Monday March 6, 2023
Redheaded Blackbelt —
Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Bureau of Land Management is supporting restoration efforts by the Wiyot Tribe and University of California, Berkeley by contributing $548,350 to improve the Eel River fishery. The funding will help the Tribe expand monitoring and restoration projects in the Eel River Watershed, important habitat for steelhead and salmon populations.
“Partnerships are vital to successful conservation of our nation’s public lands. We are proud to support the work of the Wiyot Tribe and UC Berkeley,” said BLM California State Director Karen Mouritsen. “Healthy fisheries are vital to our North Coast ecosystems and thanks to Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, we can continue to improve this watershed.”
Members of the Tribe’s natural resources department will work with a team from UC Berkeley to remove non-native Sacramento pikeminnow, which prey on juvenile native fish, and will track juvenile salmon to learn how much time they spend in the South Fork Eel on their migration downstream to the Pacific Ocean. This information will be used for continued restoration efforts including the Eel River Restoration Plan.