Institute for Conservation Advocacy, Research and Education
ICARE
2945 Atlas Peak Road, Napa, California 94558 * Phone (707) 255-7434 fax: 259-1097
www.icarenapa.org
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Suscol Creek Collaborative Partnership Restoration Project
(SCCPRP)
2006
Stewardship Update
Introduction
The Napa River watershed begins at the base of Mt.St.Helena and
snakes 55 miles to its confluence at San Pablo Bay or the northern
part of the San Francisco bay estuary. The Napa River basin is 425
square miles and the 2nd largest river entering the San Francisco
estuary bringing fresh water and the biomass that nourishes a diverse
aquatic ecosystem. The Napa River watershed supports a large
assemblage of sixteen native fish species including several
threatened and/or rare species such as steelhead/rainbow trout, fallrun chinook salmon, Pacific and river lamprey, hardhead, hitch, Tule
perch, Sacramento Splittail and California freshwater shrimp. There
are 54 major tributaries to the Napa River within Napa County and
Suscol Creek is the southeastern most tributary remaining that
supports a viable migration and spawning habitats for steelhead
trout. Other native fish found in Suscol Creek are stickleback and
threespine sculpin. Suscol Creek headwaters begin in the south Vaca
Mountains and stream enters the Napa River (see map1) at the Napa
Sanitation District Plant. Suscol Creek headwaters consist of rolling
hills of grasslands with thick oak woodland cover in the riparian
zone. The middle reaches of Suscol Creek have bay, alder, buckeye,
sedge, and oaks to a point where the salt water from the Napa estuary
reaches inland and the vegetation around Suscol Creek changes to bull
rushes and other small wetland vegetation. The lower Suscol Creek
watershed (Napa Sanitation District) had cattle grazing on the
wetlands until the last couple of years. Consequently, the wetlands
have now begun to restore. Throughout the Napa Sanitation District
property, Suscol Creek is channelized and has few large trees before
the stream becomes connects with the wetland habitats.
Problems Statement
In 1987 the Environmental Protection Agency listed the Napa River as
‘impaired’ due to sediment, nutrient and pathogens. These impairments
are primarily due to poor land uses and policy/management associated
with urbanization including agriculture. The Napa River is estimated
to have historically supported a run of 6,000-8,000 steelhead trout
and as many as 2,000-4,000 coho salmon. By the late 1960s, coho
salmon had been extirpated, and steelhead trout had declined to an
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estimated run of less than a few hundred adults. Currently,
deleterious low flows in the Napa River exacerbate low temperatures
from lack of riparian cover, chemical contamination from agricultural
practices and tons of sediment throughout the river and streams
smother fish eggs and are jeopardizing beneficial uses such as
recreation, navigation and consumption. Restoration of the watershed
is urgently needed to prevent extinction of rare and endangered
aquatic species and necessary to protect beneficial uses of the
River.
About the Suscol Creek Collaborative Partnership Restoration Project
The Suscol Creek Collaborative Partnership Restoration Project
(SCCPRP) is in its fourth year. The focus of the restoration is to
design and provide a conceptual framework and yearly recommendations
for maintaining and restoring reaches of Suscol Creek. The focus is
sustaining a viable population of steelhead trout (Onchorhychus
mykiss).
Stream restoration and management is a long-term process that must
address the sources of problems. Streams are intimately linked to
their watersheds so it is primary changes in the watershed that are
the root cause of changes in the streams. Decisions made by
landowners on the land within the drainage basin determine the health
of Suscol Creek. Therefore, incremental annual changes that result in
decade and century long trajectories in the landscape are the source
of changes that are the focus of this study.
However, no plan for a portion of a basin can guarantee that
steelhead will increase or even continue to exist in Suscol Creek or
in the Napa basin. Decisions made by upstream landowners can negate
positive actions undertaken downstream and as well as positive
actions upstream and be negated by negative actions down stream.
Suscol Creek is also not large enough to sustain a spawning run in
the Napa River on its own. In addition, steelhead spend part of their
life cycle in the ocean. Therefore, factors outside Suscol Creek can
significantly determine the steelhead’s fate. However, if efforts
like this are not undertaken, steelhead are guaranteed to be doomed
in Suscol Creek and probably the Napa River basin as well.
Restoration and conservation are rooted in projects like SSCPRP.
Goal of the SCCPRP
The primary goal of the SCCPRP is to protect the steelhead trout’s
continued existence in Suscol Creek. The second goal is to improve
the health of the stream system and as a result, increase the quality
of the habitat for steelhead and other native fish.
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Objective 1: We must make sure that the trajectory of the health of
Suscol Creek in not heading in a negative trajectory or in other
words the habitat is not degrading to where steelhead may no longer
be viable. We are in our fourth year of biological monitoring to
assess this objective. Results from our surveys show that Suscol
Creek stream health is better than the average streams in the Napa
River watershed. However, remember the historical context that once
thousands of salmon migrated in Napa streams and now only a few
hundred adults migrate and spawn the Napa River. Therefore only a few
adult fish (approximately 10-20) migrate up Suscol Creek. Salmon
return to the same creek they emerged from as young fry.
