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
Coho vs. Pinot
In July, roughly 1,000 rural Sonoma County residents overflowed classrooms and small meeting chambers at five informational sessions convened by the State Water Resources Control Board. It would be hard to exaggerate many attendees' outrage. At one meeting, two men...
Why the Eel River Disappeared and What It Means for Fish
A YouTube video posted yesterday to SFGate.com claimed that the Eel has stopped flowing altogether, which is not strictly accurate. The video above, which was shot this morning, shows that the Eel simply goes underground for a stretch, running beneath the surface of...
Groundwater Ruling Has Rippling Effects
Decision could lead to unprecedented state regulations Amid concerns of costly and unregulated use of California's groundwater, a Sacramento Superior Court judge has ruled groundwater pumping that impairs waterways violates the public's right to use those waterways,...
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
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