Local Projects

2010 Dam Removals

Our list of 60 dams that were removed in 2010, benefitting hundreds of miles of rivers nationwide.

2012 Dams Removed

Communities in 19 states, working in partnership with non-profit organizations and state and federal agencies, removed 65 dams in 2012, American Rivers announced today. Outdated or unsafe dams came out of rivers across the nation, restoring 400 miles of streams for the benefit of fish, wildlife and people across the country.

America's Most Endangered Rivers: Progress and Success: 2005 - 2009

Updates and success stories on how American Rivers has been able to restore and protect some of our most endangered rivers. These successes include projects that combatted dam construction, toxic water, logging, reservoirs, and pollution.

Barrier Removals in California

In California, at least 80% of the historic spawning and rearing habitat historically available to salmon and steelhead has been blocked by barriers. Our California program focuses on removing obsolete dams and other barriers to provide fish migration and restore more natural river conditions

Bay-Delta Conservation Plan

American Rivers is working to integrate sustainable flood management strategies into the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan to protect Californians, restore native habitat, and enhance the reliability of upstream reservoirs.

Bear Valley Meadow Restoration Project

Restoring cultural and ecological integrity to Bear Valley Meadow while integrating climate change predictions into the restoration design

Central Valley Flood Management

Flood risk is growing in the Central Valley because the current flood conveyance system is insufficient to contain existing or future floods. American Rivers is working to reduce risk, restore ecosystems through flood conveyance and appropriate land usage.

Connecting Water Conservation Efforts and Instream Flow Protections in the Colorado River Basin

American Rivers is partnering with the Alliance for Water Efficiency and the Environmental Law Institute on a one-year project exploring the links between water efficiency and instream flows in the Colorado River basin.

Deer Creek Tribute Trail

The Deer Creek Tribute Trail is a joint project between organizations in California and Nevada in order to improve water quality and recreational opportunities in the area. They also strive to protect rivers, and provide sustrainable watershed development.

Dutch Slough Tidal Marsh Restoration Project

American Rivers is participating in the first major tidal wetlands restoration on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, restoring over six miles of shoreline and providing recreational opportunities.

Eel River, CA

American Rivers is providing funding to California State Parks through our National Partnership with the NOAA Community-based Restoration Program to look at the possibility of dam removal and river restoration to open up over 60 miles of Eel River to salmon. Dam removal would mean there would be no more barriers to salmon on the South Fork of the Eel River. The dam is also a liability and cost to California State Parks and California taxpayers so there would also be financial benefits to removal.

Expanding Meadow Restoration Across the Sierra Nevada

We are developing and standardizing methods to assess, prioritize and restore Sierra meadows and guidelines for monitoring post-restoration outcomes.

Feather River, CA

Through the relicensing of the Oroville Dam, American Rivers is helping to restore water flows and temperature, floodplain habitat and expand habitat for salmon and steelhead along the Feather River.

Flood Bypasses in California

As exemplified by the Yolo Bypass in California American Rivers is promoting the multiple benefits provided by flood bypasses for risk reduction and habitat restoration.

Grazing Benefits on Restored Meadows

We are exploring how meadow restoration directly impacts private landowners, particularly ranchers, and where meadow restoration on private land can yield multiple economic and conservation benefits.

Hope Valley Restoration Project: A Collaborative Effort

The West Fork of the Carson River meanders down the Sierra through Hope Valley, a highly visible meadow American Rivers is working to restore with our project partners.

Horse Creek Dam, Horse Creek, CA

With our funding support and planning assistance, the Horse Creek dam in the Sisquoc River basin near Santa Barbara was blown up to make way for steelhead.

Klamath River, OR and CA

The Klamath River once supported the third-largest salmon run on the West Coast. Today, salmon and steelhead runs are a fraction of their historic abundance, with some near extinction.

Lower San Joaquin River Flood Bypass

A bypass in the Lower San Joaquin would provide the only opportunity for expanding conveyance capacity, to protect cities, enhance habitat, and prepare for climate change.

Marsh Creek Fish Passage Restoration

The fish ladder on Marsh Creek, upstream from Dutch Slough in the Bay Delta, enables salmon to bypass a 6-foot high dam and access 7 miles of salmon habitat upstream.

Mattole River, CA

We have helped fund a local watershed group to remove numerous poorly designed road crossings that prevented coho salmon and steelhead from reaching large portions of the Mattole River watershed.

Meadow Restoration Publications

Mountain Meadow Restoration

Meadows are critical to the larger watershed because of their unique hydrologic and ecological functions. They store spring floodwaters and release cool flows in late summer; they filter out sediment and pollutants, produce high-quality forage and provide habitat for rare and threatened species. American Rivers is currently working on the critical needs of our Sierra Meadows through several different projects.

River Friendly Agriculture in the San Gregorio Watershed

Creating a win-win situation for rivers and agriculture in California's San Gregorio watershed.

River Restoration In Oakley, CA Engages Community

River restoration can be a win-win situation, inviting nature back in to become the centerpiece of a thriving community. In the city of Oakley, river ecology has sparked a community’s interest and engagement.

Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta

American Rivers is working to protect and restore the Delta for fish, birds, and people, and to provide sufficient water supply for the people of California through habitat restoration, flood management improvements, among other changes in operation.

Sierra Water Trust

The Sierra Water Trust project seeks to improve water quality and increase aquatic function and biodiversity in the Sierra Nevada Region through building capacity to use water rights acquisition as a tool for stream restoration, to examine watershed problems in a broader context and to use science to monitor and manage water availability and use in Sierra streams.

Stormwater Management in the Yuba Watershed

American Rivers installed green infrastructure (raingarden, bioswale, and pervious concrete) to help eliminate runoff pollution before it reaches the Yuba River, spawning grounds for spring run Chinook salmon.

Yolo Bypass and the Fremont Weir

The Yolo Bypass flood easement allows California to flood land in for public safety and ecological benefit. To expedite the habitat restoration and native species revival on the bypass American River is advocating for a controlled notch system on the Fremont Weir.

Yuba River, CA

Some of California's oldest dams are located on the Yuba river, blocking salmon and steelhead from their historic habitat in the upper Yuba basin.