Wednesday December 28, 2022
The Mercury News —
Steelhead and other fish species should find it easier to pass through the section of Stevens Creek that runs by the Deep Cliff Golf Course in Cupertino after contractors working for the Friends of Stevens Creek Trail completed a project to restore natural fish habitat and remove a concrete slab spanning the creek.
The concrete had been a barrier to the upstream migration of juvenile steelhead trout, a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
“The fish passage was designed with salmonids—particularly steelhead—in mind, but it will be important for the movements of all other fish species in the creek such as stickleback, minnows and suckers,” said Steve Powell, an environmental scientist who consulted on the project. “Allowing the fish access to more habitat allows them increased opportunity to locate suitable reproduction and feeding sites and maintain viable populations.”
When fish were temporarily relocated during construction, numerous juvenile rainbow trout were found near the concrete slab, attesting to the importance of improving passage in this reach of the creek.