Other TCRCD Restoration Projects

• Bureau of Land Management’s “Job’s In the Woods“—Indian Creek Channel Restoration Trinity County Resource • Department of Forestry and Fire Protection—Forest Stewardship Fuels Reduction Conservation District and Forest Health Projects for East Branch and Covington Mill

• Dupont—Weaverville Basin Trail Improvement Project Planting in Grass Valley Creek Watershed • Bureau of Land Management “Jobs In the Woods“—Revegetation and Road Repair Projects in Indian Creek and Grass Valley Creek Watersheds

• California Department of Fish and Game—Riparian Enhancement Projects in Hayfork Valley

• State Water Resources Control Board—Trinity River Basin Fuels Reduction

• California Department of Fish and Game— Diversion Elimination Projects and Grass Valley Heavy Equipment Work-Landing Removal Confluence of Grass Valley Creek and Trinity River Creek Revegetation

• California Department of Fish and Game—Upper South Fork Trinity River and Plummer Creek Watersheds Road Inventory

• Bureau of Reclamation—Trinity River Restoration Program—South Fork Trinity River Watershed Restoration Project

• Bureau of Reclamation—Indian Creek Water-shed Restoration Project Watershed • CalTrans—Revegetation Projects along Hwy 299 Restoration • Natural Resources Conservation Service— Culvert Upgrade Riparian Education Project Projects • US Fish and Wildlife Service—”Jobs In the Woods” Repairs to Channel Improvement on Indian Creek.

• Department of Conservation—Watershed Coordi- P.O. Box 1450 nation Project for Trinity River and South Fork Weaverville, CA 96093 Trinity River Watersheds (530) 623-6004 • State Water Resources Control Board (Prop (530) 623-6006 fax 204)—Trinity River Watershed Forest Health and [email protected] Email Fuels Reduction Project www.tcrcd.net Web TRINITY COUNTY RESOURCE Trinity River Restoration Program Grass Valley Creek Watershed CONSERVATION DISTRICT The Trinity River Act of 1955 (PL 86-386) estab- Grass Valley Creek Watershed (GVC) has been lished the creation of The Trinity River Division of the most extensive restoration project for the Organization and Purpose the . One aspect of the divi- RCD to date. As part of the Trinity River Conservation Districts are legal subdivisions sion was the construction of Trinity --completed Restoration Program, GVC was considered the of state government, special districts respon- in 1963--to effect the diversion of “surplus” water most significant contributor of sediment to the sible for conservation work within their from the Trinity Trinity River downstream of the dam, resulting boundaries. Trinity County RCD was formed River to the farms in fish spawning habitat destruction. under Division 9 of the State Resources and homes of the Central Valley and The GVC watershed constitutes steep, mountain- Code in 1956. As a special district, it is self- for hydrologic ous terrain, with elevations ranging from 1,740 to governed by appointed directors who estab- power production. 5,950 feet. About three quarters of the area is lish priorities and set policy. Directors are Even though the underlain by strongly weathered granitic rock and landowners who know local problems, and Trinity River the remainder by metamorphic rock. The soils who volunteer their time without pay. Hatchery has been formed in granite are coarse textured, drought an integral part of dam plan- Trinity Dam prone, and highly erosive. Significant areas in the Trinity County RCD is a county wide special ning from the outset, the watershed have sparse vegetative cover and ex- district. The district gets funding solely from construction of the dam has never the less led to perience accelerated surface erosion. “deterioration” of resources, in particular fisheries, outside grants and fee for service projects. Before 1992, GVC watershed was almost entirely since dam completion. The Board of Directors is guided by landown- in private ownership and had been intensively ers and the community in their decisions and A noticeable impact on the fisheries in the wake of managed for timber production since the 1940's. actions. Employees of the District carry out dam construction, despite the accommodations Widespread land disturbance from commercial the day to day operations, guided by priori- made for the fish by construction of the hatchery, timber harvesting operations had occurred, add- led to the formation of the Trinity River Basin Fish ties and policies set by the Board. ing significantly to the already high natural rates and Wildlife Task Force in 1971 and the Trinity of erosion. Roads, skid trails, landings and other

River Stream Rectification Act (PL 96-335) of 1980, man-made features used in past timber opera- The purpose of the District is the same as for which authorized the first steps toward mitigating tions were the primary source of sediment dis- districts across the nation. Districts focus at- sediment impact on the Trinity from Grass Valley charge into GVC. Sediment source inventories tention on land, water and related resource Creek. Increased awareness of the problem of were completed by the Soil Conservation Service problems, to develop programs to solve sediment entering (now NRCS) in 1986 and 1991 to prioritize them, and to enlist and coordinate help from the Trinity from treatments. all public and private sources that can con- tributaries, exacer- The RCD began implementing restoration tribute to accomplishing the district's goals. bated by the loss of spring flushing projects in 1992, with revegetation efforts and In addition, districts work to further conserva- flows, led to the grade stabilization structures and evolved into tion education in the community, coordinating passage of the heavy equipment operations to remove landings educational programs and serving as a com- Trinity River Fish and roads. The RCD is now primarily implement- munity clearing house for information and and Wildlife Res- ing a 10-year Revegetation Plan in GVC as most services. Buckhorn Dam-Grass Valley Creek toration Act of of the physical restoration work has been imple- 1984 (PL 98-541), in which the Secretary of the mented where access is possible. TCRCD Mission Statement Interior “was directed to implement a fish and wild- To assist people in protecting, managing, life management program to restore fish and wildlife populations to levels approximating those which conserving and restoring the natural re- existed immediately prior to the construction of the sources of Trinity County through infor- Trinity Division.” In 1980 Congress approved legis- mation, education, technical assistance lation that provided funding to construct sediment and project implementation. mitigation to the Trinity. Buckhorn Sediment Dam and Hamilton Ponds were constructed in 1984 and 1991. Road Recontour-before Road Recontour-after