The Shasta-Trinity-Cascades Trout Unlimited chapter was founded in 2016. Based in Redding, CA, our chapter has worked in our local community with local businesses, government agencies and clubs to conserve, protect and enhance the local cold water watersheds and increase awareness of our resources.
What have we been up to? Below are some of the projects we have spearheaded or participated in.
Winter Run Chinook Salmon
The Sacramento River is unique in that it the only river in the world with four unique runs of Chinook Salmon, The Fall Run, Late Fall Run, Spring Run and Winter Run. The Winter Run Chinook evolved to fill a unique niche in the Central Valley. After having migrated to the ocean and growing for three to four years in The Pacific, these fish reenter The Sacramento River in December and January and make their way back upstream to spawn.
The Shasta and Keswick Dams have impeded access to their historic spawning grounds in the upper reaches of the McCloud, Pit and Upper Sacramento Rivers. Drought dealt further blows to the dwindling population of returning adult fish. They are listed under the Environmental Species Act as Endangered. Because of this, protecting each returning fish is vital to the survival of this unique run of Chinook Salmon.
Boaters and anglers can easily identify and avoid spawning fish and their redds. Protecting not only the Winter Run Chinook redds, but all spawning redds will help maintain and conserve our valuable fishery
Our chapter partnered with Turtle Bay, The City of Redding, California Fish and Wildlife and US Fish and Wildlife to install signs near river access Chinook Salmon spawning grounds located in and around the upper Sacramento River to educate boaters and fishermen about how to avoid damaging spawning redds
You can learn more about the Winter Run Chinook salmon here.
Kutras Lake – Habitat Project
Small fish need protection from predators, both birds and fish. Since the construction of Keswick and Shasta Dams there has little to no natural introduction of large, woody debris into the main channel of the Sacramento River. Brush and trees are normally naturally sloughed into river channels and provide necessary protection from predatory fish and birds for trout and salmon fry and fingerlings during an important phase of their lives.
Partnering with biologists from the Bureau of Reclamation, CA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife and Chris Kutras, our chapter helped to obtain permission and the permitting necessary to introduce brush piles in Kutras Lake, a by water of the Sacramento River in the heart of Redding.
The City of Redding sourced manzanita bushes that had been removed to provide the woody brush. The STC chapter purchased sand bags, hardware and cables to secure anchors for the bushes. The chapter members transported the manzanita and as a group with the CA Fish and Wildlife, created the bundles and anchors, and assisted with placing them in prime finglerling habitat.
In all, 17 structures were placed in Kutras Lake. Post-project snorkel surveys have been completed of the structures and their adjacent control sites. The average juvenile salmonids observed per snorkel within the control sites amounts to 0.39 fish. Average juvenile salmonids observed per snorkel using the habitat structures was calculated at 22.96 fish. Based on these calculations, so far, it is apparent that the areas with habitat are far more attractive to juvenile salmonids than the areas within the lake that do not contain new structures. Adult predator fish species presence is also being assessed during these snorkel surveys.
Sacramento River Earth Day Clean Up
Our river is one of the largest in California and we are very proud of it. It bisects Redding, and unfortunately, a lot of trash finds its way into the river. Partnering with the City of Redding, CA Department of Fish and Wildlife, Shasta County Sherriff and City of Redding Police Department, the STC Chapter organized its first annual River Clean Up in 2017.
We recruited volunteers and organized a boat-borne cleanup.
The first clean up netted tons of trash and over 140 tires.
Trout in the Classroom
The Shasta-Trinity-Cascades Chapter is proud to sponsor and facilitate this important program for our local schools. Children learn conservation and science through raising and releasing trout in aquariums from eggs right in their classrooms. We currently sponsor over twenty classrooms in the Shasta and Tehama counties.
How Can You Help?
We’d love to have you join us in our projects. Become a member!
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