Finally, some good news for salmon: The Nature Conservancy just dropped $14.2 million to buy the Shasta Big Springs Ranch - the source of much of the cold spring water that formerly turned the Shasta River (in northern Siskiyou County) into one of the most productive salmon rearing habitats on the West Coast.

When I spoke to him this morning, CalTrout biologist Curtis Knight said "This is a critical element to restoring coho in one of the Klamath's most important tributaries. It's huge. It's cool."

For those unaware of the topology, the Shasta River runs through the Shasta Valley and empties into the Klamath River. Upwards of 80,000 Chinook salmon used to jam into the river, and it's some of the most productive Coho salmon rearing habitat on the West coast.

One of the former owners of Big Springs Creek (the trib bought by the Nature Conservancy) remembers that, as a child, she was awakened at night by the "thousands of thrashing salmon" in the creek.

Last year, only 30 coho salmon returned to Big Springs Creek. In total.

Dewatering, Cattle Damage Main Culprits
Dewatering, overgrazing and other cattle damage, diversion dams, and Dwinnell Dam (Lake Shastina) have absolutely hammered salmon populations on the Shasta River, and while Chinook populations are in trouble, Coho salmon have taken the biggest hit.

That's because Coho live in the watershed for a whole year before heading to the ocean, and despite the spring-fed nature of the Shasta River (and Big Springs Creek), dewatering and destruction of habitat by cattle drove summer water temperatures into the lethal zone.

Knight said "The issue in the Shasta is they can't make it through the summer due to all the diversions. The water heats up, and they've got no place to go. That's why restoring Big Springs Creek is one of the big keys to restoring the Shasta River. "

Ideal Rearing Habitat
The meandering, spring-fed, nutrient rich Shasta River is critical to salmon recovery because smolt growth rates in the river are exceptional. Given the proper water temperatures, the salmon smolts that are headed to the ocean are bigger than those coming from less-rich streams, which leads to much higher survival rates in the ocean - and much higher return rates later.

The San Francisco Chronicle covered the story here, and details the reasons for the precipitous decline in salmon:

Conservationists had been trying to get hold of the land for 30 years, but it was only in the last year and a half that biologists noticed a deadly plume of warm water flowing down from the ranch.

Cattle had tramped the banks so much that the creek spread out, making it shallow and slow-moving. The summer heat warmed the water, and there was no vegetation left to shade it from the blazing sun.

That's when the conservancy stepped up efforts to persuade the last owner, Irene Busk, to sell. Besides the ranch, the conservancy purchased a conservation easement on 407 acres where Busk will continue her ranching operation.

The purchase, which was made with private funds, also will protect 3 miles of salmon and steelhead habitat along the upper Shasta River.

It's a good day to be a salmon. Now I'm getting the heck out of here.

See you in the river, Tom Chandler.