Coho salmon fry detected at a coastal plain restoration site (Photo- Priscilla Winters)

In 2024, the Smith River Alliance (SRA) completed an important restoration project near the mouth of Stotenburg Creek, a key tributary on the Lower Smith River. Of six SRA-led coho recovery projects on the coastal plain, this is one of the biggest successes. Many coastal streams are seasonal, and their importance was not well understood until research conducted by biologists Justin Garwood and Marisa Parish Hanson proved that summer nearly-dry Smith River streams could and do provide a veritable buffet for salmon during late fall, winter, and spring. This habitat is very important to over-wintering juvenile salmon.

Salmonids do not have open and free access to some of these important habitats. In many instances, undersized culverts at road crossings present barriers to fish passage. This was true on lower Stotenburg Creek before SRA partnered with a willing landowner to design and install upgraded stream crossings. The project resulted in unimpeded access to the first 0.6 miles of stream, which salmonids began utilizing almost immediately. During the winter of 2023-2024, 173 juvenile coho salmon were detected at the newly accessible project site. Also detected were 29 juvenile Chinook salmon- the first documented sightings of this species in Stotenburg Creek!

Juvenile coho and Chinook salmon were again detected in the winter of 2024-2025, indicating that Stotenburg Creek is consistently used by both species. As the most upstream tributary on the Smith River plain, the Creek occupies a key position on the landscape. Despite its relatively small watershed, many fish use this high-quality habitat. Restoration elements included upgrading or removing undersized stream crossings, installing log structures, willow baffles, and beaver dam analogs to increase channel complexity and connectivity, and recontouring the channel to improve river and floodplain connectivity. Natural vegetation was restored through control of invasives and the installation of native riparian species. Clearly, fish passage remediation had the most immediate impact. It will be interesting to see how the other restoration elements benefit salmonids and other aquatic species.

If you build it, they will come- upgraded stream crossings like this one help salmonids return to previously inaccessible habitat (Photo- Priscilla Winters)

To learn more about this and other exciting restoration projects on the Smith River Plain, visit https://smithriveralliance.org/restoration-overview/ and tune in to future editions of The Watershed.