From the Department of Water Resources:
High in the mountains, thousands of feet above where most Californians live, are alpine forests and mountain meadows which serve a critical role for water supply. That’s why the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), in partnership with federal, local, and private organizations, is collaborating on transformative restoration efforts in the Upper Feather River Watershed. These projects include meadow restorations and large scale forest management actions that are vital to enhancing the State Water Project (SWP) and safeguarding the water supply for 27 million Californians.
Meadow Restoration for Watershed Resilience
Over the last two decades, DWR and the U.S. Forest Service partnered with the nonprofit Plumas Corp and numerous other agencies and entities to restore several meadows in the Upper Feather River Watershed, including Thompson Creek, Red Clover Valley, and Upper Dotta Canyon.
Functioning meadows act like giant sponges, storing and slowly releasing water through drier months. Upper Feather River Watershed meadows filter water upstream of Lake Oroville, the SWP’s largest water storage reservoir which holds over 3.4 million acre-feet of winter and spring runoff that can be released throughout the year to serve nearly two-thirds of Californians. Upper Feather River Watershed meadows provide many benefits:
- Water supply and reliability: Improved infiltration and groundwater storage boosts streamflow to the SWP in dry months.
- Water quality: Healthy soils and vegetation, as well as hydrologic access to the floodplain reduce erosion, and trap sediment and nutrients.
- Wildfire mitigation: Wet meadow landscapes serve as natural firebreaks. Reduced fuel density and changes in vegetation composition lowers fire risk that can compromise watersheds and water infrastructure.
- Natural Refuge: Meadows offer wet habitat during hot and dry summers and provides a place for rare plants, amphibians, birds, and mammals, while remaining culturally significant to Sierra Nevada Tribes and accessible for recreation.
Early Restoration Results
DWR’s most recent restoration project, Thompson Meadow, is already showing promising results. Between 2022 and 2023, the percentage of mapped wet meadow increased from 5 to 25 percent, bare soil and sagebrush decreased, and large stands of cattails, which were not present prior to restoration, were documented. Wildlife responses were swift:
- Waterfowl nesting was observed, small mammals returned, and amphibians such as Sierran tree frogs found suitable breeding habitat.
- Bird species richness doubled post-restoration, with new sightings of meadow-dependent species like sandhill cranes, song sparrows, and Wilson’s snipe which were not present prior to restoration.
- Fish surveys confirmed the presence of speckled dace, and even a rainbow trout was documented in 2025.
- Camera stations captured a variety of larger wildlife, including wolves, deer, and bears, further highlighting the meadow’s ecological value.
Upcoming Projects in the Upper Feather River Watershed
DWR also provides technical support for other meadow restoration efforts in and around the Upper Feather River Watershed. These projects are led by DWR’s partners and include Crane Valley Meadow and Butte Creek House Meadow, located in Butte County. Planned restoration measures include aspen planting, beaver dam analogue structures that mimic beaver dams, and selective removal of encroaching conifer trees. Planning and initial design for these projects are underway.
DWR’s restoration efforts aren’t limited to meadows. The recently announced North Feather I Forest Resilience Bond (FRB) brings together public and private sector partners to accelerate fuels removal, forest thinning, and post-wildfire recovery across the Dixie Fire impact zone, covering Tribal lands, habitat, and critical forest areas. These forest restoration efforts have similar benefits to meadow restoration, recharging stream function for water movement, improving water quality, enhancing aquatic habitat, and restoring ecosystem resilience in the Upper Feather River Watershed.
DWR’s restoration programs include rigorous monitoring to assess hydrologic outcomes, water quality improvements, forest fuel reduction, wildlife responses, and more. This informs adaptive management and guides future investments across the state to support the long-term reliability and resilience of the SWP.
By restoring ecological function and biodiversity in Upper Feather River meadows and forests, DWR and its partners are fostering landscapes more capable of withstanding wildfire, drought, and climate change, ultimately securing a more sustainable water future for California.
