Partnering to protect salmon habitat

The Bouvier Ranch lies upstream of Callahan on the South Fork of the Scott River, the most important source of cold, clean water flowing into the main stem of the river. The relatively small Scott River watershed is the most important producer of coho salmon in the entire Klamath Basin.

Inspired by the opportunity to create positive change for salmon recovery, Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC) purchased the property when it went up for auction in 2017 and began a partnership with SLT to place a conservation easement on the 1,596-acre ranch.

The ranch, which is almost entirely forested, contains 2.5 miles of the South Fork Scott River and miles of perennial streams. These upper watershed tributaries offer refuge for juvenile fish through the heat of summer and keep flows up and temperatures lower downstream

The Scott River has been identified as integral for salmon population health, particularly for threatened coho salmon, which spawn and rear at the project site. WRC collaborated with the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences to create a management strategy to most effectively dedicate water in-stream for the benefit of salmon and steelhead.

SLT joined the project for its ability to protect the integrity of the upper watershed of the Scott River by preventing subdivision and development. It will preserve the pristine streams on the ranch, improve their quality by changing forestry practices, limiting water diversions at critical times, and ensuring that restoration work on the river can continue. The conservation easement will support sustainable forest stewardship practices and prevent habitat fragmentation.

The property sits downstream of the Trinity Alps Wilderness, downslope from the Russian Wilderness, and immediately adjacent to mixed conifer stands of the Klamath National Forest. WRC purchased a second property in the area to protect viewsheds along the Pacific Crest Trail.

Working on timber projects like Bouvier Ranch and the Scott River Headwaters project with Ecotrust Forest Management, we create connections between conservation easement projects SLT is engaged in along the Scott River on the valley floor. The ranch and its miles of stream corridors provide a vital link between the floor of the Scott Valley at 3000’ and the surrounding mountains that reach up to 8000’.