Get to Know a Species: The Southern California Steelhead

Southern California steelhead, a species native to southern California's rivers, creeks, and estuaries, were once prevalent, journeying from the coastal mountains' headwaters to the ocean's kelp forests. This fish was a food source and held cultural significance for local tribes, particularly within the Santa Monica Mountains. The Chumash, sharing over 7,000 years of history with the steelhead, felt a deep kinship with these creatures, underscoring the importance of their preservation.

Covering an extensive range of 11,580 square miles, Southern California steelhead populations extend from the Santa Maria River in San Luis Obispo County down to the Tijuana River at the U.S.-Mexico border. They are the southernmost steelhead population globally. Historical records, including photographs, oral histories, and surveys, reveal that these fish once flourished, particularly within Malibu Creek.

What Happened to Southern Steelhead?

For centuries, the Southern California steelhead roamed Southern California rivers until a stark decline led to their 1997 classification as a federally endangered species. Habitat degradation and the obstruction of their migratory paths have critically hindered their breeding and maturation processes. This environmental impact caused a dramatic reduction in their numbers, plummeting from annual runs in the tens of thousands returning adults to fewer than 500.

The 100-year old Rindge Dam has prevented southern steelhead from migrating Malibu Creek from headwater breeding pools to reaching the ocean. Photo credit: Bernard Yin.

Urban infrastructure and water development since the 1920’s has led to significant alterations to the steelhead's migratory corridors. Particularly with dams and water diversions in areas like Malibu Creek. These barriers have not only fragmented their habitat but also potentially threaten the steelhead's unique genetic makeup. The life cycle of the steelhead trout begins in freshwater, where they can either remain as rainbow trout or migrate to the ocean. Unlike salmon, which spawn once and then die, steelhead are capable of multiple spawning journeys. During their time in the ocean, they can grow larger and stronger to help with these difficult journeys. The distinct size and color differences between rainbow trout and steelhead underscore their unique life strategies.

The Challenges for Survival

In the Malibu Creek watershed, the struggle for survival is evident. Limited habitat connectivity below the dam restricts the full lifecycle of the southern steelhead. Biologists are concerned about the potential loss of ocean-going genetics in local rainbow trout populations. Approximately 15 miles of aquatic habitat upstream from the dam offer a glimmer of hope, with the Malibu Lagoon acting as a vital transitional zone supporting young steelhead's preparation for oceanic life.

Southern steelhead populations are in danger of extinction within the next 25-50 years due to anthropogenic and environmental impacts threatening their recovery.

The rapid decline of Southern steelhead populations in fragmented habitats emphasizes the need for rebuilding the resiliency of this impressive fish. The Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project aims to dismantle these obstacles by totally removing Rindge Dam. We can help Southern steelhead reclaim their historical habitat and take steps to ensure the species' survival. This project not only seeks to restore critical juvenile habitats but also aspires to re-establish Southern steelhead as a keystone species within the Malibu Creek watershed, honoring their remarkable journey and vital ecological role.

Aerial photograph of Malibu Creek’s stream-lagoon-ocean transitional zone. Photo credit: Bernard Yin.

Soil Sleuthing: What Geotechnical Investigations Can Reveal

First in a series of blogs on the science and engineering involved in the Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project is on Geotechnical Surveys

Joe Goldstein, PE, Senior Engineer at Geosyntec in Los Angeles, California provided insight on an important phase in the planning and engineering of removing Rindge Dam.

What is a Geotechnical Investigation?

A geotechnical investigation involves engineers and geologists evaluating the subsurface conditions of a site. This process occurs when planning construction or infrastructure development. It is crucial for comprehending the geological, hydrological, and soil properties of the site. These properties will play a key role in the planning, design, and eventual deconstruction phases in the removal of Rindge Dam.

How are they done?

