Pacific Salmon Habitat Restoration

Throughout the Pacific Northwest and California, rivers that once sustained robust anadromous salmonid runs are now regulated, harnessed, or otherwise impacted by dams, diversions, channelization, watershed development and instream mining. Over the past 40 years, restoration projects in these regulated rivers have had mixed results, with many failing because of poor design or the setting of unobtainable goals.

This course is specifically designed for practitioners and agency personnel, including biologists, ecologists, hydrologists, engineers, planners and regulators involved with field data collection, detailed design and/or review of river restoration projects associated with salmonid stream habitat enhancement. Through group discussion and a review of case studies, you’ll learn tools to tackle restoration/rehabilitation design and monitoring, and the critical approach needed for assessing Pacific salmonid stream habitat. Topics addressed in this course include fundamental concepts in river function, habitat assessment, basic hydraulics, rehabilitation methods, fish passage and more. By the end of this course, you will possess a stronger understanding of salmonid habitat assessment restoration, and will be able to apply this knowledge to produce more successful outcomes in your restoration projects.

Learning Outcomes

• Develop life stage specific goals and objectives for salmonid habitat restoration projects
• Understand the basics of open channel flow and sediment transport, as well as what tools are available for different applications
• Incorporate key geomorphic processes into habitat restoration designs
• Develop designs based on ecohydrology and ecohydraulics of salmonids
• Develop and test hypotheses related to the effectiveness of habitat restoration projects

Skills You Will Gain

• Salmonid habitat restoration and analysis