© 2008 Wendy Dager

In scenic San Luis Obispo County, there’s a portion of Morro Bay South known as Walters Creek, which drains into the wetlands called Chorro Creek, part of the Morro Bay estuary, where fresh water mixes with saltwater from the ocean, creating a vibrant habitat for many species of fish and wildlife.

By 1997, the federal government had designated the area’s once-abundant steelhead trout a threatened species. Their dwindling numbers were due to the grading of roads and other construction projects that began a half-century earlier, interfering with the trout’s migration pattern. The creek has been through numerous other changes as well, including its rerouting through culverts, removal of vegetation and the creation of five roads that cross it.

The Morro Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) was created to restore the creek and the rest of the bay to its natural state. With a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) in place, MBNEP staff is focusing on its goals of reducing the bay’s major threats, including accelerated sedimentation, nutrient overloading, bacterial pollution, loss of habitat, reduced freshwater flow, loss of steelhead, and toxic and heavy metal pollution. According to the Web site of the MBNEP, http://www.mbnep.org, over 2,800 acres of watershed habitat have received EPA protection since the creation of the CMP in 2001.

Owned by the U.S. Department of Fish and Game, the lower Walters Creek restoration project as responsible for the creation of 1,500 linear feet of freshwater wetlands, which included the repair of erosion hotspots. This was due in part to S&S Seeds, which provided Living Channel Liner, one of our best products for channel stabilization. Living Channel Liner consists of native plant material that forms a self-maintaining system. In addition, it provides aesthetic enhancement, creates a natural ecosystem and increases native perennials.

S&S Seeds is proud to support the MBNEP in its efforts to return the estuary to its natural state and restore the numbers of steelhead trout. For more information about Living Channel Liner, call (805) 684-0436 or visit http://www.ssseeds.com.

The Walters Creek Project is made possible by funds provided by Morro Bay National Estuary Program California Department of Fish and Game Fisheries Restoration Grant Program NOAA Restoration Center FishAmerica Foundation American Sportfishing Association Brunswick Public Foundation Wildlife Conservation Board

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