The Habitat Project at Upper Sailor Bar took place in September 2019. Over a four-week period, teams placed 14,000 cubic yards of gravel into the river as part of the Water Forum’s work to promote spawning of native salmon and steelhead, which has been limited because of Nimbus and Folsom dams. Teams also carved a 1,400 foot side channel into the north bank of the river to provide rearing habitat. Rearing habitat is important because it provides much-needed cover for juvenile fish after they’ve come out of the gravel.
The project yielded measurable results, including a 1,000 percent increase in salmon redds (nests). In 2018, there were zero redds counted in the area. By fall 2019, there were more than 1,000.
Learn more:
- Upper Sailor Bar Photo Summary
- Fact Sheet and Frequently Asked Questions about the project
- Gravel Augmentation 2019 Update to the Recreation and Park Commission
- Letter to Upper Sailor Bar 2019 project neighbors
- Environmental evaluations, permits, and consultations
Media Coverage
- Sacramento Bee: Project to restore American River for native fish leads to surge in salmon nets
- American River Messenger: Salmon Run Out in a Wild Season
- Fox 40 News: Habitat Restoration Project Success
- ACWA News: New Habitat Restoration Project Nurtures Record Number of Salmon
- KCRA: Rocky Solution to salmon problem going swimmingly in the American River
- Sacramento Bee: Gravel Project Aims to Replenish Critical Nursing Areas of the American River for Fish
- Fox 40 News: Scientists Rebuilding Habitat for Salmon in American River
- ACWA News: New Habitat Restoration Project Highlights Federal-State-Local Partnership
- AWWA California-Nevada Section, Source Magazine: Working to Balance the Water Needs of People and the Environment in the Sacramento Region