Eel River Recovery Project

The Tenmile Creek Water Conservation and Erosion Control Project Restoration Pilot Project is funded by a grant from the California Coastal Conservancy from Prop 1 funds. It opened in April 2021 and will close in April 2024. Under this grant, ERRP will plan and permit water storage for an organic farm and summer camp for inner city youth so that the Black Oak Ranch can forbear from withdrawing water from Streeter Creek, an important salmon and steelhead bearing tributary. Erosion control projects are also being planned and permitted to stop sediment pollution. Cooperation for forbearance on the west side of the Tenmile Creek watershed is being sought in exchange for acquiring grant funds for additional water storage. The Salmonids Across the Landscape (SAL) model will be used to compare flows between altered Tenmile tributaries and Elder Creek, a control stream on the Angelo Reserve to the west. A surface and groundwater budget for Mill and Cahto creeks is being created. Water flow, temperature and fish community structure are being monitored as part of this project. Timelapse cameras captured photos of streams that were made into flow movies and published to the Internet.

The California Department of Water Resources awarded ERRP an Urban Stream Restoration Program Grant for the Town Creek Restoration and Education Project in Covelo in north eastern Mendocino County. The Project's primary purpose is to treat a 720 foot reach of eroding bank on Town Creek using bioengineering methods, including planning and permitting. ERRP will work with the Round Valley Elementary School and Round Valley High School to involve them in stream restoration and will do outreach to the community to improve stewardship.

The State Water Resources Control Board awarded ERRP a 319h grant funded with use of US EPA money to abate non-point source pollution. The Tenmile Creek Erosion Control and riparian Restoration Project will repair 620 feet of eroding stream bank, restore the riparian area using living willow and create improved fish habitat for ESA-listed Pacific salmon species.

The McLean Foundation funded educational activities in VanDuzen River schools focused on aquatic life and stream health.