The Water Forum has received a $333,000 grant from the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) to plan the next generation of rearing habitat improvements for young salmon and steelhead on the lower American River. The funding will help the Water Forum, in partnership with the Bureau of Reclamation and Sacramento County Regional Parks, identify and design up to 10 new habitat sites—covering roughly 30 acres—within the American River Parkway.
These future projects will focus on creating side channels and seasonally inundated shaded areas where juvenile salmonids can rest, feed, and grow before migrating to the ocean. These sites are essential for helping Chinook salmon and Central Valley steelheadsurvive increasingly challenging river conditions.
“This investment from the Wildlife Conservation Board strengthens our region’s long-standing commitment to science-based river stewardship,” said Ashlee Casey, Water Forum Executive Director. “By supporting our efforts to combine best-available science with a collaborative stakeholder process, WCB is an integral partner as we work to improve conditions for our native salmon and steelhead.”
Water Forum Habitat and Science Program Manager Erica Bishop explained the importance of this work: “Young salmon need places away from the faster, main river channel to grow before they begin their journey to the ocean. This grant, paired with other funding, lets us take a careful look at the river and recent data, and design the best possible projects—so when funding becomes available, we’re ready to build.”
A Statewide Effort to Support Habitat and Climate Resilience
The Water Forum’s award is part of a larger funding package approved by the WCB on November 20. In total, the Board awarded $87.1 million for 16 projects in 14 counties, supporting habitat restoration, salmon recovery, and the return of culturally significant lands to Tribal stewardship. Several of these initiatives advance the State’s Salmon Strategy, which focuses on improving river health and climate resilience across California. Read more from the grant award in the WCB’s press release: WCB Approves $87.1 Million for Habitat, Salmon Recovery and Tribal Land Return Projects.