The Salmoncam is close to being fully operational. Stay tuned!
Butte Creek's Incredible Wild Spring Run Salmon....The Last, Best Run of Wild Salmon in California
Friends of Butte Creek featured on front page of the San Francisco Chronicle!
The Monday, May 26, 2008 issue of the San Francisco Chronicle featured the article Salmon resurgence in Butte County. Here's a snippet:
The number of spawning fish returning from the ocean to Butte Creek increased 10 percent from 2006 to 2007, Harthorn said. By the look of things, he said, even more fish are returning this year.
But the most dramatic resurgence occurred over the past 10 years, when an average of almost 10,000 salmon a year swam back up the creek, according to Harthorn, who co-founded Friends of Butte Creek in 1999 after years battling farming interests and Pacific Gas and Electric over its DeSabla-Centerville plant.
Read the entire article here, and view an image of the front page here.
Butte Creek supports the largest run of Wild, Naturally Spawned Spring Run Chinook Salmon in California
Over $30,000,000 (see Restoration Handout) has been spent on improved fish passage in the lower watershed. Much of the best salmon habitat is blocked by Centerville Head Dam and still has reduced flows (71% to 82% reduction in summer) and increased water temperature below the dam. By all measureswild Butte Creek Spring Run have recovered, averaging over 10,000 salmon per
year for the last twelve years (see Spring Run Populations), while hatchery Fall Run stocks have collapsed. Tagged stray Butte Creek Spring Run have shown
up in Battle Creek, Clear Creek, and the Feather River Hatchery. Steelhead trout are not doing so well.
(see fish report) Their habitat is greatly reduced by hydroelectric operations. Other forest
and aquatic creatures have also benefited including Bald Eagles like the one
in the photo, seen last May.
Check out the interactive watershed map of Butte Creek, provided by River Network and IMRivers. You can view the major features of the creek, including bridges, dams, flumes and trails. View the map here.
Butte Creek Salmon Cam
Watch a 60 second clip (8.6 mb)of the
first exclusive underwater video of Butte Creek's 2004 spring run salmon. You
can order the complete DVD with music at SalmonCam.org.
Every sale from the website contributes $5 to the Friends of Butte Creek and
$5 to the Salmonid Restoration Federation.
Friends of Butte Creek T-shirts and hats
Friends of Butte Creek T-shirts and hats featuring this beautiful Lenn Goldmann print are still available. You can buy them directly for $20 at Metagraphic's new location, 925 Cedar in Chico or send us an email to friends@buttecreek.org.
Fish crossing website
Check out the Forest Service fish crossing website with great information on fish passage! Great videos, software and more.
The Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival On Tour is back with BIG News! September 17 we will gather with our new sponsor, Sierra Nevada Brewing, at the Big Room for an enlightening and exciting evening of film and fun. More info will be posted soon. SAVE THE DATE!!!
NOAA Fisheries releases important Biological Opinion for salmon, steelhead and green sturgeon in the Sacramento San Joaquin river systems. Read the press release here.
Spring Run are here. So far the run looks small. No fishing! New Winter/Spring Newsletter. Click here!
FERC rejects nearly all environmental mitigations for the DeSabla Centerville project. Visit the Relicensing page.
Draft carcass counts by DFG indicate 11,136 Butte Creek Spring Run Salmon returned in 2008. That's the best news ever! 1,054 died before spawning from heat stress. We can do better!
New temperature models show huge benefit to Spring Run Salmon by flow and operation improvements on DeSabla-Centerville Hydro Project. See the data and the highlights.
Restoration Efforts Continue in Lower Butte Creek
DWR, Ducks Unlimited and many others continue the efforts to provide better upstream and downstream passage for Butte Creek salmonids. These projects should make the Butte Creek salmon and steelhead runs even more vibrant! Willow Slough and Weir 2 need funding and immediate reapir. The fish can't wait! Check out the website at DWR.
Here's a 4/23/08 shot of the surge of "springers" that have entered Butte Creek last year. A week later, 5/1, there are lots more!
View a couple of previews of the salmoncam from June 6, 2008.
Enjoy the closeup view of the fish spawning last fall from the salmoncam observation platform. It runs 9 1/2 minutes.
Fin comes to Butte Creek. Read the press advisory and the road show blog. Chico, Durham and Butte Creek made the highlights!
Wild and Scenic Film Festival
Friends of Butte Creek presents the 3rd Annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival on Tour at the Sierra Nevada Big Room, September 17, 6-9:30. Stay tuned for more info and tickets locations. (06/12/09)
The spreadsheet with estimates for the population of Butte Creek Spring Run Chinook Salmon Population, from 1954 through 2008, is now online. Included is a timeline of restoration efforts which have contributed to the recovery. (05/23/09)
The Monday, May 26, 2008 issue of the San Francisco Chronicle featured the article 
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Here's a 4/23/08 shot of the surge of "springers" that have entered Butte Creek last year. A week later, 5/1, there are lots more! 
Fin comes to Butte Creek. Read the 
