BRT Insights - WW Kayaking & Hiking

Restoration of this Sacramento River tributary creek is vital for preservation of our salmon & steelhead fisheries.

"National Marine Fisheries Service has issued a wake-up call on the dangers facing the Central Valley's salmon ... it found that the ways the state and federal water projects operate threaten the survival of endangered chinook salmon and steelhead, and it required that they change their policies. The changes the agency envisions include finding ways to get the fish around the dams and other barriers that currently stop them as they migrate upstream to spawn." (It's not only fish vs. people - Sacramento Bee 29june2009.)

The National Marine Fisheries Service is working towards "restoration of winter- and spring-run salmon above Shasta Dam on the Sacramento River, and steelhead above Folsom Dam on the American River. Combined, the fish transit order is considered the biggest of its kind in U.S. history. Making it happen presents huge financial and engineering challenges. Costs could exceed $1 billion at a minimum – more than 10 times the original construction cost of both dams." "Other experts argue there are cheaper ways to rescue the salmon populations. Among them is the volunteer group Save Auburn Ravine Salmon and Steelhead. It has worked quietly over the past year to remove small obstructions on Auburn Ravine, a little-known tributary of the Sacramento River." (Restoring fisheries above Folsom, Shasta dams faces high hurdles - Sacramento Bee 22june2009.)

Restoration of spawning habitat in creeks may be the most cost-effective method for preservation of California's valuable salmon fisheries.

SARSAS (Save Auburn Ravine Salmon and Steelhead) is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization, whose goal is to work collaboratively & cooperatively to modify the twelve man-made barriers & six plus beaver dams on the Auburn Ravine making the creek passable for fish. Their mission is to restore salmon & steelhead spawning habitat along the entire length of Auburn Ravine Creek. See the Save Auburn Ravine Salmon and Steelhead blog for news about their work.

Map of Auburn Ravine - tributary creek of the Sacramento River.

Auburn Ravine originates south-west of Auburn, CA (A)
Crosses Hwy 65 in Lincoln, CA (B)
Joins the Sacramento River at Joe's Landing. (C)
DoubleClick or point on the red markers (A, B, etc.) to see their names.
Click on the Topo button and zoom in on the map to see where Auburn Ravine flows.

• Instructions for online interactive topographic river maps & road maps.
• Full-Screen River Map - landmarks on Auburn Ravine.

Additional information:
• Salmon Recovery Planning - National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Office.
• Dam Removal and Salmon Restoration on Battle Creek, California - BRT Insights.
• California River Conservation & Water Policy - BRT Insights.
• Auburn Ravine Creek Directory - Conservation & Restoration. Websites for Auburn Ravine watershed. (Sort alphabetically. dates=news-articles, 3=environment-organizations, 6=local-websites)

Tags: Auburn Ravine, river conservation, environment, water policy, Sacramento River, salmon.

Labels: conservation