Riparian Restoration & Conservation

At the beginning of the Gold Rush, California's Great Central Valley had over 900,000 acres of riverside forests and grasslands -- a riparian corridor that supported over 300 species of fish, songbirds, waterfowl, and mammals.

95% of this riparian habitat has been lost.

If riparian areas continue to vanish, local governments and communities will bear the burden of the consequences: more damage from floods, declines to salmon and trout fisheries, erosion of private and public lands and infrastructure, extinction of wildlife, and loss of water quality.

To reverse this devastating loss, River Partners restores unprofitable land into productive riparian habitat.

The benefits of restoring riparian habitats can be seen below

Confluence of riversBenefits to the River

  • Improves flood control
  • Stabilizes banks
  • Restores physical and successional processes

Education at Del Rio Wildland Preserve Benefits to Humans

  • Improves water and air quality
  • Improves aesthetics
  • Provides recreation opportunities
  • Provides economic opportunities
  • Increases the natural wealth of area

Picture of small birdsBenefits to Wildlife

  • Increases habitat connectivity
  • Provides quality habitat

Student volunteer planting a native treeBenefits for Flood Protection

  • Prevents economic loss to farmland
  • Traps debris by screening floodwater
  • Reduces inland erosion by slowing flows
  • Traps silt deposits
  • Acts as filter for non-flood farm drainage