Boise Creek is a

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...

Humboldt County, California Humboldt County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,463. The county seat is Eureka. Humboldt County comprises the Eureka–Arcata–Fortuna, California Micropolitan Statistica ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. From its origin on Orleans Mountain it flows 8.5 miles to join the

Klamath River The Klamath River (Karuk: ''Ishkêesh'', Klamath: ''Koke'', Yurok: ''Hehlkeek 'We-Roy'') flows through Oregon and northern California in the United States, emptying into the Pacific Ocean. By average discharge, the Klamath is the second larges ...

about 2.25 miles southeast of

Orleans, California Orleans (formerly New Orleans Bar and Orleans Bar) (Karuk: Panamnik), is an unincorporated community in Humboldt County, California. It is located northeast of Weitchpec along State Route 96 (the "Bigfoot Scenic Byway"), at an elevation of ...

. Title . The creek lies within the

Six Rivers National Forest The Six Rivers National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the northwestern corner of California. It was established on June 3, 1947 by U.S. President Harry S. Truman from portions of Klamath, Siskiyou and Trinity National Forests. Its ...

and is part of the Lower Klamath River Watershed.

Coho salmon The coho salmon (''Oncorhynchus kisutch;'' Karuk: achvuun) is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family and one of the five Pacific salmon species. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". The scientific species name i ...

(''Oncorhynchus kisutch'') populations have declined dramatically in the Klamath River watershed due to

eutrophication Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytopla ...

, raised water temperatures and decreased stream flows induced by the construction of dams, especially in years of drought. In addition, the dams have blocked access for salmon spawning grounds on over 300 miles of Klamath River watershed. The Coho salmon in the Southern Oregon - Northern California Coast (SONCC)

Evolutionarily Significant Unit An evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) is a population of organisms that is considered distinct for purposes of conservation. Delineating ESUs is important when considering conservation action. This term can apply to any species, subspecies, geo ...

(ESU) are federally listed as threatened and are also listed as threatened by the

California Department of Fish and Game The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), formerly known as the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), is a state agency under the California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages and protect ...

since 2002. Boise Creek Fish Passage Proposal Feb 2010

Access to Boise Creek for salmon has been blocked by a bedrock falls 13.5 feet high near the creekmouth (see figure) so the Mid Klamath Watershed Council proposed, in February 2010, creation of an engineered logjam to divert flows into historic side channels which would re-connect the creek to the Klamath River mainstem and bypass the falls. Before the logjam could be constructed,

beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...

coincidentally constructed a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

across Boise Creek at the proposed site, and numerous Coho salmon,

Chinook salmon The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Pacific salmon in North America, as well as the largest in the genus ''Oncorhynchus''. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other ve ...

(''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') and

Steelhead trout Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and N ...

(''Oncorhyncus mykiss'') are now accessing the stream from the Klamath, opening several new miles of historic spawning habitat to the fish. The beaver dam has also created off-channel ponds which have been shown to benefit coho by providing refuge from high flow conditions in the main river and a productive summer rearing habitat, leading to as much as a five-fold increase in coho abundance as well as increased size. It has also been shown that off-channel wetlands enhance chinook salmon growth and survival.

References

External links

* {{Klamath River Rivers of Humboldt County, California Tributaries of the Klamath River Rivers of Northern California

See also

References

External links