Season's Greetings and Happy New Year

from the Redwood Empire Chapter:  

There has been plenty of rain to start off the winter of 2012/2013.  And after a record runs of Chinook Salmon, this year we have encouraging reports about local Coho Salmon returns and we look forward to possibly a fine Steelhead season.  If it ever stops raining!

Below find articles on what RETU accomplished in 2012 and of course, if you would like to support our unique watershed work, please consider making a tax deductable year end donation to RETU by clicking on this handy link:

Season's Greetings and all the best in the New Year from your Board of Directors:  Rick Jorgensen, Leslie Vivian, Carlo Bongio and Brian Hines.

May your days be sunny and bright and your line tight. 

For over 20 years now, RETU year has started out the New Year with our training seminar for new teachers in RETU's Steelhead in the Classroom program in early January.  The program has about 70 participating classrooms from Point Reyes to Covelo. The training is held at the Visitor Center at Lake Sonoma.  Teachers learn about the curriculum that teaches the life-cycle and habitat needs of Steelhead and salmon.  The California Department of Fish and Wildlife covers the proceedures for receiving and transporting the 30 Steelhead eggs that are raised in the classroom.    

In February, a workshop is held to build new aquarium / incubators for the teachers that need them.  It is probably the most fun anyone ever has with styrofoam.  Thank you to the Healdsburg School for hosting the workshop again!  

For more information and to get involved in Steelhead in the Classroom, visit the RETU website! 

COHO SALMON are returning to Green Valley Creek.  RETU's early restoration work paying off.   

Green Valley Creek which runs from west of Forestville to enter the Russian River just downstream of Steelhead beach has always been considered one of the most important Russian River tributaries for the restoration of both Coho Salmon and Steelhead.   

It has a great history as a Steelhead fishery once attracting anglers from Europe to catch "giant rainbow trout" in the Russian River where they would congregate at the mouth of the creek.  Since those glory days, the Russian River's famous Steelhead fishery has declined considerably but Green Valley Creek remains some of the best quality habitat in the watershed for spawning and rearing Steelhead and Coho Salmon.

The Redwood Empire Chapter of TU recognized this in the 1990s and focused it's restoration efforts there building some of the first tributary habitat improvements in the Russian River watershed and paving the way for the watershed restoration movement that has been building since then.

It is gratifying to see habitat structures such as "log weirs" installed by RETU members in the mid-1990s still functioning to provide plunge pools and large woody debris necessary for juvenile salmonid survival.

Pools and large woody debris are critical for juvenile Coho and Steelhead survival as they spend 1 or 2 summers in small creeks such as Green Valley before they migrate out to the Pacific. 

Work goes on in Green Valley Creek with Coho Captive broodstock program, Goldridge Resource Conservation District and private restoration companies such as Doug Gore's Dragonfly Stream Enhancement taking great care of stream with the help of local dedicated landowners.

http://redwoodempiretu.org