ent Jr . atershed Analysis F-ocuRestoration

.... - for Steelhead

CDS Pad s Nati,onaJ For stOjai Ranger Oi tri~:

,"'- tl. 1" Rr....er S. ee' .ead, -jrc~ 1945

Sa a Chubb. est Fis[ ery-Biologist

1997

VENTURA WATERSHED ANALYSIS·· FOCUSED FOR STEELHEAD AESTORATIONLOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST

QJAI RANGER DiSTRICTJuly 1997

(reVIsed 1999)

Prepared by: Sara Chubb, Forest Rshenes Biologist

Vcntl/fll WA p""

l. INTRODUCTION

SOl.~hcmCalifornie steelhead populations have decreased to less than 5% of their hlstoocalSIze i1nd r;mge and are In Imrnediate danger 01 extinction (Nenlsen at al. , 991). The VenllJraRlva once supported rum; of :>overal tnousaml anadromcus steelhead (Clanton and JaMS1946) but numbers nave dWindled 10 less th<ln a few hundr€'<!. at best.

Steelnead are currently being revllawed by tne National Marine Fishen@s Service for listingunder lhe Endangered SDeCles Act, The USDA Forest Service (1995) ls operating underinterim Natlonal 'PacFlsh' direction inCOfporate-d Into the Forest land and ReSOl....ceManagement Plan as pan of a Ripanan ConseNauon Strategy iUSFS 1994). Los Padre::;National FOfeSlls In the process 01 estab'lshlng 'Rlpanan Habitat Conservation Areas' (speci.:lJmanagement zone:>), appl~ng new standardS 10 prC\eets and ongoing activities, and marmglngto meeI spec1ried habitat objectives so as to lead to s:eelhead rocovet'y. Watershed an.,lyseslire required in orrJer to Oi:!termine the most ef:ective approach to mMaging for steelheaclrestoration. A coallllOll of various agencies have also InitIated a Ventura River SteelheadRestoration and Recovery Plan wi:h the goal of identifying and better coordinating actionswhich Will restore steelhead wt\;!e malfltam,ng oppol1urtltleS for ongoing and new public andpnvate human actiVities. This report diSCUSses results 01 a watershed analysis conducted WIththe primary goals 01 meet·ng PacFi$h (llreetiOll and providing timely Information andrecomm&ndallOns lor the multi-agency Steelhead recovery plannmg effort.

II. THE SETTING

The VenltJra River baEIn Is SItuated along loe southem California coastlme less than 60 miles tothe nortn of the Los Angeles metropol'tan arEia (Agure 1). The dty of Ventura is located nearthe Ventura River mOl.lth and estuary.

The Ventura River basin enttompaS5e's a tetal of 577 km2 (142.000 acres) arld IS composedroughly 01 half Forest SerYIcelands (284 km2) and half pnvale lands. Private inholdingsccmpose less than 7% 01 me area wrthln the ForeSi boundaries. Over 95 km2 (17%) aredeslgnalGd as Wilderness encompassing 89 ""Ies ef stream. Some 30 miles of the upper MainFoOt Matilija and It's tributaries are designated as 'Wild and Scenic Rivers'. {Figure 2)

The malnstem of the Ventura RIVer s:>ans 31 miles trom heaawaters (upper Main Far1<. MatiliiaCreek) ltlrough the Main Fork MatiJija and the Ventura RIVer proper Major subwatershecs WIthsubstanlial Forest SeMce lands Include in desc.encf:ng order of area: North Fork Matilija.Coyole. San Anlonia. Upper North fork. Gndley. Fait. and Munetta (Figure 3).

Venl!Jt;J WA Poge 2

North Fork Maliliia Creek runs parallel to Higtwlay 331hrough Wheeler Gorge in the lowerrcoches. Human use recre,l1Ionaland resident.al L.se is intens"" ll'1rou<;;h tl'IIS sectioo. Theupper reaches are less impacted, with denser stream shaOlng ano hahll'lt olversity. CoyoteCreek nows through a Uppel narrow bedrock and boulder lined cascace seetioo, a mid lewergradiem area of wind1hrow aleer, and a lower moderate gradient and open reach beforeentering C3sit3s Reservoir Ooly the headwaters 01 San Antonio Creek are Of! Forest SeNIcelands. Gridley Creek nows through upper steep bouloer cascade canyon reaches berore.mleflflg private orchard lands. and fiowmg ifllO San Amooto Creek.. Munetta Cre<!k fiowsthrouQl'l d6115e alder thickets In tr,e upper reaches. picks up flow trom a Side tributary In a moreop&n middle sectIon lilat has been Impact&(! by past road related lands/Ides, and may gosubsurface in lile lower less vegetated moderate gradient sec\lon berore Joining the malnstemMaull)a Creek. Upper North F=cmt Mallllja headwaters are boulderibedrock cascades and S1eppools Wlth good sl\Xling v.1thlO a narrow canyon The middle section is a more open lowergradient and W'Ider section of shallow pools and ntlles Lowur sections are steeperbou[der!bedrock S1ep n;ns :md pools within a narrow canyon. The mainstem Matlli!a flow:;through upper steep n,mow canyons Inlo a middle seetJon of moderate gradient bedrockdominated pool and nffte sequences. The lower sections of the mams<em are low gradient,WIde, open. and shallow trom the confluence of the Upper North Fork to Matilqa ReseNOlr

\11, HJSTORlCAl CONDITIONS

PrehlSloric conditionS are difficult [0 determine Analysis of sedlmenl core samples from theSanta Barbara channel Indicate thin prIor 10 1500 C,E. Fire occurred less frequently but Ingreater intensity and to a Wlder eXlenlthan in the last century. Fire has liKely always been amajor formative factor of Ine watershed Local geology also suggests that tne Landsca~ hasunljarllOM intense penods of uplrt!, channel mciSlon, and landslides.

Histoncally, S1ee1head (Oncoltlync.'ws mY!!lll were a commor'l inhabitant 01 California coastalstreams as far south as Baja. llIe Vemura Aiver supported a Sl.JbSlamial steelhead run of alteaS! 2,000 to 3,000 spawning fiSh (Clanton aM JaMS t946). Historicai accounts do notdifferentiate between s:eelhead and rambcw trout creating aif!icuity in determinii1g the extenland magnitude of early anadromous luns Nev.·spaper articles 01 the late 1800's repeatedlymention the large angler catches trom through out mucl'1 oithe length of Ihe mainSlem VenturaRiver (P,ppend1x A). Flows were aj)P3l"ently adequate to suPPOrt 00111 reSld@f1t and anadromousfish through out most mainSlem reaches exceo\ d~ring drought y9arS. Sections oj the mld toupper Matllija CreeK ale thought 10 have been the primary spawning habitat representing overhaH 01 the histoncally used habitat (Moore 1Sao). Approximately half oi the nv9t basinperennial and seasonalllowing Slreams may have onc:e suoported anadromous steelhead(Figure 4).

Other fish speCIes native to the Santa Cla"a cas;n included Pad~c lampreys, Santa Anasuckers (Catoslomus samaanael. arroyo chub (Gila orcutt,), and three-spines(lckleback(GIl8Sleroslcus aculci1./Us acuicarus). P;l.c'lic lamprey (Lampe/fa Vldentala), were

V""tur:! WA

usually found in <lssoc;atlOn with steelhead. Acu\tlarroprays mlgratod upstream at me ~3rne

tirne penOd arid Ulilized the S<\rTle spawning rimes as steelhead Unh"e steelhead, however,l.amprey only SPilwn once and :::'C in Ii'm,;!! numoo;ors at the spawning grouncs. Suc:' die-dismust have been a seasonally Sl~nriicam fOOll source lor scavenging WIldlife ~nclu(:hng thegrialy bears mat were once common In the area) and a Impol'1'lnt nutnent input to smalltribJtary str'?ams

Simt;! /w.! suckBrs <lnd Santa AM speci<led (lace. Rhinidlt1lys osculus hlSloricnlly inhaMedthe l<lrger coastal streams Ihrough0l,.1 southern Cahtomi3 (Swift et aI. 1993) It is nat clear thaIsuckers .md d3ce were nallVe 10 the Ventura River baSIn, althovgh they wer-e Inhabitants 0: thenearby Sama Clara Rlvllr,

Arroyo chub, Gis orcuni, were I'llstoncally endemic to the Los Angeles River basin (SWIll et al.1993) and may have been i'I c<lfly introductIOn tnroughout muctl 01 southern California. Itpresent, chubs may have been a signlf,cant food source for migraung or held-ovcr adultsteeillead

Three-spme stickleback, Gasfarosreus .1cule,1lus, were native to many of the streams ofsOllthern Call10rma (SWill at al. 1993) The unarmorecll/1ree-spme Slicklehack was the nativeform in the nearDy S;:lnla Clara RIVer The pnni.:llly armored vanety was nalive 1urther north,Imercrossed forms may have mhabllllO L'1e Vef'llura River.

