Fish Returning to Stuart Creek Marks Conservation Milestone

The Chinook’s triumphant return through this once-dammed passage brings hope that the steelhead trout will someday follow their lead and return to their ancestral waters.

December 5, 2024, SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA — Chinook salmon, also known as “king” salmon, have made a triumphant return to Stuart Creek in Sonoma Valley. However, making their way upstream required traveling through a once impassible segment of a blocked waterway, which Sonoma Land Trust acquired, opened, and carefully restored in 2014. The land trust has been waiting for the salmon’s return for a decade, and this winter marks a historic moment for the region’s ecosystems and a victory for long-term conservation efforts.

While Chinook salmon were historically prevalent in the Sonoma Creek watershed until the early 2000s, steelhead trout, another anadromous species migrating up rivers from the sea to spawn, experienced an even more dramatic decline and earned a place on the federal Endangered Species List. Stuart Creek, a tributary of Sonoma Creek, was the home breeding area to many migratory steelhead whose last major run we know of was in 1965 and is still a priority for conservation groups in Northern California today.

The Sonoma Creek Watershed provides a unique ecological refuge for Bay Area steelhead trout and Chinook salmon. Stuart Creek is one of the highest value tributaries for salmonids and by removing the barriers and restoring the creek, 2.3 miles of pristine, cold-water habitat has been rediscovered for the first time in decades.

In 2011, the once private parcel, now called Stuart Creek Run, was acquired by the Land Trust, with the vision that one day, steelhead and Chinook would regain access to the pristine waters further upstream. It took two years, numerous grants, private donations, and help from their partners to design and implement a new and improved path for the fish to reach their breeding areas.

Winter 2024:

Following the atmospheric rivers of November, dozens—if not hundreds—of fall-run Chinook salmon have been spotted throughout the Sonoma Creek watershed, completing their extraordinary migration from the ocean to spawn.

“In a short period of time, I counted about a dozen Chinook salmon making their way up Stuart Creek at Glen Oaks Ranch, having already passed through our restored section at Stuart Creek Run. This appears to be a big Chinook run across the region—Marin, Napa, and Sonoma—but what makes this year special is that they’ve returned to our creek after years of absence. Somehow, this year, they took the right turn and seem to be thriving in these ideal conditions,” said Sonoma Land Trust stewardship program manager Joe Plaugher.

This remarkable comeback highlights the critical importance of the conservation and restoration efforts by Sonoma Land Trust, Audubon Canyon Ranch, and their partners, who imagined that this day would come. Tremendous efforts were made to create the ideal habitats and remove barriers that made the journey upstream impassible. 

The steep decline of these keystone species in the 1990s galvanized a multi-partner effort to bring them back. In 2014, Sonoma Land Trust completed a transformative stream restoration project on Stuart Creek (Sonoma Creek’s largest tributary) to open access to miles of high-quality spawning habitat further upstream. By removing two bridges and a dam, the project reconnected the flood plain to the stream banks and reopened a 2.3 mile segment of pristine, cold-water habitat, historically vital for salmon and steelhead runs.

A decade later, nature is recovering: the Chinook have returned to Stuart Creek to complete their life cycle, a testament to the resilience of nature when given the opportunity to heal.

“This moment is what conservation is all about,” said Chris Carlson, stewardship program manager of Sonoma Land Trust. “It’s proof that when we invest in restoring natural systems, we create lasting change that benefits wildlife and supports biodiversity in our ecosystems.”

This achievement is rooted in a legacy of foresight and dedication. Over 50 years ago, visionaries like Otto and Anne Teller, Joan Cochran, and David Bouverie permanently protected 1,000 acres of the Stuart Creek watershed, laying the foundation for today’s success. Sonoma Land Trust and its supporters and partners have since built on that legacy, working tirelessly to restore and protect these vital waterways.

The return of Chinook salmon serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness of conservation and natural processes. It underscores the critical role of removing outdated dams and restoring fish passage to support the long-term health of ecosystems. The Chinook’s triumphant return through this once-dammed passage brings hope that the steelhead trout will someday follow their lead and return to their ancestral waters.

“We are thrilled to lay out the welcome mat and celebrate the return of this critical species to our waterways,” said Eamon O’Byrne, executive director of Sonoma Land Trust. “This outcome is a hopeful lesson that speaks to the importance of giving nature the time it needs to recover. It also highlights the effectiveness of patient, long-term conservation efforts, from the mountains to the bay. It took a decade of waiting, and it was worth every minute!”

About the restoration at Stuart Creek Run:

Stuart Creek is one of the highest-value tributaries for salmonids; removing the barrier on the property and restoring the creek has opened up a 3.5 square mile subwatershed containing more than 2 miles of high quality spawning and rearing habitat. In addition, the protection and restoration of Stuart Creek on the property contributes to wildlife connectivity across Sonoma Valley and along Sonoma Creek. The property is within an identified wildlife habitat corridor and connects to the adjacent Audubon Canyon Ranch Bouverie Preserve, which offers wildlife the freedom to roam safely in the 500+ acres of open wildlands.

Special thanks to the State Coastal Conservancy, NOAA, CDFW, Hanford ARC, Audubon Canyon Ranch, Prunuske Chatham Inc, and the Sonoma Ecology Center for their roles in designing and implementing a successful creek restoration site.

About Stuart Creek:

Stuart Creek in the Sonoma Creek watershed is within the traditional home of the Coast Miwok, Wappo, and Pomo peoples. The creek runs for five miles from its headwaters in the Mayacamas Mountains near Cavedale Road, making its way west through Bouverie Preserve and lands held by Sonoma Land Trust before it merges with Calabazas Creek for a short run then joins Sonoma Creek in Glen Ellen and continues south to San Pablo Bay.

Prior to colonialization in the early 1800s, lower Stuart Creek sediments settled as an alluvial fan and the stream braided through wetland areas. The creek was once a major steelhead spawning and rearing ground within the Sonoma Creek watershed — the second-largest steelhead run in the San Francisco Bay Area.

You can learn more about the Stuart Creek Run restoration on Sonoma Land Trust’s website: https://sonomalandtrust.org/our-preserve-system/anchor-preserves/stuart-creek/