Natural Resources and Fisheries Restoration ProgramSince 1981 NCIDC has operated Fisheries Restoration Programs on the Klamath River and its tributaries. During the 13 years of fish rearing projects that NCIDC developed and administered, in cooperation with the California Department of Fish and Game, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, over 4.5 million salmon yearlings were reared and released on the Klamath River. NCIDC has since transferred operations of the hatchery and rearing ponds on the Mid-Klamath River to the Karuk Tribe of California, and, on the Lower Klamath River, to the Yurok Tribe.
Restoration of the fisheries involves more than production of young salmon yearlings, it involves habitat protection and functional improvement of the natural spawning and rearing areas for the species to recover. Hatcheries serve as an intermediate solution to populate the species while efforts to address the longer term solutions are being developed and implemented. For this reason, NCIDC continues to be active in Fisheries Restoration by providing developmental assistance to tribes for building watershed and habitat restoration programs.
NCIDC has concluded Phase I, the Lower Klamath River Restoration and Strategic Development Program, a four year project in which NCIDC, the Yurok Tribe, Simpson Timber Company, and the California Coastal Conservancy have developed a watershed restoration program and strategy for the Lower Klamath River sub-basin. Currently in Phase II, the Klamath River Cultural and Ecosystem Restoration Program, NCIDC is providing technical assistance, coordination and guidance to the Karuk Tribe of California in the formation and development of Restoration and Strategic Planning efforts in the Mid-Klamath and Salmon River sub-basins.
Another objective of NCIDC's Natural Resources And Fisheries Restoration Program, has been to train local American Indian people in watershed restoration techniques and to establish local work crews or Tribal watershed restoration divisions to accomplish the prescribed work. The overall goal is to create jobs and training opportunities for the many unemployed Native people living in Tribal communities. With thousands of miles of roads and widespread stream degradation within both public and private forests of the Northern California landscape, there are decades of restoration and forest stewardship projects imperative to the successful restoration of the fisheries.
In October 1998, NCIDC successfully completed the first year of a Comprehensive Watershed Restoration Training and Implementation Program, which trained 18 Yurok Tribal members and staff, and, established a year-round Yurok Tribe Watershed Restoration Division. In June 1999, the Karuk Tribe of California instituted the Program, conducting watershed restoration projects in partnership with the USDA Forest Service. There are 15 Karuk Tribal members that participated in this on-the-job apprenticeship, providing the potential for the development of a future Karuk Tribe Restoration Division.
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Before the start of work on the Steinacher Road Decommissioning Project in Six Rivers National Forest. The project was implemented from June to October 1999.
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After completion of Phase I of the Steinacher Road Decommissioning Project. The project was implemented by the Karuk Tribe Watershed Restoration Division in cooperation with Six Rivers & Klamath National Forests and NCIDC. TerraWave Systems, Inc.was the contractor providing training and program management. |
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