Stream Inventory Report, Caspar Creek, Jackson Demonstration State Forest, Mendocino County, September 1999

Habitat inventories conducted by the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) of the west end streams in Jackson Demonstration State Forest (JSDF) have repeatedly revealed them to possess a high percentage of canopy cover and generally well-vegetated stream banks. However, their pools are often shallow and there is generally very little large woody debris (LWD) in the channel. It is believed that the addition of large woody material to stream channels could produce higher habitat quality in these streams for anadromous fish. Enhanced juvenile rearing and over-winter holding areas should improve the survival of juvenile anadromous fish to their smolt stage. However, little information currently exists regarding the physical response of the stream channel and the biological response of juvenile anadromous fish to the addition of LWD to California streams. Because LWD placement projects offer the possibility to increase salmon and steelhead productivity in California streams, and thereby aid in the recovery effort for these species, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) and DFG have agreed that sections in two streams in the Jackson Demonstration State Forest, Caspar Creek and Hare Creek, Mendocino County, should be treated with a LWD placement project in conjunction with a pre- and post-project monitoring project to assess the physical and biological response to these projects. Habitat inventories and field inspections suggested that Caspar Creek, from the western boundary of Jackson Demonstration State Forest to the confluence of North Fork Caspar Creek, and Hare Creek, from Covington Gulch to Bunker Gulch, would benefit from the addition of LWD to their channels.

This report describes the findings of the a stream inventory conducted in Caspar Creek on September 1 and 2, 1999. The objectives of the inventory were to: 1) document the current habitat conditions in order to provide data for a comparison of habitat conditions in the LWD Project reach before and after the addition of the woody material to the stream channel, and 2) recommend options for the potential enhancement or maintenance of habitat for coho salmon and steelhead. Recommendations for habitat improvement activities are based upon target habitat values suitable for salmonids in California's north coast streams.