Streamside Living

Hello!

You may have heard that my friends and I could use some help. People who live next to streams are in a unique position to give salmon a hand. Since your actions can really make a difference to us, this information has been written just for you.
It turns out that what's good for us is good for you too! The actions you take to create a clean, safe place for us to live are the same actions that help protect your family's health and property! We're all in this together, so read on, and thanks for helping out!

Trees Please!

Streams need trees and shrubs along their stream banks to help keep the banks from washing away, and fish like me need them too! Valley Oak, Box Elder and other native trees and shrubs keep the water cool, hopefully below 70° F. Not only that, but leaves that fall into the stream give the water insects (my dinner) something to eat.

Here's how you can help!

• Dumping landscape debris on stream banks cause bank erosion and kills native plants.
• Preserve stream buffers. If your stream banks already have a "natural buffer" of trees and shrubs, that's terrific! The wider the buffer, the healthier the stream.
• Streaminders can provide excellent advice and help you with planting and instream projects.

Did you know?

You can plant trees and shrubs without sacrificing your view or water access. You may be able to create an area of low shrubs to preserve your stream buffer.

No Poisons Please

Many products are poisonous to fish and other living things. Poisons get into our streams from storm drains, septic system drain fields, and water running off lawns and driveways. You can protect your stream, the health of your family, and your drinking water (ground water) by preforming the steps below.

Here's how you can help!

• Recycle your used motor oil. Never pour it on the ground or down a storm drain.
• Use alternatives to weed and bug killers because "Weed & Feed" and diazinon products are poisons.
• Use less toxic household cleaners, many of which go down your drains. If you are connected to the sewer system, cleaners could end up in the Sacramento River. If you have an onsite septic system, toxic products end up in your drain field and, possibly, in the ground water.
• Make sure soap from car washing stays out of storm drains. Even a phosphate-free soap like laundry detergent can make fish sick. You can wash your car over a grassy area to trap soap, or go to a commercial car-wash where water is recycled.
• Cigarette butts poison and can kill fish. Please place butts in the trash.

Native Plants Get Our Vote

Alder	Arroyo Willow
Cottonwood	Sycamore
Spicebush	Elderberry

Here are some reasons why my fish friends and I recommend keeping or planting native plants (plants that grow naturally in this area) in your landscape:

• Native plants provide food and cover that California salmon, mammals, birds, and other wildlife need to survive.
• Native plants are well-adapted to the climate, which makes them hardier than non-native plants.
• Native plants need little or no fertilizer, insecticides, or fungicides, so our streams stay clean.
• Native plants are adapted to our dry summers and need no additional watering once they develop a strong root system after two or three years.
• Native plants are beautiful and preserve our natural heritage.
• Native plants need little maintenance and will save you time and money!

Floral Native Nursery (892-2511) is an excellent source for information on what plants to use and where to get them.

Did you know?

In the early 90's, it became illegal to remove any existing trees and native vegetation from banks of salmon-bearing streams, or to dump landscape debris along salmon-bearing streams (which include almost all Chico streams).

Slow the Flow

Healthy stream banks are very important, but so is what's between the banks. We need logs in our streams to create resting pools and places where young fish can hide to avoid being eaten. And we need clean gravel to lay our eggs. Unfortunately, a lot of logs and gravel get swept away during heavy winter rains, when too much water runs off paved and developed land and rushes into our streams.

Here's how you can help!

• Let sleeping logs lie! Please don't remove logs in an effort to "tidy up" the stream.
• If water from your roof gutter is piped directly to the stream, it might be a good idea to disconnect the pipe. Depending on the size of your lot, soil type, and slopes, you might be able to spread the water over your land or create a seasonal pond.
• Plant native trees and shrubs throughout your property as well as along your banks. Native plants are better than lawns at preventing water from running off the land.

Did you know?

Woody debris piles area natural feature of healthy streams and seldom cause a passage problem for fish. Occasionally, however, storms create log jams which can cause flooding problems.

Muddy Water Blues

Muddy water is a problem we're facing more and more. Mud can cover up gravel and smother our eggs. Not only that, muddy water usually means somebody's property is washing away ... a problem which gets worse every year!

Here's how you can help!

• Keep soil out of streets, where it could be washed into streams. Also, keep soil from construction and gardening projects away from streams. Straw bales around a construction site can help.
• Stop erosion on your property. Plant native plants, trees and shrubs to create a wide buffer zone between your property and the stream. Also, keep bikes and foot traffic on the pafte street or trails and off the stream banks.

Did you know?

Sediment build-up in streams not only smothers salmon eggs, it smothers water insects (fish food) too. Many stream insects breathe through gills and, like fish, need clear, oxygen-rich water.