The South Fork Trinity River is the longest undammed river remaining in California. One of California’s Wild and Scenic rivers, the headwaters of the South Fork Trinity are housed in the Yolla Bolly Mountains, and its waters carve through the Klamath Siskiyou Bioregion, passing through numerous road-less and wilderness areas on their journey to the Klamath.

This undammed and vibrant river is home to one of California’s last remaining wild Spring Chinook populations. Their numbers severely diminished, current Spring Chinook populations average about 200-300 fish, when populations of the 1960s were estimated in the 10,000-12,000 range.

Despite being one of the largest tributaries to the Klamath River, and housing populations of the dwindling Spring Chinook, the South Fork Trinity remains a largely overlooked river.

Entering its third year, the Watershed Center’s South Fork Basin Stewards (SFBS) program is engaging its community to implement robust restoration and monitoring work on the South Fork Trinity River.

Partnering with the NFF, the Watershed Center has cultivated a devoted and growing community of volunteers to implement numerous forms of stream and salmonid monitoring, noxious weed removal, river clean-up, and much more. The SFBS program achieves important restoration and monitoring work that would be underfunded and essentially not accomplished with current agency programs.

By engaging volunteers and raising awareness, the South Fork Basin Stewards program is able to educate the local community about its ecosystem and foster a culture that links them to land, all while helping to preserve the South Fork Trinity River.

If you like to help us support more restoration projects and stewardship programs click here.