|
Fishery
habitat enhancement is at the heart of the innovative Kings
River Fisheries Management Program. It is also what the
Thorburn Spawning Gravel Channel is all about. The Thorburn
project was completed in March 2000 and is the first Kings
River Fisheries Management Program habitat improvement project
to become reality. Supplied with its own regulated and dedicated
flow of water, the Thorburn Spawning Gravel Project has
transformed an unused, overgrowth-choked channel into a
water course in which juvenile trout can spawn and safely
grow, and other fish can find shelter from the main river’s
often high flows and swift currents. It also promises important
research and educational benefits. Named for property owners
who graciously provided a conservation easement to make
the project possible, the channel is managed by the Kings
River Fisheries Management Program’s partnering agencies:
the Kings River Conservation District, Kings River Water
Association and California Department of Fish and Game.
Where
the Channel Is Located
The Thorburn Spawning Gravel Channel, approximately one-half
mile in length, parallels Piedra Road near Elwood Road,
a short distance south of Winton Park in the Piedra area,
about 20 miles east of Fresno. The channel is easily viewed
from the road.
The
Site
The channel makes use of what was originally developed decades
ago as a recreational fishing and camping area. Except for
high flows and seepage from the nearby river, the channel
had been unused since the early 1960s. Its location is ideal.
The channel leaves the main Kings (on the river’s left,
or southeast, bank) immediately downstream from Fresno County’s
Winton Park and rejoins the river through a pool that rises
or falls based upon the rivers stage.
Purpose
of the Project
Thanks to the project, habitat has been created to afford
a safe haven in which young fish can safely grow. At the
same time, the Thorburn Spawning Gravel Channel provides
related riparian environmental benefits as well as research
and educational opportunities.
Development
and Construction
Administered by the Kings River Conservation District, the
project’s development and construction took place from
the fall of 1999, when clearing of unwanted vegetation began,
through March 2000 when the channel was excavated and its
headgate was installed. A feasibility study, completed by
the KRCD prior to enactment of the Kings River Fisheries
Management Program, determined that the channel would be
an effective spawning site for trout.
Channel
Design and Features
The Thorburn Spawning Gravel Channel begins with a headgate
structure, constructed as part of the project that regulates
the flow of water through the channel to levels determined
by biologists to be appropriate. Channel water flows are
far gentler and slower than in the main river. Meanders
were constructed while the channel was being excavated to
extend the length of the channel’s habitat benefit.
Boulders, gravel and woody debris have been placed throughout
the channel as part of an attempt to mimic natural stream
conditions and provide cover and shelter to juvenile trout.
Mature trees were retained but all non-native vegetation
(notably what had been nearly impenetrable stands of arundo,
or Afalse bamboo) was removed. The channel’s outflow
blends naturally into the river from a calm pond, in which
young fish can safely grow. Trout can enter and exit the
spawning channel at the lower end. It will be available
for use all year.
Future
Channel Development
Extensive planting of new riparian vegetation is planned
along the channel, utilizing oak, cottonwood and willow
trees, so that the Thorburn Spawning Gravel Channel will
become part of Fresno County’s natural lower foothill
environment.
Funding
The channel was constructed under a $129,200 contract administered
for the Kings River Fisheries Management Program by the
Kings River Conservation District. Total project cost was
$222,000. The cost is being shared by the KRCD and Kings
River Water Association, with the welcomed assistance of
a $116,000 environmental enhancement grant received from
Caltrans, the state’s transportation agency.
To
Learn More
For additional information, please telephone the Kings River
Water Association, 266-0767; the Kings River Conservation
District, 237-5567; or the California Department of Fish
and Game, 243-4005.
|
