Butte Basin and Colusa Trough habitat

This project is one of 10 individual project sites included in the Butte Basin and Colusa Trough Wetland Habitat Project. New work conducted by the overall project improved 2,573 acres of habitat in this region. The region is extremely important for migrating and wintering waterfowl, shorebirds, and other waterbirds. The Central Valley, which includes this region, winters up to 90% of the Pacific Flyway's population of northern pintails and about 60% of its overall population of waterfowl. At times, the Central Valley supports 20% of the continent's waterfowl population. In addition to providing critical habitat for waterfowl, the Butte Basin and Colusa Trough region is also of major importance to several special-status species including the giant garter snake, spring-run chinook salmon, winter-run chinook salmon, and Central Valley steelhead.

The habitat improvement work accomplished by the overall project is extremely important. This project increased wetland acreage for migrating and wintering waterfowl and other waterbirds, increased riparian acreage for neotropical migrants, improved water quality, improved water conveyance and control capabilities to allow better habitat management and improve efficiency of water use, and provided fish-safe water to many acres of wetlands and wildlife-friendly agriculture (i.e., winter flooded rice).

 

Wetland and Marsh soil at Butte Basin
Project provided many acres of wetlands to wildlife-friendly
agriculture


Wild Goose Club is a private property located in the Butte Basin. Work at this site enhanced 30 acres of palustrine emergent wetlands and 10 acres of palustrine forested wetlands. Project work consisted of planting riparian vegetation and restoring wetland contours, improving levees, and installing water control structures to improve water management capabilities. This work improved habitat conditions for raptors, neotropical migrants, waterfowl, and a variety of other wildlife. The work also aided fish passage on the club and thereby alleviated concerns for stranding anadromous fish that were outlined in the "Lower Butte Creek Project" document submitted by Jones Stokes Associates Inc.