Objective 2: The nonprofit partner, the Institute for Conservation
Advocacy, Research, Education (ICARE) shall identify all riparian
owners and invite them to join the stewardship, provide the
stewardship with all relevant information/resources to improve the
riparian habitat, coordinate meetings and field visits to help the
stewardship become informed of information related to the success of
the SCCPRP. In summary, ICARE shall assist the stewardship to improve
the health of Suscol Creek and protect its aquatic resources.
Objective 3: The SCCPRP will share its yearly project results and
recommendations with the public.
Objective 4: As new information becomes available from bio-monitoring
and research (historical ecology), SCCPRP will use adaptive
management techniques to continually improve the stewardship effort.
One example of adaptive management will be that the stewardship will
make adjustments to restoration and conservations efforts as
necessary to continually improve the health of Suscol Creek.
Standing recommendations for improved health of Suscol Creek
1. Along with reducing current impacts to riparian zones, we will
strive through voluntary efforts to obtain, maintain or improve
native vegetation within 150 feet of Suscol Creek. National Marine
Fisheries Service recommends a minimum 150 feet riparian buffers
for salmon.
2. Maintain year-round minimum flow in Suscol Creek.
3. Prevent pollution events into Suscol Creek.
4. Prevent fish barriers in the stream.
Current recommended activities for Suscol Creek 2006
1. Himalayan blackberry (HB) are pervasive and non-native vegetation
in the middle and lower reaches of Suscol Creek. Current efforts
are on-going to remove HB on the middle riparian reaches of Suscol
Creek. It is recommended that other property owners also remove
(HB) and begin planting native vegetation. The Napa Sanitation
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2.
3.
4.
5.
District has expressed interest in HB removal as well as Suscol
Creek Winery and Montalcino Resort. Please see attached protocol
for removal of HB. While at the same time that HB is being
removed, native vegetation is being restored. Oak trees and native
grasses are re-establishing in the riparian zones.
ICARE has identified a restoration site in the middle reach of
Suscol Creek. Through our monitoring we have identified a large
pool that has had steelhead for three years in small numbers. Most
of the pool is in full sun and the steelhead crowd into the upper
part of the pool. ICARE recommended to the property owner to
improve the habitat by planting trees on the south bank to provide
shade. The owner agreed and restoration plans are beginning.
A fence was placed through Suscol Creek blocking migration. The
property owner now removes the fence yearly during migration of
adult steelhead.
A reservoir off stream overtops during storm events and pond fish
called cenrarchids were identified by ICARE during snorkeling in
Suscol. These fish eat fry steelhead. The property owner is
building a trap at the outfall to prevent cenrarchids from
entering Suscol.
A limited management zone of 150 feet has been established in
vineyards along the riparian zone of Suscol creek to minimize
chemical contamination of Suscol Creek. In the limited management
zone, the vines are farmed differently then the rest of the
vineyard such as: hand mowing, narrow band use of herbicides, no
till.
Current list of Stewardship Participants
1. Napa Wine Estates LLC, Contact person, Mark Couchman: 253-1776
855 Bordeauux Way Suite 100, Napa Ca. 94558
2. Sugarloaf Mountain LLC, Premiere Pacific Vineyards- Contact
person, Howard Kaplan- 254-2208
3. Montalcino Resort-Contact person, Marsha Ramsey- Vice President ,
Pacific Partners LLC, 222 Kearney St. Suite 310, San Francisco, Ca.
94108-1-415-249-0800
3. Napa Sanitation District-Contact person, Tim Healy-Assistant
General Manager, District Engineer, 935 Hartle Court, Napa Ca. 2586000 ext. 506
4. Suscol Creek Winery- Mike Fennel-252-8666- P.O. Box 3399, Napa Ca.
94558
5. Institute for Conservation Advocacy, Research and Education-Chris
Malan 255-7434 and Dr. Charley Dewberry (nonprofit partner)
6. Napa County Resource Conservation District, Jonathon Koehler
7. Napa County Flood and Water Conservation District- Todd Adams
Other land owners that ICARE will invite into the stewardship
1. NOVA Group Inc. 7411 Napa Vallejo Hwy. Carol Bionda 257-3200 ext.
116 Fax. 265-1191 P.O. Box 4050 Napa, Ca. 94558-0450
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2.
3.
4.
5.
bionda@novagrp.com. (They are interested and want information
about the SCCPRP.)
Villa Romano Restaurant-1015 Suscol Ferry Rd.252-4533, Ishmael(ICARE is in contact with the owner. We have begun discussions.)
All American Mini Storage-1111 Suscol Ferry Rd. 224-3513- (contact
beginning by ICARE).
Private Property-Kim Giles- 255-4248 1605 G Street, Napa 94559(Very interested and wants information about SCCPRP.)
Others not yet identified. Please advise ICARE.
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