Vanauken Creek Habitat Enhancement Project (Restoration Management Permit No. RMP-2026-0030-R1)

On June 3, 2026, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife issued Restoration Management Permit RMP-2026-0030-R1 to Sanctuary Forest, Inc. for the Vanauken Creek Habitat Enhancement Project, authorized under Section 1670 of the Fish and Game Code. The project targets critical habitat impairments in Vanauken Creek, a key tributary of the Mattole River headwaters, focused on improving conditions for threatened coho salmon and steelhead populations. It encompasses three core strategies: enhancing instream and floodplain habitats to support spawning and rearing, increasing summer streamflows to alleviate low-water stress, and implementing forest thinning along riparian zones to improve shading, reduce sedimentation, and expand winter refuge areas. The project has been formally classified as a Qualifying Restoration Project under Section 1671(d)(1), affirming its potential to deliver substantial, long-term benefits to native aquatic species and their ecosystems. The effort is coordinated by Sanctuary Forest, Inc. with oversight from California’s Fish and Wildlife Region 1, based in Redding and Eureka. Corrina Kamoroff, Senior Environmental Scientist Specialist, serves as the primary point of contact for the department, while Walker Wise represents the permittee. The project is documented under the state’s CEQA Net system and is situated entirely within California, specifically within the Vanauken Creek watershed. No financial or procurement details are specified beyond the permit’s regulatory authority, and the initiative is framed as a habitat-focused conservation action with no commercial or extractive intent, solely aimed at ecological recovery and species preservation through science-based land and water management practices.