In a geotechnical investigation, engineers and geologists use different methods to collect information about the underground condition of the site. These methods include drilling boreholes, gathering soil samples, conducting geophysical surveys, and analyzing already available geological data. The collected data is then used to evaluate factors such as soil stability, bearing capacity, groundwater levels, and potential hazards such as landslides.

Why are they necessary?

The results of a geotechnical investigation play a vital role in guiding the design and construction phases. They ensure that necessary actions are taken to reduce any risks associated with the geological conditions of the site. Recommendations may include implementing slope stabilization measures, installing drainage systems, or employing other engineering solutions customized to the site's individual features. Ultimately, a comprehensive geotechnical investigation serves to minimize uncertainties and enhance the safety and efficiency of the project overall.

In 2002, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducted a feasibility study to determine if Rindge Dam could be removed and would be beneficial to the ecosystem. The study included drilling several borings into the impounded sediment as part of geotechnical investigations. (Reference: Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Study: Appendix D - Geotechnical Engineering. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, November 2020. Pg D3-2.)

What is being investigated for Rindge Dam?

In addition to the removal of the dam itself, the sediment impounded by the dam will also be removed. The sediment deposits in the reservoir are being considered for beneficial reuse at local nearshore locations and/or via direct beach placement for beach nourishment and for enhancement of the resiliency of the nearby coastline. The methods of removal, transport, and the permissible disposal locations for the impounded sediments depend on the physical characteristics of the impounded sediments. These characteristics can be obtained by conducting a geotechnical investigation of the impounded sediments.  

What challenges are there in geotechnical investigations?

Investigations can be challenging because of logistics and dam location for acquiring the sediment samples. We also want to minimize environmental impact with the process, studying how best to get the samples with minimal vegetation damage and habitat impacts. Due to the steep terrain along Malibu Canyon, we’ll be using helicopters to air drop the drilling equipment to the sampling sites.

As with the US Army Corp of Engineers with the feasibility studies, helicopters will aid in the upcoming geotechnical surveys, dropping the drill rigs and equipment onto the impounded surface by helicopter, assembled the drill rigs, drilled a hole, then repeated the process at the next drill location. (Reference: Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Study: Appendix D - Geotechnical Engineering. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, November 2020. Pg D3-2.)

PED Phase Kicks Off with Exciting First Year

After nearly two decades of studies, research, and stakeholder collaboration, the Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project (MCERP) advanced into the pre-construction, engineering and design (PED) phase early this year. On the heels of mourning the death of mountain lion P-22, who became the mascot for connecting habitats for wildlife protection in urban Los Angeles, the news was greeted with enthusiasm. The media and the public were eager to learn more about the removal of Rindge Dam in Malibu Creek State Park (and remediation of additional upstream barriers) and reconnecting the Malibu Creek aquatic corridor to help bring back the endangered Southern California steelhead. Phase completion of 90% design, engineering plans, and permitting is slated for 2026 with dam deconstruction to begin in the following years.

“Public involvement is essential to project success,” said R.J. Van Sant, State Parks Senior Environmental Scientist and project manager for the MCERP. “This is a public project, it’s on State land, and as a public agency we want to hear from our public stakeholders.”

Outreach and education this year brought awareness to landscape-scale ecosystem restoration efforts and the needed collaboration to achieve them. The project team participated in over two dozen community events presenting the PED phase, and below are some highlights for the year:

UCLA Design Blitz
 Under consideration during the PED phase is developing a public interpretive site at the historic Sheriff's Overlook to view the dam deconstruction process. UCLA Extension Landscape Architecture Program students were invited to a design workshop to blueprint concepts for creating an educational viewpoint. Their designs featured the Malibu Creek Watershed’s ecological, cultural and historical points of interests and will be considered in the site planning.  You can see them here.

Public Workshop
The MCERP team led by California State Parks held its first public workshop for the PED phase in June 2023.  The panel of experts discussed the current project phase, covering project management, geomorphic/ sediment analysis, geotechnical overview, aquatic ecology, and public outreach. The public was given an opportunity to ask questions of the team or comment about the restoration.  All public comments were reviewed and responded to which can be found here.  

