Slough, as well as smaller tidal creek channels will also be enhanced by designing a properly sized and style of tidegate to replace the current top hinged tidegates at the mouth of Cutoff Slough.

Completion of the design phase of the project is anticipated for 2016.