Several ~pecles 01 sculpin (staghom sculpm Leptocortus armatus, pnckly sculpIn COt'lUS asper)and tidewater gobY (EucycJO!}COlUS nawoef/)'l) coexisted WIth Sleelhead and were natIVe to theVentura River lagoon and estuary. SCUlpin m<ly also have Inhabited the mamstem bUl were notlikely 10 have extended far 1fl\0 the upPer baSln and tribt.tlanes Neither of these speciesInteracted WIth steelhead to any great degree, except possibly as a tood source lor mlgratlllQadults.

Chumash lfldians have inhabited the Ventura River baSin for over 4,000 years. The Chumashlikely h<ld minimal imp.aCl on the landscape and resources. Several large VIllages ware klcatedin the lower coastal portion of the watershed. The pr1mary use of the upper watershed was Indispersoo hunting and fishing camps. Prior (0 the late 17005 Chumash were known ta bumsage scrub and grasslands bul not chaparral. (t is thoughl that some 01 the prescnbed fireswould have escape<:! Into chaparral however, pertJaps altering vegetation patterns and fireIntens:ties or intervals

Grazing and vineyards were the mcs! noticea~\e alteratlO!1s associated with the SpanistlmlssiOfls in the 1700s and the Spanish rancheros in the ear1y 1800s. Vineyards and intensivefarming rapidly spread through out the Siower Ventura River Valley Dunng this ceriod, grazingmay h<lve been heavy within portions of !~e "','alershed redUCIng grassland luelloads. With thedeclme in the Chumasll population, prescnbed burning was no longer practiced Historicalaccounts of 1793 descnbe chaparral stanes as cont.nuous, heavy, anc decMem. It IS Ml dearhow fire patterns wete affected dUring this pellOtt

Venlu.l;jWr<.

Homesteading began in earnest In th,; late 1800~, a<. Old small hard rock mining operations andoil exploration. Grazing may have declined arOUn<! the tum of the cenlury and could have beena contributing !actor \0 fuels buila wO am: later major Ilres Our,",;; th,s period. ranches andSffiilll communtlles began to divert sul1ace nows Irom the mainSlem Ventura River As thenumber and volume 01 these diversions increased, impacts- on st;;elhead Increased by reauorlgavailable instrcam water and h"blt<lt ana by the high morta'lly ot young fish aiver1ed mtounscreened w;;lter COl'lveyance systems. Some of the structures a55OCliltOO with tIlesediverSIons also may have at \eilst pamally blod<ed upstream steelhead migralions. The FOSlerPar\{ Diversion in the lower mainstem Ventura River was compleled In 1906. (AppendiX B)

As populations II'1Cfeased, so did numerous non·native Species Garp (Cypnrws carpIO) wereintroduced to IDalI farm ponds and Imgailon (lilches In lhe late 1800s (Ventura Free Press,January 13, 1883), Brook trout (Salvelinus fonMil/is) were brought \f1 trom the eastern UnitedSlates by railroad and traMported on horseoack Into many locations WIthIn the area (VenturaFree Press, January 4,1882), Brook troullntrod~C1lons may nol have been SLlCUlsstul. asthere is no menlion of brook trout betng caught around the turn of the century. Brown troutwere also introduced in 11m 1930's. Both brook and brown trOUllikely did not dO well In thisarM since they are fall spawners that require oooler water temperalureS, deaner gravels. andmore constant water t1cms Expenmental stocking of Allanloc salmon (Ventura Free Press,February 23. 1878) ana "Lake Tahoe troul" (_kokanee salmon?) may also have taken place(Vernura Sl~lr Pless. AuguSi 1, 188?). perhaps explatning the raports of what loc3Js called "dogsalmon" (Henke 1995), Stocking of non·nallve rainboW troul (usually domeslicated varielles ofmore nonherfy and 'nterior fish) began in Ihe 1890s (Ventura Free Press, Septemw 15, 1893)diluting native genes and the long term lliabil,ly of fl<llive sleelhead stocks Stocking of non­nabve trout reached a peak around the turn of tne century In spite of continued sleekingeflons well Into the 1960's, angler calch ra:"s ana observed fish densities seemed to dedlne

Steeihaad transplants wers also from these "rsscuOd" from aboVe newly built reservOirs bothwithin and outside Ihe Venlura RIVer basin. Thousands o! S1eelhead from the nearby SantaYnez River ware stocked IntO MatliiJa and Santa Ana Creeks between 1938 and 1944 (Titus atall994)

Beaver were introduced to the region sometime aftar 1917. It is not dear to What extent be3vermay have inhaooed and Influenced 1M Ventura Rlvar. (f beaver were present the.y may havealtered hal:litat by removal of trees. widenrng 01 channels, ana inere2song of summer watertemperarures. BMver dams Ilke\y (lIQ nO! block upstream s:.eelhcad migrations as the damswould regularly washed OI.!t duMg ....inter storms. Regionally, beaver dedined In the 19S0s dueto Irapping and fiooding.

As more people moved into the area and populations grew over utilization of the resourcebecame a Pfoblem. Steelhead •....ere liKely taken as bycatch In commercial seining operallort~

within the ocean and l;;Igoon (Vt'n:ura Free Press 1876). Aeereauonal aT1d subsistence fishingalsa had a notlceat:"e Impact. Local OI!wso.Jpefs bl"agged about the taking of hUndreds of

,roul"In a couple nours of fishing (Ventura Fri;€, PreSS February 9, 1878) Mabl~a anc otnereasily ac-:esslble dramages were me torst to SIJf::-r me conSeQuences 01 severe ov~srllng.

Fire suppression acuvnies began in earnest as early as the 1920s Thefealter, the hl'SldOC\lmented major lire occurred In 1932 The Matilija lire 01 1983 bumed 3900 acres WIthInthe watershed and was r'loled as resulting Ir'l accelerated eroSion that contlnued for alleast adm-..ade (USFS files). Woody debris washed downstream causmglog jams that temporanlytrapped sediment only to break loose and cause severe downcl..'1ung and lateral stream oankerosion with e31;;h successive storm. Fires altered riparian vegetation. oneo !rom mid or lateseral alder and cOl1Oflwood to ear1y s~al alder or willow Ullc\(ets. (Aopendil( B)

Inadequate flows appeared to be a nOllceable problem in the 19405. Increasing agnculturaland municip<ll w<ltor demands CKpanded water diversions. Many water diversion SU1Jctureswere potentially Impediments to upstream and dcWflstream Sleelhead movements. Most waterdiversions were unscr~nedcausing the loss 01 countless Sleelhead tuvenites and smolb.

From what few accounts that ara available, steelhead appeared to beg'n their most precipitousdecline In the late \95050. The MaliliJa Dam comp,etEKi In 1948, ana Robles DiverSion DUlll andC::tsila5 Dam completed in 1958, effectively CUl-off Sleelhead a~ss 10 over 50% of Iheirhi~\orical spawmng naonal. These cams also captured much Of the supply Of sanet and gfiwelsand began a proce!S which has drastically altefed downstream channels and noo<lplalns.

Road building, maintenance. and use. has also had an effect on steelhead and streamcorridors. Many 01 the present day access roads Wefe built arouoo the turn 01 the century.Highway 33 (Maricopa Highway) was constructed in the 1930's. As continues to date, lengthyhighway sections run parallel and Impinge upon the North Fork Riyer corridor greatlymllueoclng riparian habitat. the floodplain, channel mOl"phology. and water quality.

