Lower Ash Creek Wildlife Area Restoration Project (SNC 419)

Lower Ash Creek Wildlife Area Restoration Project (SNC 419)

Pit Resource Conservation District (RCD) has requested $1,000,000 from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy's Proposition 84 Grants Program to fund the restoration of approximately 2,415 acres of degraded meadow, riparian, and aquatic conditions along the lower portion of Ash Creek. The purpose of this project is to restore the historic wet meadow and associated stream channel that have been degraded by a variety of past management practices. A proven restoration method known as "pond-and-plug" will be used to block an eroding channel that has down-cut through a meadow, and redirect the stream to historic remnant channels. This will be accomplished by partially filling the incised channel. Portions of the channel will be excavated and enlarged to create ponds, and newly excavated material will be used to fill areas in between the ponds that are referred to as "plugs." The redirected flow in the remnant channels will raise the water table and rehydrate the site, gradually reestablishing the wet meadows conditions. Topsoil and vegetation from the excavated areas, including sod and willows, will be salvaged and used to revegetate the "plugs."

Lassen, Modoc