Lake County Umbrella Watershed Council
$50,000

The Cottonwood Creek Process-based Restoration Project will support post-fire recovery as it relates to native fish and migratory bird habitat in the high desert closed-basin ecosystem of south-central Oregon. Cottonwood Creek is one the largest tributaries to Goose Lake and provides habitat for a diverse native fish community with a high level of endemism (species found nowhere else). Endemic fish species include the Goose Lake Redband Trout, Goose Lake Sucker, Goose Lake Tui Chub, and Goose Lake Lamprey. The project area is also unique as it lies within the Southern Oregon-Northeastern California (SONEC) region of the Pacific Flyway, standing out as highest priority habitats across the 11-state geography. SONEC sustains more than six million migrating and breeding birds each year.Our plan will capitalize on the availability of forest slash originating from post-fire salvage and forest thinning projects.

Project Report