First Annual Watershed Fair
All ages had the opportunity to discover the diverse and interconnected world of watersheds at the Malibu Farmers Market Greenwave Fair. Over 12 organizations shared their work in the watershed and how the public can help protect our local beaches, creeks, creatures, and cultural history. The fair will return in 2024 with even more educational and recreational booths, displays, family activities, bird walks, nature journaling, volunteer sign ups and more. Watch the Greenwave Fair video below for a sneak preview!

Dignitary Tour
Stake holding representatives from government agencies and tribal nations were invited to attend a presentation and tour the MCERP with California State Parks Director Armando Quintero. The project team presented the scope of work, funding needs, and timeline to cultivate ongoing support, funding and collaboration for the landmark restoration project.

Public outreach will continue to expand in 2024; look for project updates and our event schedule on www.restoremalibucreek.org. Thank you for helping us make the launch of the PED phase an exciting and successful year, and we look forward to your continued support in restoring Southern California's diminishing wildlands.

Tribal Partnership in State Park Land Management

Many public and private events now begin with formal land acknowledgments recognizing Indigenous communities' rights to territories seized by colonial powers. But California State Parks (State Parks) does not stop there. “State Parks focus is not just acknowledgement (of) relationships with tribes, but co-management of the land,” said State Parks Director Armando Quintero to a group of representatives from government and environmental agencies who were touring the Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project (MCERP), which is taking place on parkland in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Across California, State Parks has actively formalized the coordination and cooperation with tribal nations for the protection, preservation, and interpretation of tribal ancestral homelands within the parks. “State Parks has set the gold standard on tribal relations with agencies because not everybody is like State Parks,” said Christina Conley, Cultural Resource Administrator for the Gabrielino Tongva Indians of California. “They offer a place at the table every time there is a discussion on the management of our tribal land, and we could not be more grateful for that.”

The first known occupants of the Santa Monica Mountains were the Gabrielino Tongva, Chumash, and Fernandeño Tataviam tribal groups.  Director Quintero explained what happened to tribes. “When this state was first established, there was literally a bounty put on the men, women and children of these tribes and ther e were a number of militias formed, and the places where the militias went were the village sites while the tribes were in ceremony. So, when you hear about a place where tribes are practicing ceremony, it’s likely the site of an incredible tragedy in this state.”

To help bring tribes to their own places again, State Parks has implemented programs through its Tribal Affairs Program. Agreements have been made with tribes where they are able to return their cultural practices to many state parklands and again practice their traditions in privacy, without the oversight of State Parks, but rather in partnership. State Parks is also providing educational opportunities within parks for Californians and visitors to understand the full state’s history.

 “Our relationships with tribes are anchored in incredibly deep respect, and we look forward to a long and great future collaborating with them in both land management and cultural recognition as we move forward with the Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project.”

As a cultural resource administrator, Conely says her job is to be a caretaker of not just the artifacts that her ancestors left behind. “It's also the trees, the waterways, the steelhead--it's all of these things that make up our family. Our culture is different, and we are excited for the future and the trajectory State Parks has set.”

Quintero discussed how the MCERP is an extraordinary fulcrum in our history. “We are seeing agencies and nonprofits realizing that the only way we're going to be able to do this work successfully is to do it together and at scale, and by that I mean landscape scale, where we have multiple agencies working in the planning and the sharing of information. It's all of us and bringing all the science together, it's an amazing thing to do. This type of work does not happen by accident, it takes time, leadership, and partnership.”

Get to Know a Species: The Leaping Frog of LA County

Get to Know a Species will put the spotlight on local species related to the Malibu Creek watershed. By restoring the ecological resiliency within the watershed, our native habitat will have a more sustainable place to call home in Southern California’s diminishing wild spaces.

