Smith River Alliance | Programs | Watershed Protection

Smith River Alliance (SRA), Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC) and California Trout lead an effort to acquire and conserve the watershed of Goose Creek, the principal tributary to the Smith River. Purchase of these lands is vital to long-term protection of the Smith River ecosystem. In 2003, the landowner agreed to sell this 9,400-acre property to WRC for inclusion in the Recreation Area. The Smith River National Recreation Area protects 450 square miles of watershed land managed by the Six Rivers National Forest and private landowners. Goose Creek, a tributary of the South Fork of the Smith drains 7% of the Smith basin. (To view a map of the Smith River Watershed highlighting the Goose Creek area, click here.)

The Goose Creek watershed is densely forested, primarily with Douglas fir but also with white fir, western white pine, jeffrey pine, lodgepole pine, and ponderosa pine increasing at the higher elevations. Redwood is at its inland limit here with occasional specimens occurring along upper reaches of Goose Creek. Rattlesnake Mountain ridge, which is the western extent of Goose Creek, supports extensive stands of pine and chaparral. Seeps and springs supporting Darlingtonia Californica and other fen associated species are found with frequency along the western slopes above Goose Creek from the mouth south to Red Mountain. Immediately adjacent to Goose Creek is a lush streamside corridor, which includes riparian species such as red alder, big leaf maple, Port Orford cedar, Pacific Yew, and California Bay.


	Goose Creek in spring. by Rick Hiser

Goose Creek exemplifies the biological diversity of the Klamath/Siskiyou region. Its floral diversity supports a rich assemblage of mammals, birds, reptiles and fish including black bear, mountain lion, wolverine, northern spotted owl, endangered Del Norte salamander and tailed frog, chinook salmon, steelhead, and coastal cutthroat trout. While the lower reach of the creek is high quality rearing habitat for salmonids, the upper reach is inaccessible to them and supports instead an abundance of resident fish.

Dr. Peter Moyle, an eminent fisheries biologist at UC Davis, explains the importance of the Smith River and its tributaries:

"There is no question that the Smith River is an important refuge for salmonid fishes: cutthroat trout, steelhead, chinook salmon, coho salmon, even chum salmon, all with populations of national, regional, and local significance. In nearby watersheds, such as the Klamath, the salmonids are in a continuous state of crisis brought on by dams, diversions, watershed abuse, and a wide variety of other factors. In contrast, the Smith has remarkably healthy populations of salmonids, although their future is by no means secure. It is thus critical that the Smith River and its watershed continue to be managed as a refuge for our declining native fishes. There are many reasons for doing this from aesthetic to practical but one way to view the Smith is as an insurance policy, a source of wild fish for restoration of other watersheds. In the Klamath watershed, for example, large-scale restoration efforts are needed to correct the flow and temperature problems and to restore the habitat needed for healthy runs of salmon and steelhead. Healing will take a long time and recovery will be slow, with wild populations in danger of extinction in the early stages of the recovery process. I will feel much more assured about the success of recovery if we have the Smith River as the backup system and as a giant learning laboratory to contrast with more degraded systems."

What the Smith River Alliance is Doing

The Smith River Alliance and partners worked together to build public support for the purchase of the property.


	Goose Creek's steep-sided valley. by Rick Hiser

The property follows Goose Creek from its origin in a spring in Red Mountain Meadows at elevation 4,000’. For seventeen miles Goose Creek rushes and meanders through a steep valley on Simpson property, entering Forest Service land at a point 2.5 miles from the confluence of Goose Creek with the South Fork Smith River at elevation 840’. Over this entire reach, Goose Creek is a National Wild and Scenic River (as are the Smith and all its main tributaries). This designation protects Goose Creek from federal actions but has no impact on private land use.

The importance of this acquisition lies in the need to conserve the Smith River ecosystem as the benchmark of a healthy coastal river and as an exemplar of California’s rich natural heritage. Goose Creek is a critical element of this ecosystem. Even in drought years (such as 2002) Goose Creek provides a strong base flow of cold, clear water that supports aquatic life in the South Fork Smith. This strong dependable base flow is a large part of why the Smith River is so outstanding.

The recreation potential for Goose Creek is good for fishing, backcountry camping, and mountain biking. Despite private property and access difficulties, kayakers paddle two reaches of Goose Creek in order to experience the technical whitewater and wilderness-like setting.

Late Breaking News

From 2003 through 2006 -- thanks to the excellent work from our project team including Western Rivers Conservancy and California Trout -- and a long cast of supporting organizations, two appropriations were secured from the Land and Water Conservation Fund totaling $3.1 million.

In June 2007, the U.S. Forest Service announced that they would use funds that they had received from another source to complete the acquisition of private timberlands in the Goose Creek watershed.

Please stay in touch to hear the exciting public news about this development.

Click the left-side links on this page to learn more about our conservation programs and to view our useful Resources pages.

Smith River Alliance
PO Box 2129
Crescent City, CA 95531