Watershed Stewardship Program

Meadow Restoration

Every Meadow Matters

A scenic landscape features a grassy field in the foreground, a dense forest of evergreen trees on a hillside in the middle ground, and a bright blue sky with some scattered clouds overhead.

Healthy meadows are rare but essential ecosystems in Trinity County. Over decades, many have been degraded by channel incision, fire suppression, overgrazing, roadbuilding, and logging.

As water drains away and conifers take root, once-lush wetlands lose their ability to support wildlife, regulate streamflow, store carbon, and provide cool, clean water for fish downstream.

Restoring Trinity County’s Lost Meadows

Bringing Meadows Back to Life

The Watershed Center is working with partners to locate, assess, and restore both existing and “lost” meadows using satellite imagery, LiDAR, and on-the-ground surveys. Together, we are:

  • Identifying and mapping meadows across the region to guide restoration and fuel-reduction planning, in tandem with the Klamath Meadows Partnership.

  • Using process-based restoration tools—like beaver dam analogs—to slow water, rebuild soils, and repair erosion.

  • Removing encroaching conifers so grasses and wildflowers can return and soil moisture can rebound.

  • Reconnecting floodplains with heavy equipment where needed, filling deeply eroded channels to restore natural hydrology. 

These efforts help rehydrate the landscape, improve habitat, and support the long-term resilience of local ecosystems.

Meadow Restoration in Action

  • A man wearing sunglasses, a gray cap, and a blue long-sleeve shirt stands in a grassy area next to a large, freshly dug hole in the ground in a forested area.

    Evidence of Meadow Degradation

    This head cut formed as a result of channel incision, where fast-moving water erodes the streambed and cuts deeper into the landscape. Over time, this process lowers the water table, drains the meadow, and disrupts the natural flow of water across the land.

  • Man standing outdoors next to a beaver dam in a river surrounded by trees with yellow and green leaves and a forested hillside in the background, under a clear blue sky.

    Beavers Make the Best Dams!

    Beavers make the best dams! This channel-spanning structure on Hayfork Creek has created a unique and complex riparian landscape over many years. Although not every stream can support beavers, we can draw inspiration from their expertise to help restore wet meadow habitats.

  • Logs, branches, and sticks create a beaver dam analog to hold back water.

    Building Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs)

    Beaver dam analogs (BDAs) are a common process-based restoration tool that uses natural materials like tree limbs, willows stakes, and mud to slow water down, allowing it to be absorbed by the soil and plant roots, and capturing sediment that would be carried downstream. BDA created and photo taken by Symbiotic Restoration.

  • Group of people in outdoor forest clearing carrying a large fallen tree trunk on a wooden pole, with scattered logs and branches on the grass around them, surrounded by tall pine trees.

    Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!

    Teamwork makes the dream work! It takes many hands to move large woody debris. The Watershed Stewardship Program has learned process-based restoration techniques from our partners and is excited to share our knowledge and expand the impact of this work.

Corral Gulch: A Meadow Reborn

At Corral Gulch, decades of incision had turned a once-wet meadow into a dry pine forest. Restoration teams removed conifers, filled the channel, and rebuilt the floodplain to a “Stage 0” condition—giving the stream room to evolve naturally again. Native plants, willow stakes, and woody materials were added to stabilize the site and jump-start recovery.

Completed in 2025, the project is already showing strong results: widespread floodplain inundation, improved groundwater recharge, and ideal conditions for wet-meadow vegetation to return. This collaborative effort—funded by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and supported by tribal, agency, and local partners—marks a major step toward restoring meadow ecosystems across the region.

VIEW THE CORRAL GULCH SLIDESHOW
A forest of tall pine trees has sunlight streaming through. In the foreground is a dirt clearing with construction equipment including an excavator and a bulldozer.

What is a Meadow?

It’s more complex than you’d think!

WRTC staff members Josh Smith and Bridger Cohan present their work on meadow identification and restoration at the popular “Science on Tap” event in September 2024.

  • Standing water saturates a wet meadow in the foreground, while sunset colors paint the forest edge in the background.

    Sunset at Bear Creek Meadows

  • Long grasses form waves in a meadow surrounded by trees. Two downed logs are visible in the foreground.

    Meadow Pocket in the Forest

  • Two shallow pools sit between lush grasses. Trees surround the meadow in the background.

    Meadow Pools in Mumbo Basin

  • Lush waving grasses between two forest edges are dappled with sunlight.

    Lush Meadow Near Rattlesnake Creek

  • A flooded meadow nestles beneath a mountain peak with cascading scree fields.

    Flooded Meadow Below Granite Lake

  • A meadow filled with yellow wildflowers sits in full sunshine. A mountain peak rises up in the background.

    Dry Meadow in Long Canyon

  • Drone footage offers a bird's eye view of a wet meadow. Streams meander through the grasses. A pool sits on the righthand side of the image. Forests ring the meadow.

    Aerial View of a Wet Meadow Near Scott Mountain