This rare amphibian was rebounding in the Santa Monica Mountains through a successful conservation partnership… then there was the Woolsey Fire...

In the fall of 2018, the return of the rare California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) was a successful comeback story to the Santa Monica Mountains where their populations begin to flourish. Then the Woolsey Fire struck in November of that year and ravaged their habitat. The fire burnt 88% of federal parkland, according to the National Park Service. Immediately following the fire was a winter of heavy rainfall, causing debris flows to fill the streams with silt and mud. A goal of the Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project (MCERP) is to rebuild these special amphibians’ homes!

The California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) was once a common species in Southern California, primarily inhabiting streams and pools that contained water year-round. It is also the famed “leaping frog” that provided the inspiration for Mark Twain’s story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”. These smiley-face amphibians are the largest-sized native frog species in the western United States with adult females measuring up to 5.4 inches and the males up to 4.5 inches. 

To spot one within a stream pool, look for a frog’s back with indistinct outlines on a brown, gray, olive or reddish-brown background color, covered with small black flecks and larger irregular dark blotches. A colorful amphibian, they are known for having hind legs (and abdomens) that are often red or salmon pink.

But you might be looking for a long time--these frogs are now among the 14 species in the Santa Monica Mountains on the federal and/or state endangered species list. Habitat degradation and fragmentation caused by Rindge Dam and other barriers along Malibu Creek have impacted these and many of the local native species that rely on canyon streams. Roads and housing between streams in the Santa Monica Mountains also separate the few available creeks in the watershed and isolate populations with fragmented wildlife corridors that prevent genetic diversity and overall stability of the species.

Invasive species are also a factor in the frog’s diminishing populations. “The non-native bullfrog, which is larger than the California red-legged frog, red swamp crayfish, and a deadly chytrid fungus are all considered threats to the species,” said Olivia Beitelspacher, Digital Communications Specialist, Ventura Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In 2014, a coordinated partnership effort demonstrated how collaboration can change the course of extinction for endangered species. A group of nine agencies: National Park Service, California State Parks, Ventura Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Santa Barbara Zoo, Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, California State Coastal Conservancy, and U.S. Geological Survey developed a blueprint how to help the species recover in the Santa Monica Mountains.

A Safe Harbor Agreement was formed to reintroduce the frogs on California State Parks-managed land. Optimal habitats for breeding were identified and egg masses from an adjacent population were relocated into selected pools. The agencies closely monitored the pools annually. In 2017, during a stream survey, NPS reported that researchers discovered nine egg masses laid by frogs– evidence confirming the California red-legged frogs were breeding on their own!

But in November 2018, the massive Woolsey Fire burned 88% of federal parkland, reported the NPS. The following winter heavy rains filled streams with silt and mud. A year later, biologists discovered adult frogs still at the sites that had survived the fire and silt, but with much of the Malibu Creek watershed in the path of the Woolsey fire, most of the frogs’ habitats were severely destroyed.

Restoring natural stream processes for the California red-legged frog as well as the other endangered and native species is one of the many goals of the Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project. A collaborative team that includes California State Parks, California Trout, McMillen, Inc., Stillwater Sciences, and the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains is currently developing the ecological blueprint for removing Rindge Dam and eight upstream barriers within the watershed to reconnect the waterways for all native habitat to survive and flourish in LA’s wildlands. 

Students Imagine Possibilities for Public to Experience Malibu Creek Restoration

Interpretive Transformation https://caltrout.org/news

The summit-to-sea Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project (MCERP), removing Rindge Dam and returning a key watershed back to its natural course, is a challenging yet exciting project. Taking place within Malibu Creek State Park, restoration plans also include sharing the rebuilding of the waterway with all who pass though. Project funding includes creating an interpretive site at a historic overlook where visitors will be able to view the dam removal, learn about the Malibu Creek Watershed and its cultural history, all while taking in the area’s majestic beauty.