Comparisons 01 historical photos to present day conditions does notlndietlte a fundamentalchallge in channel morphology although bedload and ripanan vegetation has chwlged overlime (Appendix C). Many 01 the nistorical photOS were taken after humans had already altefedme landscape. Other photos were taken shon'y following it fire or flood and seNe to illustratethat the only constant is change. Stream channels successiyely lill and soour, large bouldersmove downstream, logs are present either as maSSIYe debns Jams or Small Clusters left on theffoodplaln, and riparian vegetation fluctuates from dense ano continuous to sparse anddi9CQfltlnuous.

IV. CURRENT CONDITIONS

Stojelhead jmd R<'llnbow Trout

The Ventura River anadromous steelhead pc:lulallon con:lnues to be severely depressedWhile it Is likely tha! SlGclnead P<lss l,;pstream WlthCU: detection, It IS certaln that their numbers

Venlurll WA

are low and well below the 200 fish thrB'Shold assoCIated WIth a nigh risk of ~xtlnC:ion (Franklin1980). There have been no confirmed r~pons of anadromous aeult Sleelnead in the VenturaRiver since 1993 and only a fcw sealt-ered fI~oons Slnee the 196050 (AppendIX A).

SOllthern staelhcao and rainbow trovt are ollhe same s;>ecies and potentially intermixingpopul<.llions As has. been OOs.e;rv.,ro 10 other s:eelhead populatlOl"ls (Shapovalov Jnd Taft 1954)resldenl populations may coeXIst and geographically overlap Wllh the anacromous form.Sleelhead and rainbow trout eQQS. fry. and juveniles can not easily be differentiated. They canconc!u~elyDe Idenlmoo as "steeIMad" when they go through the smoillfic;;)tlon process whichprepares their system lor salt waler and gIVes lhem Ihe charaeteriSl:lc sleek silvery <lppe.:lrance.SrnOllifical1on probably occurs 'Nnen lish achieve a length of 15 em WIthin me first or secondyear (Moore 1980). Smelts move downstream w,tn receding storm nows in Apnllhrough June(SMpovalov and Tan 1954).

Southern staelhcad h;:lYC adilpled to tnelr unpredictable clim;:lte by retaining the fteXlblllty toremain landlocked through many years or generations before retumlng 10 the ocean Whenconditions allow (T~U5 at al. 1994) Sud'ltralts and oohaVlors appear to be Inherited and lllerecould ycry well be differences In Ine 6lO.em of anadromy between diffi!fer11 nver basins andeven within a Single drainage (\Naples 1991). Research Imo Ine movements ollnl:lnd trout nasalso snown lhirt <frlterent populations have vastly diHeong degrees of mObllity ranging from afew leetlo 50 miles W11hm a year (Schmal and Young 1994). BOlh anadromous and reSIdenttrout have likely adapted to penodic nooC extremes ana (!rougills lnrougll upSlreammovements. Success 01 restorallon may be aepel'\dMt on relamlng Ihe :lppropriate geneticslor physlology and behaVIors adaptive to local Situations Research is needed.

II is not dear to wnat extent overs:ocklng Wlth non-native ramoow trout may have cau59dintrogresslon in tne Ventura steelnead GenetIC analysIs of what appeared to be residentminbow trout fl'om the upper Ventura)Manhja basin ind:cated lhat only 2 out 0131 oflhesampled fish had clear native ancestry (Nielsen et al. 1997). It is possible, haNever. thaI someof Ihe more Isolated populations may retain a grealer proponlon 01 native steelneacl genes. It Isnot known il!he progeny 01 residenllrOut WIll ever be able to smolt and regain the anaclromousIile-style 01 their ancestors.

Resldenl rainbow \fout are fairly well dispersed throughout the Ventura River basin. inhabitingmuch ollhe J1l<Iin Fork Matilij;:l and upper Nonh Fcrl<. North Fori<.. Munena, Coyote, Santa Ana.and Gridley !>lJbw;:lIcrshcds (Figure 5). They extend uos:rsam as far as there is good perennialwater (Figure 6) and stream gradients are no: too Sieep (generally less than 10%) (Figure 7).In drought years their distribution shrrnks, and in high water yeMs their distribution expandswhere lalls, boulder caSC<ldes. or n'''an-made bamers do not block tr.eir upstream migration.Only one instance 01 fish-less ~rennlal WOlter is k:'lOwn al this time (approximately 1 mileupstream 01 barrier tails on tha Santa Ma c!rainage). Many of the highes: c1ensities of luyaniletrout are found within seas.onally lntermmer:t reacl'ies (u....per Main Fori< and upper North Fori<for examplc) (Figure 8), suggesting thaI a lack 01 late summer holding waler and penodie floodslimil retention 01 older fish t>ut enough sUl'Vlve 10 successfully reproduce and re-populale the

VC111Ufa WA

area. The aoparently I'ugh juvemle trout dEr,~1tles roay be a function oi less com,etl!ton nndiXedallon !rom older fish anCl/or an Inher':!nt nCl10ess of nabita[ and produdlVlly II Is likely notfeasible 10 gel Sleeltle~d up <:InC! over the mU~lp(e natural barriers and INO tnese areas Alld itmay not be des,rable, Since many 01 these upper reacnes may harbor other senslhve aquaTicand npanan spec,es, such <IS red-legged frogs that do better VllIl'1Out fish comP6lTtlon andpredation.

Ventura River waters suppen moderate ('good' according to Smllh 1982:) overall trout den~tlesto 3·0.6 fish per m2), companng lavorably to mOfe nOl1l'1erly small coastal streams (IkJms1971, Sh."Ipovalov and Tart 1954) and of similar densilles to other south coast streams (Enuix1994, USFS data files). Adult populal'on densities are estimated at 800-1500/ml Which IScomparable to nearby Santa Paula Creekc but 25·50% lower than Sespe Creek. JuveniledenSities ranged from 0.01 -3.0 pt':r m2 with the average around 0.09. WhlCtl is comparable toother soutl'1coaSl reSident troU! denS/f19S but low when compared fO known juvenile steelheaddenSities (0. 181m2 In The lower and targer Santa Ynez River, Entrix 1994). In short. VenluraRiver jlsh production IS largely whal would be expected for resiaem fish and while residentproductIon can be an Indicator of potential st€lilihead produC!ioo, steelhead produClivity couldbe higher,

Prqaeting reSidential trout prodUdJOll out across hlstoncaJly accessible reaches ..tithin lheVenTura basin, FOtest lands could Yle'd rO\lghly 199.500 IlNenlle trout on me whole, orpotentially enough smolts to Sl,lppor! an adu I steelhead run of approximately 2,800 (Table 1).A similar estimate of potential steelhe3d prodUClion (2, 100 adult spawners) can be deriVed fromthe qUilnlity and quality of spawnlllg haMal Which could be made accessible to spawningstee/head within the FOtesl Service Sr-;leffi lands. These estimates are comparable to !tiehistorical projeaioos of over 2,000 stcelne;ld hlstOl"lcaoly utilizIng M3111ii3. Creek (Clanton andJarvis 1946)

Thera IS an insufficief1t sample size to determine age-class size ranges, frequeflcies, andgrOV<th rates of upper Venlura River baSin salmonids. Of lhe fish lhat were meaSl.lred (n_50) InJune of 199:3, their Sizes rangeo from 82 to 242 mm and averaged 116 mm. Growth rates andpopulanon age ctasses are liKely Slmilar to those encountered on nearby Sespe Creek. Withinthe Se:spe, at least four <:!ge classes of res.;oent lrout are Identifiable: Juvenile trout typicallyrange between 5 and 8 em in their first groWing season; Firs! year fish arEl between 12 and 18em; Two year old lish are between 2Q and 25 cm; Three year old fish may attain lengths over28 em. Smo~s captured at the Vern Freeman DIVersion on the Sat1la Clara Alver rangebetween 20 and 30 cm and may indues young-of-year fish. A Similar pattern of raPId growthand early s"'noltification wns Obs8rve.a in the Jower Ventura RIver (Moore 1980). High grOWfhrales of 0.9 to 2.8 cm per month were doaJmemeC.

