It’s hard to look at native fishes in Putah Creek and not grin a little. Be it a Sacamento Pikeminnow (below), a Sacramento Sucker, a Tule Perch, or even a Chinook Salmon – Putah Creek has become a treasured resource in our local community. The stream and its riparian areas are a nature refuge for local residents, a field site for teaching students, and increasingly a science lab for studying restoration. As often discussed on this blog, California’s freshwater ecosystems face numerous challenges due to human activities (Moyle and Rypel 2023, Rypel and Moyle 2023, Rypel 2023). These are not just California problems, they are global problems, especially in regions that share our Mediterranean style climate. Putah Creek exemplifies the scope and challenges of human pressures on the environment. It is a reconciled stream tucked into a landscape fully dominated by humans.

Related article: 

• Department of Water Resources: News release – Stanislaus County Receives $561,243 to Restore Fish Habitat on the Stanislaus River as DWR Awards $9.2 Million in Grants to Protect Communities from Floods, Support Fish Populations and Restore Streams