ESTUARY AND THE LOWER RIVER
Enhancing the Estuary and Lower River
The Eel estuary is the third largest coastal wetland in California, spread over roughly 10,000 acres. Reconnecting and restoring estuary habitat can provide needed rearing habitat which is vital to ensuring that juvenile salmonids are large and healthy when they enter salt water. Our goal aims to improve habitat, flows, and connectivity in the lower river to support these migrating native fish.
The Eel estuary has been diked and manipulated for over a century, but there is incredible potential to reclaim former marsh land as landowners retreat from agricultural lands increasingly prone to flooding and salt water incursion. Our work is focused on implementing effective groundwater management and preparing for climate change and sea level rise.
Groundwater Management
Public Trust Litigation
Connecting habitat
Groundwater Management
A groundbreaking legal decision in 2018 determined that the public trust doctrine does apply to groundwater, and that SGMA compliance does not nullify public trust obligations. Click here to read about the case, ELF v. State Water Resources Control Board and click here to listen to a podcast episode about the decision and its implications.
Public Trust Litigation
Sonoma Groundwater – EcoNews Report #248
In late August, Russian Riverkeeper and the California Coastkeeper Alliance got what looks like a very significant ruling in their challenge to Sonoma County’s well permitting ordinance. The groups say that by allowing excessive and unmonitored groundwater extraction,...
Restoring the Eel Must Be Done Right
Dear Friends, Can you believe we are preparing to celebrate 30 years of protecting the Eel River? Many of you have been with us since the beginning, for which we are incredibly grateful. Some of you may have participated in Friends of the Eel River’s very first...
KMUD Environment Show: Dam Removal, Groundwater, and the Great Redwood Trail
Tune into this recording from the KMUD Environment Show hosted by Tom Wheeler to hear our Executive Director Alicia Hamann discuss our most pressing initiatives at Friends of the Eel River: dam removal on the Eel River, protecting the public's interest in groundwater,...
Update on Public Trust Groundwater Lawsuit
In the fall of 2022 Friends of the Eel River filed suit against Humboldt County for failing to protect the public trust values of the Lower Eel River by managing groundwater use during critically dry years. The public trust doctrine is an ancient legal principle...
Save the Date: Eel River Dams Out in 2028!
We’re encouraged by the progress we are making toward Eel River dam removal. PG&E seems eager to rid themselves of this liability-ridden project. It’s our job to make sure dam removal comes in time to save the Eel’s native fish. With your support, Friends of the...
Connecting Habitat
The Eel River estuary presents opportunities for modeling a proactive approach to adapting to sea level rise. Sea level rise in Humboldt Bay and the Eel River Estuary is among the fastest on the west coast of North America. Tectonic activity causes the land to sink and the mountains of the Lost Coast to rise quickly. While we work to open access to spawning grounds in the headwaters of the Eel, it’s also important to connect and enhance habitat in the estuary so all those juvenile salmonids have a safe and productive place to grow.
A wide range of entities have restoration projects on-going in the estuary including the Humboldt County Resource Conservation District, California Trout, Duck Unlimited, The Wiyot Tribe, Department of Fish and Wildlife, and more. And yet, we need more! The region needs a comprehensive Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment. But importantly, our community needs to acknowledge that informed by modern science, and facing the impacts of climate change, we cannot simply cannot manage natural resources in the same way we did 150 years ago.
Contact Us
Membership forms and other printed material may be mailed to:
Friends of the Eel River
PO Box 4945
Arcata, CA 95518
Email: foer(at)eelriver.org
Phone: (707) 798-6345
Please complete the form below and someone will respond to you shortly.