Other Aquatic Species

Pacific lamprey (/..;Jmperra rridcntara) share many 01 the same habitat reqllitements assteeihead and may spawn and rear Wllhin S1m~ar areas. Lamprey larvae are not ea:;ily

Vent~'a \'If< Page 6

delected however, and although they ware nO! observed In Fares; S.;rvlce surveys ttley maybe there Lamprey a~a also hampered In tlle,r upstream ~Igrallons by natural and artlfiClSlcmri(!r:;, out possibly to a lesser exten: ,han s:e'elheac

Anoyo chub (Gila orcum) and three Spine sllcklebad< (Gasterosteus acu/learus aculleatus) aretound in abunclance (1().20 fish per 100 leet) tnroognout much 01 the malnstem Matilija and thelower North For\( (Figure 9). Optimal stckleback habitat Includes small pools with cooslant nowand low water veloCIties (Ba!ik,n and Bell t975) Cnubs appear to be associated with lowgradient rTffles and runs (USFS 1995). 80m Species are knoWn to coe~s( with Sleelhead andresident trout and may serve as a tood source lor ffilgrating or held-over sdwlt steclhefJd.

Speckled dace (Rtljfljctlrhys oscu/us) have nol been observed in recent surveys. Dace arcadapted to wann water (>2aOCj and peeler cobble riffle habitats. IllS unlikely that Irout anddace would compete lor the same food resources Since dace are boltom feeders and trOUIgenerally leM up in the 'NSW column (Mole 1976)

Exotic species that have been Observed in Ihe upper Ventura River basin include InrgemoulhbliSS (Micropterus salmoides). SlTla!lmouth bass (MlCropterus dolomllWI), and PaCIfic crayfish(PrOC.1mb.1fUS darkl), Highesl denSIties 01 the exotics appear to be tourld In and downstreamfrorn MilIrlqa ReservOIr (figure 9). Bass are nOlQl1OUS predators on other fish Including Iro,1tand steelhead, Crayfish are scavengers that readily....,11 teed upon eggs and Iry In gravelspawning beds (Hobbs et al 1989; Page t985) PenodlC floods likely limit upstream expansionof these species. Droughts may limit populatans but can also Increase the impact'S of exoticson nalive spedes as there is Increased compellUOr'l for snnnklOg (labita!.

NatIVe species which may ImpaC1 trout and steelheadlndude western poncllultJes (Plemmysmarmorala pallida) and two stripe<:t gar:er snakes (1hamnophls hammOlldil), Tunles prey uponfish but only if the fish are stfanaed, oeaa, or sluggiSh. Twa-stnped garter snakes are highlyeffective predators, taklngluvenlle salmonids of up to ~ve inches in length {Chubb personalobservation}. Their Impacts on local fish populations can be substantial during dry summerswhen fisn are concentrated In limited habitat.

Other native aquatic specIes that appear no. to negatively impact trout or seelheacl indudered-legged Frogs (Rana aurora), California treelr09 (Hyla cadaverine), Pac!fictreelrog (HregiltJ), Western Toads (Bulo boreas), and Calilornia newt (TiJricha rorosa). All of thesespecies except California newts overlap with trout in the use of stream channel types, reaches,and to some extent, Instream habitat. Califomi;l newts are generally only found In substantIalnumbers in perennial stream reaches where :rOWI densities am low to non-existent.

Water flow Is hlghly vanable. In a "normal" Viatoar yoaar (15-40 Inches of rainfall) there areadequate peak flows to allow steelhead and trout iO migrate upstream to their spawning

"('ntura WA

grounds rI there are not bamers. Usually. several succesSIve Winter storms would allow formultiple spaVl/T'1ing migrations and ass'.c:t vmh t~ movemems 01 steelhead smelts downstream10 the oee<ln.

An average of one 001 Of five years is wen below norma) precip'laMn (less than 15 inches overthe year) poten!i<llly severely limiting steelhcad spawning mIgratIons and trappong ::;.molts. FiShpassage at low to moderate lIows IS tnolJght 10 be prOVIded il depths are over 0 6 lcct across atleast 25% 01 the wehed ctlannel (10% should be contiguous 3re3S >0.6 feet oaep) andvelocities are ler,s lh::n 81eel per s.econo (Thompson (972)

low flow balTiel'$ Decome more $lgmllca.nt dunng the dry years. not Of'1ly lor hmitlng up:;:.reamSfXlwlling steelhead. but also lor limrtlOg movements 01 stcelhead juveniles and wild residenttrout into late summer relugia habitats (see tater seCllon on summer habitat). Resid(lnt troolhuve been shown to also undergo seasonal migrations over grent dista!'lces (>50 miles 10 somecases) (Schmal and Young 1994)

Migrating sleelhead can generally navigate upstream agamstflows up to 6 leet per second andleap over 4-6 loot heights (Evans and JohnSlOO 1972). Deep water (>halt of the vertlcallump)is necessary to Q<lin the leapmg momentum. ReSllng pools (>6') are necessary In longSectionS 01 high velocity nows.

During lOW nows. boulder cascades, bedrQClol sHoes, and low gradient riflles may becomebarriers to upSlrenm fish movement. Staelhead mny become SU'anded on their upstreammigratJon ~ nows rapidly decline. The presence of good deep pools Is essential during thisperiod as fish may need to wart out thE- periOd between $lorms.

Swlmming and Jumping ab1hties are size dependant (Evans and Johns:.on 1972), &0 that fewerbut larger indl'Jiduals may be able to reach the upper reach spawning beds. ThE spawners thatdo make the effol1 would be compensated Wltrlless competluon for availflble habrtats, largerund more numerous fry, and heahhier progeny.

Low flow bamers are likely lound throughout many of the reaches of the upper Ventura Riverbasin. Surveys wel'a nOl 01 sufficient de:aH to descnbe ail low flow barner locations. ThegrC:ltesl numbers of complete barriers were nOl'i!d within the North Fork and upper mainstemMatilija (Figure 8). Many of these barriers ate formed by water plunges through boulderslammed against bedrOCK streambanks and canyoo walis. Some al the earners are watenallsover bedrock ledges. Baulder barriers have tne potenballor shifting tnroug-. r,atural processesoffloads and earthquakes. ThH" is also opportunity for human interv6ntlon to blast open achannel lor fish passage. The rather Immutable waterfalls, hawever. are often situated at thelower end of reaches w!lh numerous ooulde-r barriers, ana thus the potentiaJ for opening upadditional access lor ste"lhead may b,", Iim.led1-

Artificial barriers to $t6e1head mlgrallon.s indud,", Ca.s,ta,s Dam on Coyote Creek, the RoblesDiversion and Matllija Dam on the maln.sler.t Mall;lla, aM Wheeler Gorge Campground road

Page 10

crossing on the Nonh Fork. RemoV3J of mese ~amers proVlce opponUn!tl€!l to open upsubslal'ltial addiuonal areas (5. 2, 10. and 7 miles ro:speCllVely) 01 steelhead habitat. Waterdiversions on Santa Ana and Gnd,ey Creeks may be barriers lor downstream migrating iuvonile!fOUl as they are nOl screenecl and remove a large prooort,on of the baSil flow

Habltal Duality - Spawning

Ae. praVlously i;lISCUS5t:'d. Slaslheao. ano likely wila rainboW trout. WIll move into seasonallyflowll'S reaches to spawn. Th€y are no! hml,eo to only pereonialwaters and may utilizeintermittent reaches to aVcMd crowding and pOtential predators (CarrcMl 1985, Everest 1973).Riflles prOVide the pl"edom,nant spawning haMat. although small gravel pocl<GlS assoCiatecwith pool tails may also be utilized by SleeJnead rainOOwtrout. Coyote. NOOh Fork. Munena.and Oldman Creeks have the highest propor1lQns of riffle hablull. The malnstem Matiliia Creekappears to have relatively low percentages oj nflles except in reaches near the confluence ofOld Man Creek.

No! all riffle h<lbitat is good spawn,ng hi'lbi'at. nowever. Good spawning h:lbltat sllould h<lve ahigh percentage of gravels (,,20%). no more than 15% flne Sediments. and channelmorphology (width/depth - 15) offeril"lg me good oxygen and SIll caITylng veiocitles. GIventhese paramelers. the most suitaole spawnmg <lreas would be predicted to be in Coyote, lowerNorth FOf1<. and a short section 01 me Main Fork Malilija (Figures 10 and 11). Siltatioo mMllrietta may be severe enough to limrt spawning success and try survival, although juver:ilatroul densrtJes <Ire modera:e 10 high WIthin lhese reoilches (Figure a). The lower ~:tionsof themainslem Malilija do nOl offer good stable spawmng condlllons. Storm IIows gain power asmey sweep oown tnrOlJgh the canyon. Eggs and fry of the lower Mall1lla are susceptible tobeing washed downstream. smotnered In SIltS and sands. or damaged In deons flows. Themost useful spawning habitat resides In the mid secnons of the side. larks ana tnbutaries.

