NOAA has awarded the Karuk Tribe a $46,000 grant for habitat conservation. The project is funded by the Community-based Restoration Program within NOAA Fisheries.

Karuk tribal and other community members will participate in a road decommissioning project along Irving Creek in the Six Rivers National Forest. The road decommissioning project will stabilize over 10,000 cubic yards of fill material over several miles of currently unstable and highly erosive road. This project will greatly improve sedimentation and other water quality concerns in Irving Creek, which is a tributary of the Klamath River and supports runs of steelhead trout, Chinook salmon and federally listed threatened coho salmon.

Road decommissioning projects are vital in forested areas that have high road densities because these roads may be prone to failure and have increased erosion rates and landslide potential. Such protective measures are even more critical in regions that have degraded habitat, naturally high erosion rates, and a presence of threatened species. These factors make this a high priority project. For more information, contact David Landsman at (707) 578-8518.