Background
From its headwaters in Shasta County, Bear Creek is a 20-mile long tributary of the Sacramento River. The value of streams such as Bear Creek can be integral and valuable in restoring ecological health to the Bay-Delta system, particularly for steelhead trout and fall-run Chinook salmon.
Project
In 2002, a group of residents in the Bear Creek Watershed approached the Western Shasta Resource Conservation District (RCD) for assistance in forming a watershed group. The RCD facilitated several community meetings that resulted in the formation of the organization. Grant funding was secured and with the assistance of the RCD, Bear Creek Watershed Group completed a watershed assessment and management strategy. Today, the intrepid group of volunteers who make up the Bear Creek Watershed Group continue to conduct water quality monitoring in the watershed.
Impact
Implementation of watershed management activities is an important step toward this restoration. A cooperative program with water users for a mutually acceptable flow schedule, that not only provides protection for downstream migrating salmon and steelhead, but also recognizes the needs of agriculture, will provide multiple benefits locally and downstream. By documenting existing conditions in the Bear Creek watershed, decision-makers and managers can make better-informed decisions regarding the use of water and natural resources in the watershed and provide the needed data to work toward a cooperative agreement that would benefit both fish and agricultural water users.
Next Steps
BCWG and the RCD will continue to seek funding support and technical assistance to implement projects targeted to the management issues and objectives in the watershed.
For more information about the Bear Creek Watershed Group, contact Patricia Lawrence at 530-547-5952 or chinookcreekfarms@gmail.com.
Click here to make a secure online donation to the Bear Creek Watershed Group.