Rearing Habitat

Soon after hatching steelhead and trout fry swim up through the gravel and dispersedownstream into shailow slow waler ttream margins (Bisson et al. 19B1). Low gradlem riffles,runs, and gtides provide the primary reanng habllallnlO the ilar\y summer. The Quality ofrearing habital is largoly determined by the continuation of water 1101'1 of moderate temperaluresand the availability of cobble and small woody d,:bns for use as cover from predators and~oteetion from high water velocities.

Tile best (eanng areas do not comple!ely overlap with the local.ties of the b6S1 spawningreaches (Figure 12): Thera is overlao within Murietta and North Fork drainages but additionalfMnt1g habitat Is to be found v.ithlfl Uppm NOM Fork. Rearmg l"Iabctat appears to be lackingwithin Coyote Creek. It would seem that mere is a !;realer con-esponde'nce between observedluvenilc trout densities and polential reanng habilalthan will1 potential spawning naMa! (not aunexpecled result). The similarity between precuction estimates derived Irom spawning habitatavailability and aet'JalltNenlle ocnslt es 0e raflecting limItations 01 both actual spawning and

Venlllla WA ":lqe 11

ft!aling success) suggests thal spawning and raanni:! rab,tat su :ability are similar and nettnerhabitat factor is the key limitation ofl s.almorud racrullmel"t.

As mentioned above, cover structure such as that proVIded by woody debris IS important asrefuge from predators and high water veloCities. Instream COVel is in low abundance throughout much of the upper Venlura River BaSin (Figure 13). a SiltlattOn common to most southerncalifornia coastal s<rearns Woocry d<;!bris (>S"dbh) densities range from 0 10 220 Pieces permile with an average of 15 ThIS compares tavombly and may Indicate slighlly higher woodydebos denSities than neart:ly $espe Creek (USFS 1997). Less than 5% of lhe surveyedreacnes wQtjld rstam enougn wood to meet the Na:ional"PacFis.'l' standard fO( atlea:;l 120pieces of 'Iarge' (> 12") woody deons. This standard IS being modified to better apply to thesouthern California ecosystem Smaller SIZed wood is of imp<Jl1ance to reanng jlNertlle trout.although it is stili a uncommon element 111 lhis regioo.

Woody debfis Is found In hlgl1er densities within very localized reaches In Coyote, Santa Ana.North Fork. Upper North Fool, Munelta, and Old Man Creak. These areas are all assoClat9dwith mid to latc seral alder stanes (Figure 14) wnid'l are prone to w1ndthrow particularly afterfires.

Vcntllf~ WA

FOOd Producing Habllatiji

Good spawMlg riffles and pool taBs are I,;sually also good food proaUet)on zones. HighestprodUCIIVlly would be expected where substrate size is dom,nated by cobble, however. WoocrydebriS contributes nutrients and substrate for pnmary and secondary production. less than15% fines and rnOdi:!fate sunlignt but ample Slreamside vegetation (canopy 40-£0%) would beideililor aquallc Insect ploduetlon. Based upon Ilm'teO aquatic Invertebrate sampling, roodavailnbillty is good throughout mo~ 01 the upper Ventura River b3.Sin and may nol be the keyfilclor limitIng trout recruilment.

I...<lte Summer Habitat

As fish grow in lale summer and fall they move Into swfter and deeper water, inl>abiting runsand pools (Chapman and Bjornn 1969). Runs are qulle common and nOlliminng Pools andcooIwater relugia Irom the summef heal are I'kely the most reSlnetlve bottleneck that reducespopulation SIze and limits grOl'llh and recruJlment. During dry yoors, summer cond'tlons 01 hightemperatures and low dissolved OJCYgen are panlcuiarly severe reducing fish grOW\l1, survival,and hea~!"1. By August partICularly in drought years, only 1$OIstad deep pools retam fish, am!complete or partiallis/'l dre-ofts can occur. If there ate bamers to upstre;;lm movements It 1$possible mat tnbutarles may become fishless after extrema drough;

TIle southern vanety 01 steelhead ralnoow troutlS thought to have evolveO to be able towithaand higher temperatures (Higgens \ 991) but they are nOlmmune to lethnllemperatutes(>75 OF). High but Sllblethal water temperatures can also atreet grOwth (Barnhardt 1966),smoltlficatlon. Immunity to disease, and bt!haVlOl' (Reeves at al. 1987).

As shoWf'l in Figure 15. reaches with denser canopy cover are likely to mall1taln the coolestwaler temperatures into late summer. LJkeWlse, cool water springs and seeps may beimportant. Much of the maIOstem Matllija expenences h'Qh temperatures (>750F) thaI likelylimit trout sulVlval and produClIOO. Hot spnngs In tM Nanh FOI"k and mainstem further increasesurface water temperatures. The best reft.lgia are to be found in mid Coyote, mid North Fork,upper Upper Nonh Fori.:, a side tributary 01 Munetta. aM the upper mainstem. T~mperatures

within these reaches usually stay below 65 OF These areas appear 10 correspond WIth theareas of greatesl:rout densities (FigureS:l and S).

Pool dellS ties may also be related to lICtJ! aoundance (Figura 16) Deep pools have beensl10W11 to retain cooler water near the bottom, otlenng thermal rslugla to lish in late summer(M;;Inhews 1996). Salmonids. and particularly s:eelhead reqUtrs daep pools as resting areasand refuges from high fiC"NS and water temoera:utes (O!.:nn 1981) As juvenile steelhead growthey gradually shift from shallow to d~oer water hao.tal, including pools (Bisson et al. 1981),

Generally, the best and mos; abundant pool ha:',lal is situated witnln the mId to upper reachesof side dralflages. The mainSlem IS?Ool poor which when COlJoIed Wltn higher solar influx Witha less dense shade canopy and lack ot cool ""mar springs and lesser late summer flows

Ventura WA Page IJ

eqUllles to inhospitable summ;;r naOlla, The sice tcr1<s <lrEi presently tne most significant trouthabRat and have the grea,a:;l potential ~or restoca:ion 01 anaaromous Sleelhead run~. if accesscan be restored.

Alpanan Veg"tation

Two gener,,1 types 01 riparian communities M!! Ell'\COl.lntered in the Ventura River ba!lin.southern allUVial woodland~ and souttlem npanan ''''oOOlanOs. Southern aUu\liaI ....:lOdlandsconSist of vanous combinations 01 Fremont cottonwood, western '3ycamore. Wlilows andmulefat and are found In lower gradient reaches. The southern ripanan woodland lype is thedominant vegetllllon community throughout most 01 the upper Vel1tura RIVer baSin <lrId includesa mixed assembl<lgEi 01 ptlm')rlly alder, willow, and oak. COf'Illers are only an extremely rninlJrf:omponent ....'thln the headwmers ollhe upper mainstem. (Figure 14)

Tamarisk IS a early seral exotic colonIst stledes 01 low value as ~sh and wildlite habitat (Cohanel al. t97B). It is 10und In malnstem reaches be!o,.... Matl:ila ReservOir and needs continuedVigIlance 10 contrOl. If It has a chance to develop Into large monotypic stands as it haselsewhere In SQutl'1em Caltforma, It can crOWd out nauve vegetation. reduce available surfacewaler. limit species and habltat dNers.ty, and corotncUie to advorse water temperatures andchemiS1ry. Tamansk Is 01 hlgn concern lor It'S negative effects on Wlld trout and potenualsteelhead re$lorntion et'ons

As mentioned elseWhere In thiS report, alder stands appear to contnbule the most woody debris10 Channels, Alder Is also hIghly etlec!lve m I'Iithstancmg the erosrve po\',-er oj C1ebns flows andnoocS. One oj the reasons for Ihls effectiveness is alder's propenSIty lor jormlng dense roolmats In and among boulders and bedrock. Alder rootmats are wtua!ly lrldestructible unlessthere is dIsease. fire, drought, or other forms of extreme stress. In healthy alder stands, streambanks are welll armored and stable. Alder roots may atso span across the actIve channalprotectmg the channel bed tram dowOC'..Jlting. Typ;C3l alder domrnatad reaches are composedof highly Slablo step po~ sequences 01 habllat.

