December 15, 2025By Elizabeth Arakelian
The Great Valley Grasslands State Park restoration project has been years in the making. A true collaboration, the effort is led by American Rivers, supported by California State Parks, and River Partners is doing the construction here, at the 2,826-acre state park, located along the San Joaquin River in Merced County. In October, we began removing a decades-old levee to enable future floodwaters to return to their historic range to help tip the site back toward ecosystem balance. The result will be more than 220 acres of historic floodplain, brought back to life when the river overflows its banks, and will support a rich mix of native plants and wildlife, including endangered Chinook salmon.
It’s a perfect opportunity. American Rivers and our partners at River Partners and California State Parks have been looking for these strategic areas where we have levees that are not needed anymore. So, they’re the perfect location where we can lower them so that the rivers can be reconnected with the floodplain.”
~ American Rivers California Central Valley Program Director Sarah Puckett
