Estuary & Lower River Projects:

Cedar Creek Fish Passage Restoration

Cedar Creek is a tributary of the Smith River that drains roughly two square miles of land, 100% of which is in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. The lower reach of the stream contains good spawning and rearing habitat for anadromous fish.  In 1949, a culvert was installed on Cedar Creek in order to construct a road.  That culvert is a barrier to fish passage today. 

The objective of the Cedar Creek Project is replacement of the culvert with a pre-fabricated bridge and development of a post-project monitoring program. 

Primary partners: SRAC, DPR, DFG, Pacific Coast Fish, Wildlife and Wetlands Restoration Association (PCFWWRA), and the California Coastal Conservancy. The Cedar Creek watershed is roughly two square miles in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. In 1949 a culvert crossing was installed on Cedar Creek for an access road 600 feet upstream from the creek’s confluence with the Smith River, blocking fish passage. Habitat surveys conducted from the 1970s and 80s to the present have recognized Cedar Creek’s potential to support anadromous fish, but all earlier attempts to remedy the passage situation with culvert baffle installation and jump pool enhancement have failed. Design and assessment work was funded by CDFG and SRA and a current proposal (submitted by PCFWWRA, see below) under submission to CDFG will fund culvert replacement with a bridge.

Watch a video about fish passage restoration on Cedar Creek.