Water Quarty

Detallad water quality sampling has not been conducted within the upper Venlura River baSin.As Obsarv60 In the nEarby Saspe wa,ers.'1ed. W.atflr quality IS likely to be aaequate for troul andother biota PH. mlnerahzlltlon, llno alkalinity may oe high. espCldally within reaches wilh alarge Influx of groundwater springs and seeps. White crusty soc:fum chloride and sulfidedeposits are common where eVllporalion is hIgh n~r spring influxes. In some reaches (asnoted in Upper North Fork) calcium carbo'al€S will predpltate oulforming a layer of cementacross the stream bottom. Such CemenM~ coulo lessen me quality of spawning beds alt..houghWInter high flows OIppear to dissolve the minerals and break up much of Ihe f:crnenl prior to tilespawrllng penOd. Scanered sman Iro, nen seeps may contnbute to local preciPitatIon of iroofioc:culent wrllch can be damaging to fish eggs and gills (McKee and Wolt 1970) Many 01springs are likely high In total dIssolVed sollas, aiumtnum, copper. and Iron

Venlur3 WA ?~gC' 14

The wilter ctleml&ry scggests a mooeralely produClv€ aquatic community although ""trientlevels have flOI Deen measured. AquatIc produClvlt)' may be ~mlfec! attolal olssclved sohosover 400 ppm (Bell 1973) as may be encountelel:! immediately downslream from hIgh mll"lera\hoi springs.

Econcmics

Based upcw'l the recre<:llionl and toursm money (S106·S111!fish) (RPA 1990) thaI C<ln beassooilled willi steelhead ttOlJt (APA, 1990), the Ventura wat~rshed is pocenbally WOf1I\ at leasthall a million dollars per ye3r. probaoly more Aooit,onal economIC value can be derived Iromnoo-consumptiVI! use cf steelhead resources Glher values assooated with !he presence of ahealthy steelhead run can not be aSSigned a moretary IIgure.

Disturbance processes

Fife and posl-fire flood; and debns slides are the mos signjflCaflt dlSfurb.;nce proceSS65 in !tieupper Vertura River baSIn Chaparral fires are expected to occur every 31)-60 years (Dilvis etal. 1988) and seem to blim het ovel large areas oltlie I.mdscape (Figure 18). In normal waleror WOl years the inCIdence of fire is low il blJrns only allow intensities. and rarely bums throughmoist riparian zooes. The nparian networ\< thus is protected from fire and may contain fireswithin smaller patches of the watershed. Such is also the case rt' nearby nillslopes h"l'Ierecently burned and lack the fuels to carry the fire. Many racam fires have originated in or nearSlreams 10 areas 01 greatest COl1centratlon 01 ftre ca<.:S1ng hullan adlvity (campfires, ~ehicles,

etc.)

Alders are a less fire resistant species than willows, sycamlYes. and oaks and appeal to beslower to recover and regenerate Afte.r Intense riparIan fires (Davis et al. 1988). II fire IgOitlonand fuel build up conlflue 10 lead to Intense nparian COfndOf bums alders may decline in lh~r

distribution wltl"lln the watersl"led. Sucn a eecllne would likely contnbute to II reduetiOl1 in lateseral riparian communities reselling in less wOOdy debris, reduced canopy cover leading tohigher triblItill)' water temperatures, more chamellnSlability, decreased fish habitat complexity,and reduced avallabllty of summer and •....imer refugja for salmonlds, A compmison of lireIrequenoes (F"lgure 18) and the lime since laS! bum (Figure 19) indicates that some areas otthe upper Ventura River basin ha\'e not bumec for a number at years ara presem a risk lorimense and potentially damaging future fire. Key areas to consider are around CasitasReservOir and portier.s of the San Amonio drainage. Fuels will also be bUilding up todangerous levels within most 01 tre remainder of tile uoper basin within the next 10 years.There IS M oppoJtun:ty for p'o-ac,lve fire and fuels management.

Prec1pltatlon and les\Jltlng stream flow is highly variable an:! cyclic (Figure 24). Slroom flew asmeasured at the lower Ventura Rver InCIc.a!as a typical 3.4 year drought cycle lollowed by anaOl' more wet years. Recurrent cycles of drcught (1895· 1905, 1928-1937. 1945-1957. 1984­1990) armo!:! ..Iwayc pfwewov- Ine most OGVilSt;llon9 penoas of fires follcwed by floocs (1917.

Vo:-nlur;l IVA Page 15

1932 1986, 1991). An overlying 20 year cycle oj hlgl'1 to low average f10\'1S may also beevtdent Attllough il is unclear how pa::erns of global cllmanc change may at/act localCOflditions, renewed cydes 01 drought and floods are inevitable

On the average. major channel defining floods OCtur onc:e every 5·7 years (Figure 24). Suchflood Haws replacE gravels. nush out sillS. transport and decoslt woody debns and lea! li"er,scour Oul pools, and facilitate leg(lneralLon of npanan vegetation (Yanosky 1982).Collonwood, sycamore, and alder may OflJy $tlccesshJtly regenerate during sustained floodyealS when lhe 5011 is conllnuously saturauro for several weeks (Zimmermann 1964). Floodsmay be detrimental to 11SM by tlushlng them downstream away from their prelerred habltal.Under normal circtJrnSlances rainbow IroUl qt.Jickly rebound WIthin one or IwO years since meyh:ave an innate lila cycle tnat drIVes tnem to move upstream in fall and wmter. Research hasshown that even "r9Sldent" oopulallons of trout may move great dlSlances (up to 50 mil eadlyear ($chmal.:md Yeung 1994). Theretore, trout recolomzatlon coukl take approximately liveto ten years if impassible bamers do nOI block upstream movemenls,

Flooes after severe fires are much more destructJve. npping out rlpanan vegetation. lIushlng outwoody de«IS, widening cl'l3nnels. reducing shade and Increasmg lemperatures, smotheringrillles With sands and sillS. killing or displ3cmg fish downsueam, filling ana reducing availablefist1 habitat, and creating new ~sh barriers (logs or bould&rS). DaVIS at al (1989) estimates lnatpost·flre lloods have contributed to up to 50% ollhe channel depoSItion thaI has occurred Inour southern California rIVers w~hin the last 1000 years. Rougnly 75% of the increasedsediment yield occurs dunng lhe first winter after one such fire event (Alee 1994), Lowergradient channels 1111 up pa::.t bank full wnh sediment dunng me first major storm event and thenreturn to base level over tne course of sevoral more moderate storms within tile !irs! or se<:on(lWinter (Davis at al. 1989)

Regeneration of r,panan vegelatiOfl appears to take up to five years all.er major firesdepending on hyorologlC and dimatic coMmons.. A post fire pulse In nutrients. plant, and algalgrowth continues over several years. Regenerated riparian corridors may be denser and morecontinuous lhan pre-fire COflClllions. Channel sedImentation is moSt devastating during the firstyear bUt may continue for several addi:ional years. Secondary effaCls of Channel downctJning,streambank erosion, sheet and rill eroSIon, and mass wasting may continue for a decade ormore. The lime to recover IS also deoend:=.nt on ihe size of tile drainage, tile Steepness of thechannel, and II's position wrtnin tM watershed (Kellar at al. 1988). The lower gradient tl1ird andfoul1h order reaches whlen are of pnmary lmportar,cl!! lor st~head spawning and rearing aretypically the slowest to recover to pre-firl!! conditions.

