Projects

Groundwater Elevation Monitoring

California Statewide Groundwater Elevation Monitoring Program (CASGEM)
In partnership with the Sonoma County Water Agency, the Gold Ridge RCD is recruiting landowners with private wells to participate in a voluntary groundwater elevation monitoring program. The project covers the Wilson Grove and Bodega Bay groundwater basins, shown on the adjacent map. The goal of the program is to assess seasonal and long-term trends in groundwater levels as part of the statewide CASGEM program.

Pollinators

Insectaries for Pollinators and Farm Biodiversity
This project is a pilot effort to enhance pollinator habitat on six working organic farms, including two wine grape vineyards, two vegetable crop farms, one diverse farm, and a grazed rangeland, through a collaborative effort of the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District, the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), and Farm Stewards. The partners will work in close collaboration with EQIP-eligible landowners to develop and implement Farm Pollinator Plans specific to each property with a particular focus on enhancing native bee habitat, while working to improve yields and farm profits.

Dutch Bill Creek Fish Passage

Dutch Bill Creek Fish Passage
The Camp Meeker Dam on Dutch Bill Creek in western Sonoma County was built in the 1950s to create a seasonal swimming hole and beach area, but now the dam is identified as one of the worst barriers to fish passage in the Russian River Watershed. Another is a culvert at Market Street in nearby Occidental.

With federal, state and local funding, the Gold Ridge RCD and the Camp Meeker Recreation and Park District will remove the dam and reconfigure the culvert to restore free passage for salmon and steelhead. In place of the dam, a prefabricated 80- foot steel pedestrian bridge will be installed, improving public access across the creek. As part of this project, stream banks will be stabilized and revegetated, and a more natural meander and grade change will be created. These improvements will help return the natural transport of gravel from upstream and provide better fish habitat.

Save Our Salmon (SOS)

Save our Salmon (SOS) -
The Salmon Creek Habitat Rehabilitation Program - Phase I
Coho salmon were once common in central and northern California, spawning in large numbers in most coastal streams, including Salmon Creek and its tributaries. Populations declined steeply during the 20th century, however, and the coho disappeared completely from their namesake watershed in the late 1990s. With the decline of the coho came the crash of the local fishing industry, which was an important part of the west Sonoma County economy.

The coho and other salmonids have been the focus of watershed restoration efforts designed to improve habitat conditions for the fish and assist in their long-term survival in coastal California. In Salmon Creek, the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District has been an important part of these efforts, conducting assessments of watershed and habitat conditions, working with local landowners on stream protection and restoration projects, and helping to inform the public about the ecological and economic importance of coho. Efforts to restore the fish in Salmon Creek were given a huge boost last December, when the California Department of Fish and Game planted over 300 adult coho in the stream.

Estero Americano Dairy Enhancement Program

Estero Americano Dairy Enhancement Program -
Phases I & II
The main goal of the first phase of this project was to assist dairy operators in the Estero Americano watershed reach full compliance with current and future water quality standards, and to significantly reduce nutrient pollution entering the estuary and its tributaries.

The second phase focused on improved manure management practices, and the adoption of pasture management practices that promote soil fertility, forage productivity and water quality protection.