California's South Fork Trinity River is a celebrated tributary to the Klamath River that once hosted an abundance of native steelhead, chinook and coho salmon. The Trinity's South Fork is host to one of only two remaining wild runs of spring Chinook in the entire Klamath Basin.However, populations of anadromous fish in the South Fork Trinity have been declining since the 1960s in large part due to harmful sediment loading caused by flooding, landslides, logging and road-building. As California's second longest Wild and Scenic river, the South Fork Trinity is now the subject of increased restoration efforts, particularly efforts to limit over-sedimentation.
Joining in this effort, Western Rivers Conservancy purchased a 170-acre private in-holding within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The property has one-half mile of river frontage in the heart of the most productive spawning reach for steelhead and chinook salmon. In 2009, WRC conveyed this land to be part of the surrounding Shasta-Trinity National Forest, which shares our vision is to keep the property's fragile forest and riparian area intact. The result will be clearer, healthier spawning waters for fish along this stretch.