Wmdthrow generaled pulses of Woody de:>ns may also be Led to Mres. Wlndthrow frequentlyOCctJfS in older alder stands anar fire The effects can continue for \~n years or rr.ore.Oecicuous logs last up to 5 years pnor:o d~mpcsltion (Armantrout 1991) and may greatlycontnbute to instream habitat and productivity during this period. Wood does not stay in placelor long. AJ. the neXlllood most of the wood ends up either high and dry WIthin small pockets onfloodplain terraces or 50 miles downstream on PaCIfic coast beaches. Wt111e dead wood may

verlrLZ;l WA

playa less signific:mt role &,an in more nonherly streams. it does greatly contribute to theerosion potenti<!l 01 noods and may Increase the risk oi destructive ripanan fires

Minor landslides appear to be an occasional dis:uroance (once every 20 years). Majorlal'1dslides are assoclat'!d \VItn eal1hquakes illlO occur once every 100·1000 years (DaVIs et aI.1988). In the short-term (1-5 years), lancshdes can be qUite destructive. denuding the riparianzones, smothering downstr",am channes Wlth sand and siltS. killing or displaCIng fishdownstream. filling ,.md reduClI'"IQ available fish habitat, and acting as fish barners. Landslidesmay tause a complete or par1ial blockage unlll additional flows cut through and restor9 thechannel Qr:3de. Within 5-10 years. high flows Wliltranspon and d;stnbute gravels and bouldersto downstream reaches greally enhancing Instream habitat Munetla. Nonh Fork. and upperSan Antonio drainages appear to be prone 10 lands:iaes (Figure 17).

While there is ample eVidence 01 histOflcal slope instaoility, it Is unclear to what extent humanadivities have allecled thase pattems 01 diSl.urbance. It IS clear, however. thaI changes Inpanerns 01 fire and assooatec! eros;on dUting noods have accelerale<llandslide actlvlly. Manyollhe chronic slides are aSSOCla,ed Wltn present Of past roads. ualls, Of m,ning activities.Human activities such as constNcllon 01 roaos, traiis, channel deanng, channelization, anddeveklpment have contributed 10 changes In lhe timing 01 peak nows. Wltn Increased runoff.noOdwaters may rapidly nse and cescena, subjectmg :;:ream channels to greater erosive forcewith less water infiltratmg into the ground, the heallh of npanan vegetation may declineInc:rea~ sediment rnput can result in rncre3.~ed channel Vllet'l and loss 01 eontinuousvegetation (Granl 1988). Over <10% of the upper Ventura River basin contalf1S highly erosivesoils wtrich are subiect to gullying and sheet eroSIon (Figure 20). Within the Forest boUnclaries01 the upper watershed there are aoproximalaly 15 miles of roads reqUiring malnlenancegrading, 20 miles oj rood aSSOCIated vmh stream crossings. 25 rnlles of loot trails, 8 miles ofofl·highway vehicle frails, 4 acres of dispersed recreational camps, and a five acre developedcampground (lNheeler Gorge). (Figure 21)

People have also directly distutbed the Ventura RIVer walersheo and the riparian conidors.Historical channelIZatIon and bank reVElment work has S1.raighlened and constricted mamsternc:hannels to the detrrment ollisn aM omet aqual\c life. Alter fires, large amounls of woodydebris have been removed irom the upper basin channels. Tnis was the case In the wtleelerFire of 1985 ONhen approxima:ely 50 miles of channels in the North FQ(1( ana Mam Fork Matilija,Muriella. Gridley, Senior, and Santa Ana drainages were cleared crt wOOdy debris. Channelclearing ior purposes 01 flood control contmues within lhe lower River baSIn,

People have introdu:::"'d a number of exolic ~jants and animals lhat oul·compete natlV<3 speciesand aher riparian habita!. Tamarisk and arundc continua to be a problem that will needongoing inter·agency efforts at corurel

Stocking of noo-f1ative raJl100w ,rOl.'! may b~ oetnmental to nalNe trout through direct predation,comoeution. or transmission 01 dIsease (Carline et al. 1991: Moyie 1986) There are continuedconcerns with the nsKs oi Tnt-egreSSion and allullcn or compromise ot MlJva genetic variation in

Venlll.a WA

southern Sleelhe,ad Accodlng 10 genetic 3r.alys.s rGSuIIS. mOSi of Ine resid.mt trOl..1 in 1Mupper Ventura River basin nave atreiley been lmercrossed to seme extent (Carpanzano 19'J6).It is not &r1tlrely dear how stocking would ette-ct me rastorallon of anadromo...s steelheacFimore Hatchery raInbow lJout are $locked m the No.-m Fori< M~lhJa Creek near 'NheelerGOI'ge Campground and In Il'1e M81111J<I ReservOir FIngerling stocktl'lg ,:; u:sue-lly nvQidud whorethere is potenuallor overliJP w,lh anadromous fish. The potential Impacts of coo··r-uod stockmgof catchable non-natIVe raJ'lbow trout would neee 10 be examined If steelnead saln access Intothe wt1eeler Gorge area. Tnbutafles haVI,l beon stoc\(ea In lhe past but ha\lp. l'Iot been slockedtCl'" the last te<1 ycW"~

U"Itii recently. the regular ~ve fish Umlt withoul gear restrictions was applied Ihroughou1 tI1eVentura River b<1$in. Since 1993. only catch and release fishing WIth barbless artltlaal fies ISalowed from Yay Ihrousn December below Robles DIverSion in or~r to protect anadrcmou$steelhead trOUI. The live 1s1l limit continues III upstream react'1es. Most al'glil1g actlVlty;Scoocenlrated in Norlh Fori< Matilija near Wheeler Gorge. lower sectIOns of Upper North FoOl.a1d S6dions 01 the main Fork in and around tree reservoir. The extent tIlal angling hasimpacted wild troul populations IS not clear. Steelhead populations have been sIlown to berlghly susceptible to (Ingling In tl'lO nor1hWQ&t (Pollolrd and Bjornn t 973) EV9fl catch andrelease angr.ng can be Slressftll dtInng periods of warm water temperatures and redw..ed

f!ows (Wrigtlt '992).

Angling as weil as OCher recreatIOnal aoivtty may af'ect trout and lnalr h3tital. Recrealiollistsconce;ntrale tI1elr actiVIty along fragile streambanks and may wade In the prime ShallOw walerspawning areas. Aesrorch has Indicated that a snl;lle wading across salmonld spawnulg reddscan kill4()% 01 the eggs. Mortality Increases to over 90% with multiple wadings \RobErts and'Nhite 1992). AecrealJorists bUild flimsy small boolder and cobble dams for ponding water torsummar soal<.ing. Allower ftow~ the$e small dlll'T'$ SoC'! a:; b:uners: to fish movements anccreate additional pool habitats tnat rray lavor exotic species suctl as bass. mosqultofish,SlJnflsh. and bulllrogs to the detriment of Ila!lva S:leCles and trout. Recreationists potentiallyhave the grealesl. impa~s on stream fish aM biota from May through August with the highestpoIenrial Impaas on steelhead and resident trout during April and May when the eggs and fryarc sensitive 10 damage or hnbitat less.

There are three small gr,1Zlflg allotlTl9nls totalling about 100 aaes within the upper V~t\lraRiver Basm (Figure 22). One in Coyote Creek, one along the lower malllSlem of Matllija Creek,and one In me heaawaters ollhe San AIItoruo w,mm,hed. All "lIotmOl1t& are slocked at lowdensities and mh active manaoement to m:nlmire ripanan e:M channel disturbance. 11S1eelhead are listed and reSlored to the:oe crall'lages, BIOlogical Assessments will be conductedto assess if grazing actiVIties are in "lee::! 01 funrer changes In managerr'ent in order to meetthe Endangered Species Act.

