Living near the Eel River with its more than 3,600 square miles of watershed, Scotia residents enjoy the beauty the river affords. In the past, the river offered Humboldt County residents a bountiful supply of fish with runs of salmon and steelhead trout estimated in the millions.
However, this watershed, which is the third largest in California, is in trouble.
Most mainstem and large tributaries in the Eel River basin have been listed as “impaired” due to excessive sediment, habitat degradation and increased water temperatures. This has resulted in salmon, steelhead and other native fish populations dwindling over the past century.
The mission of the Eel River Recovery Project is to coordinate and integrate conservation and recovery efforts in the Eel River watershed to conserve its ecological resilience, restore its native fish populations and protect other watershed beneficial uses.
So how do you help?
There are many non-profit organizations working on these specific watershed issues. The Eel River Recovery Project is one energized group currently working within the entire Eel River Watershed to bring awareness to the issue. Other groups have a citizen-based component of their work related to specific projects having to do with the recovery of the watershed, including the Salmonid Restoration Federation. These efforts are ongoing and could use your help!
To Learn More, Click Here
http://caltrout.org/regions/north-coast-region/keystone-initiative-eel-river-recovery/
http://www.eelriverrecovery.org/index.html
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