To imagine the possibilities of a creating such a site, CalTrout reached out to the UCLA Extension Landscape Architecture Program to help interpret the points of interest into a “stop the car!” experience with welcoming aesthetics and engaging displays.

Program Director Stephanie V. Landregan and her 3rd year students attended a MCERP design charette at King Gillette Ranch Visitor Center to learn about the project goals and the Santa Monica Mountain’s cultural history from several organizations: CalTrout South Coast Senior Project manager, Russell Marlow, Barbara Tejada, Supervisor of the Cultural Resources Program at State Parks, Science and Policy Director Katherine Pease from Heal the Bay and Watershed Scientist Tevin Schmitt from Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation discussed the project’s cultural, historical and ecological components.

Students then visited Sheriff’s Overlook, located on Malibu Canyon Road, to brainstorm and conceptualize designs for interpreting the watershed’s ecology and native species migration patterns, indigenous communities, and dam history.

Student worked in three teams performing site analysis and presenting their concepts of how they would create an enriching and inspirational experience.

And how they delivered!

Light on the Land: This concept was developed with a low impact approach at the center, prioritizing access to view corridors for all parties; preserves existing native vegetation as a site feature; offering trail access to the lowest terrace (currently inaccessible); educational signage and guided experience; addresses historical and ecological elements.

Performance Objectives: Develop a design solution that prioritizes safe and equitable access to May K Rindge Scenic Overlook off of Malibu Canyon Rd where community members can view the decommissioning of a defunct dam and the restoration of Malibu Creek in real time, and future generations can enjoy sweeping views of the creek and canyon while learning about the natural and cultural history of the site.

Witnessing History in the Making: Decades of scientific research and environmental advocacy and legislative policy work have made possible this moment to remove old infrastructure to make way for our non-human relatives - the Southern California Steelhead. Observe this dam as it is dismantled, and the watershed restored to its natural free flowing state. Please enjoy this powerful moment, and know that soon this dam will be but a memory.

Design concepts from the teams included creating trail access, native plant landscaping enhancements providing shade, seating areas, creating sculptures from dam materials and signage.

Let us know what you’d like to see!

Hear from Program Director Stephanie V. Landregan about the creative process in UCLA Extension Landscape Architecture Program.

MCERP Holds First Public Workshop

The Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project (MCERP) team led by California State Parks (State Parks) held its first public workshop on June 13, 2023, at Malibu City Hall, presenting Phase II of restoring the Malibu Creek Watershed. Phase II will center on the removal of Rindge Dam and remediation of eight upstream barriers. State Parks Angeles District Superintendent Lori Harrod welcomed about 80 attendees to hear from the project technical team and participate in a listening session.

Presenting the project overview, Richard Van Sant, State Parks Environmental Scientist and Rindge Dam Project Manager, encouraged public participation in the restoration process. “We want your input; it’s a public project, it’s on State land, and as a public agency we want to hear from our public stakeholders.”

The panel of experts from State Parks, CalTrout, McMillen, Stillwater Sciences, and Moffat & Nichol discussed the current pre-construction, engineering, and design project phase, which covered project management, public outreach, geomorphic/ sediment analysis, geotechnical overview, and aquatic ecology. The public was given an opportunity to ask questions of the team or comment about the restoration effort.

CalTrout is partnering with State Parks to lead a comprehensive outreach and education program as part of Phase II. “These types of meetings are extremely important. We’re all in this ecosystem together and this is an ecosystem level project, it’s big, it’s bold, and we’re taking utmost care to address every issue, said Sandi Jacobson, PhD, CalTrout Southcoast Regional Director. “We want you to have pride when you look at Malibu Canyon that it’s beautiful and no longer has a big chunk of concrete in the middle of it, and that Southern steelhead can go from ocean to headwaters and back again.”

The Q&A session following the project overview can be read here. Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project Public Workshop June 13, 2023 - Comment Matrix (ca.gov)