A number 01 water deve1epmen:s a'e also scatt'Uoo througt'out the upper Ventura FNer baSin(Figure 23). Most arglrvestocK tanks. dnnklng spigots. Of emergency fire water tanks tappingspnngs or collecting rainwater \n upland an'as Seven surlace water dlver~iOl1S..il"~permitted

VenturaWA Page III

00 Forest Service lands. A unknown number ci direct su1ace wa:H diver;;loos may beoperating on the Jrivate mnoldings. Subsurface flews are lih'y also tapped wough shallowwells. A more dEtailed review of existing W!i1er roghlS and for~st SpeCial Use Permits would beconducted to ensure there are not connicts WItn resteration of st.e-elhead trout

The ncoles walEr diversion IS downstream tram Fore:;: S~f'V1ce lands but effEctively bfoe~s allup:;tream lisn movements. ModifiCUilon althe Robles Diversion 50 as to all~ fistl passagewould open 2 ml as 01 lair to excellent spawmng anc r"anng hab.tal WIth the potl;n:iallorproducing 11,000 o;moltll (200 9qL/IV;,lenl Adults), If me boulder bamers and road crossmgs Inthe lower North Fork can be modif,ed 10 allow for fish passage, an additional 5 miles 01 fair togood habitat would be available polentially produclng 43.000 smelts (860 adul~). Aestorad()(\of fish passage above M3!illja ReservOIr WOlJld open an addlll()(\aJ 8 miles at fair, 5 miles 01good, and 6 miles of excellent spawnmg and rearing ha~ta! potentially prodUCing 40.000smdts or 1,100 eqUivalent aCullS. II allot the aoove measures are l1lken, an add,tional 26 totalmiles 01 spawning and reanng habnal coulC be utilized to produce nearly a niQlon sleelheadsmalts or the eq...ivalent of 2,160 steelhead acults, If steelhead access IS restore<! aboveCnsitas reservo r. an added mile o! excellent and 2 miles or gOOd spawning and reanng habitat",0<Jd be svnlln!lle rept'900rpf:9 50.200 9qUlva!ent adults. The ·anoe In figt,lres for the Coyotedralflage re~ectsa dlscrepMCy between predlOed numbers based upon available spay;nlnghablal and act~al trout production, perhapS IndiCc"lting tha! rearlng hablt<ltls the lim~ing !<lctar.

V, SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Dif!efent disturbances occur al differlr\S rales and frequencies lIt11ich may comcide WIthadditional humin Impacts on the Ventaa River baSin. Low intensity noooing as IS benefiCIalfor stoelhead r~producllon md &ur'Vlval. occur& every year e)(cl'pl drouQht years chal apO@arlocome in clusters every 10·20 years. Low intenSity flooding may benellt SlHlhead survival for 3years thereafter High ime1Sity floods occur every 4 years and depending on the season nndtilling may negatively affect 5teelhead lor up to 3 .,ears (Noland and Marron 1985). Moderatefires associated With moderate floods OCCur every 10 ~ars and have elfeC:5 lasting lor over 5years. Extreffi@ and catastrophic fires assooateo Wl!n mSjor 110005 oCOlr every 20 years am:!~y reduce steelhead survival for '0 years therea'ter. Minor andslides occur every 5·10years and negatively affect steelhead for 1-2 years and positively affect steelhead for lip to '0yt'aJs; Major l2fldslides occur every 100 years and may continJ€ to nagatively affect s:eelheadlor several decades.

Ventura River steelhead face many ctla:lenges. A:. the currertly suspected low populatiOl1 size«200 spawnirlQ adults) even m:nor disturbances could be de\'aS'.a~ng. The Ventura watershedstould be managed lor a diversity of steelhead haoitat areas so as to min mize the risks ofsimuitancous catastrophic disturbance. Overall Sleelhcad population viaOlilly can best t>emaintained b)' restoring mUltiple (icea:ly a: le3S: three) spawnng subpopl.lalloos withll'l theV~nturawalershed and managing these popI.llauQIls to allow for, but not encourage,intermiXing. Based upon the eSlimates 01 steelhead smolt production and habitat capabililleS,

Ventura WA PIU)'l 19

re~onng fish paSSclge up through the Robles Diversion is eswmiaL The potential for habitatand production gains are relatively balanceo between upper North Fork or Main ""ork. AfIanalYSIs at costs and Eif\9mccnng le3Slbility would hcJp determine whetnH additIOnal effortshould be expended on ensunng access funher up North Fork or up ana over Matllija Dam. orboth. Dlh&r lactors such as the presence of exot:c species, land OWT18!ship complications, andrecreational use should also be considereo, The ooportunities lor long term and unimpededrecovery and restoration 01 stoelhead may be greater in the less heaVIly used and readilyaccessed upper Main Fork. The Milln Fork also h<lS lne advantages of mulnple side lriuutaneswhich could also support spawning and reanng steelhead and thuS serve to distribute thepopulalion Inlo additIOnal subpopulatlons wtlich may be able to better Wlthstana dis1Urban~

such as "ooos, drought, and fire Of course, the loeal SItuatIon would be restoration ofste€lhead to their entire histone range In me North Ferk, Milln Fork, Coyole CrEek, and SarIAntoniO drain;:'lgcs.

SteelheJ.d live 1Jt moSl 8 years; Five years without suc:a:ssful reproduction IS the llkely limitbeyond which the population would be at extreme (lsK 01 extinction. The ability of steelhead tosurvive The challenges of t!le las: 40 years anests to Ihelr reSl!iency. However, each reductionIn steelhead numbers places Ihe populat,on (and by extension lIle overall southern Cahlorniasteelhead stock) at !lJnh~ nsk.

LJnkages Beyond the Sespe Watershed

Peak nows are usual!y associaTed wilh B Nino weather partems which may bring highernearshore productiVlty. Ocean proouctMty may thus be synchronous wrth peak steelheadspawning activity AA underlying 40 year cycle of QCtlarl productivity t1as also been identified0Nare aoo Thompson 19(1). App/ylng 1015 cycle to southern California suggests thai oceanproductiVity was low In me 1980s bUl should pea!< arOOM the turn of the century Oceanconditions are thus Ukely to be a pcSilrve b€nafit for the recovery of Ventura River steelhead.

The key factors lor steelnead restoration will be ensunng access to a diversity of qualityspawning and rearing habitats both withIn and outSide the Ventura River basin. The risk ofwatershed wide catastrophiC events must be modera:ed to ihe extent possible. Tl1e risKs 01wide!lpfeBd f,re and C1Jmu!ative watershed effects can be mitigat~ through modifiedm1Jn1Jgement. The risk of human caused barners to migration can be addressed. Steelheadrestoration should include actions to ensure there is at least one other viable subpopulation ofS1eelhead within the nearby Santa Clara R'lver Bas'n and a! least one other river ooSln (SantaYnez7) thai can suppon Sleelheac In southern California,

VI. RECOMMENDATIONS

From a striC\ly fisheries perspective. the most impor;ant aC:lons that need to be taken are those!hilt will allow steethead !o access their :lflr1e sp<lwnlng grounds in the upper Venlura Riverbasin. The Forest Service can contribute to lhis e'tOrt by prOVIding the best available

VfIOt"ra WA P~'l" 20

informatlon on the consequences 01 vanous alternatives and by addreSSIng opportunities toreSIOfe Sleelhe.ad to Forest lands. The FOfest Service WlR need to analyze the \o'Ihcsler GorgerO<ld crossing for fish passage modifications rI Sleelhead can ga.n access pa:;: RoblesDiversion.

Prctective measures to decrease migratory mortality WIll also require multi-agency InvolvementSlnce most o! the potentlill problem areas are in me mamstem MaliliJil and Ventura Riversdownstream 01 Forest Service lands. As s\ee~l1ead are able to return to their historicalspawrllng grounos, restoration and/or enhancement of Ihese areas becomes importanl.Measures 10 roouce streambank instability and control run-off 01 $IllS may be Indicated. A mOfedetailed antilysis 01 overall w<llershed conditIOns would be necessary to identify, prlorrtlze, andplan projects. Al!hough there ara some localized areas 'M"llcl1 could be treated to reduceerosion, efforts 10 return the walershe<! to 1.1 more natural or oeSlrable cycle of rlre return maybe me most signific;mt contnbutlon to res;omlion 01 steelhead haMal Not only would siltationbe lessened, bUl w[Ilershed hydrology covkl be improVed to lessen the effeas 01 drought andscouring "ooos and thus enhance habitat. Development ot a fire mana~emef\1 plan may <lIsabe wilrranted

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Vcntllra ',\.'attrshed HUtor;eal Hatlitat AnJllyJis Rderence$

I.California Dc{'lUtltlenl of Fish and Gam~. 1946. Coyole Creel.: field llQIes. 1~6

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SCalifornia DcP;"lIllCfl' of F"1Sh and G3llIe 19SO North ~orl.: ~bohia C.eek field !lOtts. Marell 29. 19SO.

SI.C.hlorm~ 0<..1"',1"""'1 of fish and G:r.mc:. 1951 Mat,rija C/'ttl.: field IIOtU. July 12. 19S r

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