2010 – 2022
The WATER Institute was a founding steering committee member of this partnership that developed a systematic approach to improve streamflow and water supply reliability in five Russian River tributaries critical to the recovery of endangered coho salmon.
Photo Credit: Trout Unlimited
The Partnership was funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation with additional support provided by the Sonoma County Water Agency and includes:
- Center for Ecosystem Management and Restoration
- Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District
- Sotoyome Resource Conservation District
- Occidental Arts and Ecology Center WATER Institute
- Trout Unlimited
- University of California (UC) Research and Extension Center’s Hopland GIS Lab and UC Cooperative Extension
The long-term goals of the Partnership were to
- Restore a more natural flow regime during the dry season
- Increase viability, and ultimately numbers, of coho salmon in the Russian River watershed
- Increase water reliability for water users in each watershed
- Develop governance mechanisms to carry out these efforts
- Develop tools and methods for others to us
To meet the needs of the landowners, the regulatory agencies, and fish and other natural resources, we employed a science-based approach to identify the areas with the greatest opportunity for implementing alternative water management strategies and worked with landowners to identify, study, permit and finance solutions that improved stream flow.
NFWF closed its Russian River Coho Business Plan in 2020 and is currently supporting partners in documenting lessons learned throughout the past 10 years that can be applied to other California watersheds in the future.
