SARSASSave Auburn Ravine Salmon & Steelhead

Projects

Major improvements for fish on Auburn Ravine that SARSAS has brokered, and the work still ahead.

  1. Fish passage at the Lincoln Gauging Station

    Working with former Nevada Irrigation District General Manager Ron Nelson and several other organizations, SARSAS brokered fish passage at the Lincoln Gauging Station, giving fish two additional miles of marginal spawning gravels upstream to Hemphill Diversion.

  2. Dual cone fish screens

    Working with former Family Farm Alliance Executive Director Ashley Indrieri and South Sutter Water District General Manager Brad Arnold, SARSAS arranged for dual cone fish screens, installed in 2016 on the Pleasant Grove Canal, which formerly entrained up to 90% of the smolt returning to the Pacific Ocean.

  3. Fish screen near Highway 65

    A fish screen on the Albert Scheiber property, immediately downstream of the Highway 65 Bypass, has been installed. The cumulative effect of these improvements is to remove all flashboard diversion points up to Hemphill Dam from October 15 to April 15 each year for the salmon and steelhead spawning runs.

  4. Citizen Science Program

    Volunteer scientists on Auburn Ravine gather data to enhance fish runs and knowledge of the ravine. Learn about the program. Coordinator Bob Johnson can be reached at 530-262-7036 or johnsonbb1524@gmail.com.

  5. Judge William Newsom Outreach Program

    Reaches out to students in local schools to teach the life cycles of anadromous fishes and involve them for a lifetime in understanding and helping anadromy.

  6. North Ravine restoration — volunteers wanted

    North Ravine is the largest tributary of Auburn Ravine, and its restoration will benefit endangered steelhead. Coordinator Robert Hane, working with Damion Ciotti of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is removing invasive plants such as Himalayan blackberry and planting dogwood and redwood trees along its four-mile length. His motto: “Where shade exists, fish persist.” Volunteers from Sierra Native Alliance and the California Conservation Corps, and many landowners along North Ravine, are helping, including the Taylor Family, owners of Mt. Vernon Winery, but more hands are needed.

    To volunteer: call Robert Hane at 530-885-3005. More about North Ravine.

    Robert Hane holding a SARSAS North Ravine Hero plaque
    Robert Hane, SARSAS “North Ravine Hero”
Want to help? Volunteer on the ravine or make a donation. Every dollar goes to the mission.