Salt River Ecosystem Restoration Project Salt River Watershed, Humboldt County Ferndale

Lower Eel River Delta Pacific Ocean Eel River Wildcat Hills Historic Salt River Fortuna Ferndale

Ferndale 1876

Estimated 2,900 acres of wetlands were reclaimed prior to 1900

The steamer Mary Hume at Port Kenyon 1880

Salt River at Port Kenyon was 200 feet wide and 15 feet deep

“I HAVE BEEN ASTONISHED DURING MY PRESENT VISIT AT THE CHANGES IN THE APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY;”… IN 1872…“THE TOWN OF FERNDALE CONSISTED… OF BUT A SMALL NUMBER OF HOUSES AND PORT KENYON WAS AN UNBROKEN FOREST. NOW THE TWO PLACES ALMOST MERGE INTO ONE ANOTHER.” Ferdinand Westdahl 1888

Port Kenyon Today Salt River Channel

Most Land is Privately Owned and in Agricultural Production

Ferndale is proud to be a Cow Town

Salt River Has Lost Hydrologic Function

Dillon Road Bridge Circa 1920 Circa 1990 Impacts to Fish Passage and Habitat

Flooding is now an Annual Occurrence

Current Conditions Impacts to Water Quality and Agricultural Productivity

1.Tidal Marsh Restoration 2.Salt River Channel and Riparian Floodplain Corridor Restoration 3.Control and Reduce Sediment from Upper Watershed 4.Adaptive Management Plan The Salt River Ecosystem Restoration Project A Cooperative Public/Private Partnership with Four Main Components:

Project will restore a functioning river channel to change this…..

To this.

Thank you to the State Lands Commission Salt River Ecosystem Restoration Project Humboldt County Resource District