How does what was once a thriving, water-dominated meadow shrivel up and lose its riparian features?
It happened in the Feather River watershed of northern California’s Plumas National Forest. Erosion caused Thompson Creek to cut its channel into the bed of the valley floor, dropping the meadow’s water table and transforming vegetation from wetlands into dry sagebrush.
Then in 2021, the Dixie Fire made things even worse by burning through the area, greatly downgrading the quality and quantity of habitat for all wildlife ranging from elk and mule deer to black bears and beavers. So, that begs the question, how do you restore such a meadow to what it once was?
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation pooled its resources with the Plumas Corporation, U.S. Forest Service, California Wildlife Conservation Board, and California Department of Water Resources to get it done. In 2024, workers placed fill in the channel bottom and used rock riffles and boulder clusters to reduce upstream slope and slow the velocity of water flow.
They also used an excavator and other equipment to transplant marsh plants from the bottom of the old channel to the top, reseeded with native seed and planted willows in the reworked riparian area and bitterbrush in the nearby upland burned area. They capped off their work by placing wildlife-friendly fencing around the meadow to keep livestock out for several years to help re-establish the vegetation.
As a result, the 47-acre Thompson Meadow is now lush, teaming with water and riparian vegetation. And as trail cameras show, it’s being used by elk, bears and other wildlife.
Restoring elk country is core to RMEF’s mission of ensuring the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage.