Abstract
School Creek, a tributary in the Baduwa’t (mad river) Watershed, is a riparian corridor that is key habitat for Coho Salmon. This project is under the management of the Blue Lake Rancheria, located on the ancestral home of the Wiyot people, and was conducted by cal poly humboldt students. The restoration of School Creek is an ongoing project aimed at repairing the health of the riparian corridor, improving the creek’s channel structure, and creating a diverse community of culturally significant plant species. Previous restoration efforts have established plantings to further develop the riparian habitat and are surveyed within this report. Soil sampling, survivability assessments, and water quality testing were conducted to determine the health of the stream and the viability of harvesting basketry material and medicine from this site. The survivability assessment revealed a mortality rate of 35.1%. Soil testing revealed elevated levels of nine heavy metals, indicating that harvesting from this site may pose health risks. Competitive introduced species present within the habitat were removed to benefit the health of existing plantings. We recommend this practice for future projects on this site.
Date
Spring 2026
Department
Environmental Science & Management
Concentration/Emphasis
Ecological Restoration
Advisor/Professor
Daniel Lipe
Citation Style
APA