The Southern California Steelhead Trout is a remarkable and resilient creature, but its survival hangs in the balance. Listed as a federally protected endangered species since 1997, and recently granted additional protection under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA), the species is at critically low levels, facing the risk of extinction within the next 25 to 50 years without significant intervention.

At the heart of the Southern Steelhead’s plight is the disruption of its fascinating life cycle and its reliance on connected waterways.

Steelhead are anadromous, meaning the adults live in the ocean but must return to freshwater rivers and creeks to spawn, much like salmon. This journey requires them to swim upstream, sometimes for many miles, to access cool, clean, gravel-bottomed pools where they lay eggs.

The Southern Steelhead life cycle includes several critical stages that depend entirely on the cool, clean freshwater of upstream, inland habitats:

• Egg: Laid in the winter, the red-orange eggs are buried under gravel for protection.
• Alevin/Fry: Once hatched, the young fish spend the Alevin and Fry stages in the cool, clean freshwater.
• Smolt: When they are ready to make the transition to saltwater, they enter the Smolt stage before migrating to the ocean.

This need for connected, high-quality freshwater habitat makes the restoration work done in the Santa Barbara and Ventura watersheds so vital.

Problem: Man-Made Barriers

For decades, human alterations to the watersheds—including roads, dams, and creek crossings—have created impassable barriers. It was once common practice for landowners and agencies to install low-flow concrete structures, often called “Arizona crossings,” to make vehicle and horse crossing easier. While convenient for people, these structures create vertical jumps and obstacles that prevent the endangered Southern Steelhead from swimming upstream to reproduce, effectively eliminating access to critical spawning grounds.

The Solution: Restoration and Partnership

Habitat restoration projects focused on removing these migration barriers are essential for the Southern Steelhead’s recovery. Our work at South Coast Habitat Restoration (SCHR) focuses on “putting things back where they belong” by restoring natural stream flow and providing fish-friendly passage.

Examples of our fish passage restoration efforts include:

• Wheeler Gorge Fish Passage Project: This multi-year effort involved removing four concrete creek crossings on North Fork Matilija and Bear creeks. The project restored the creek to a natural stream channel condition and installed two clear span vehicular bridges, successfully opening approximately 13 miles of upstream habitat.
• Patterson Avenue Fish Passage Project: Along Maria Ygnacio Creek, we modified the underside of the Patterson Avenue bridge, removing a jump barrier that previously impeded Southern Steelhead.
• Davy Brown/Munch Creek Aquatic Organism Passage Project: This project removed three “Arizona creek crossings,” installing two vehicular bridges along Sunset Valley Road, and opening over three miles of stream habitat for migration.

By replacing these historical barriers with modern, fish-friendly crossings, we are restoring natural hydraulic conditions and giving the Southern Steelhead the access it needs to complete its life cycle and repopulate its historic habitats. This work is a testament to the power of positive partnerships with private property owners, local governments, tribes, and wildlife agencies.

The recovery of the Southern Steelhead is a barometer for the health of our entire watershed. Supporting efforts to clear the way for their migration ensures we are creating a more balanced world where our wildlife, wilderness, and waterways can thrive for current and future generations.

To learn more about the challenges facing Southern Steelhead Trout and how you can help, please visit our website at https://schabitatrestoration.org/ and explore our projects.

When we complete a project, we get that feeling of accomplishment. We are aware that there’s so much more to do, but every project represents a small victory toward the goal of restoring habitat for critical species. We are thrilled to share the successful completion of a monumental effort representing how we can succeed in our mission: the Wheeler Gorge Fish Passage Project.

The project, which reached completion in December 2025, was a multi-year effort that opened 13 miles of upstream habitat. We partnered with the U.S. Forest Service/Los Padres National Forest to remove four fish passage barriers on the North Fork Matilija and Bear creeks. These barriers, known as “Arizona crossings,” were rudimentary concrete structures that had long prevented the federally endangered Southern Steelhead Trout from navigating upstream to their spawning grounds.

Beyond the structures, we restored riparian habitat at all four sites, collaborating with the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy to plant over 1,000 native plants, with assistance from the California Conservation Corps.

This kind of work is not possible without a broad, dedicated network. We extend our deepest thanks to our partners, Los Padres National Forest, and our generous funders: the Wildlife Conservation Board, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Patagonia. This partnership and collaboration is a great example of how we can work together to maintain and improve these watersheds and Forest resources for current and future generations.

Our work is an act of “putting things back where they belong”. The story of this effort has even been captured in a micro-short film, Trout Camp Fish Passage Restoration in Wheeler Gorge CA.

We invite you to read more about this and other projects on our updated website, https://schabitatrestoration.org/. Your continued support inspires us to create a more balanced world, where wildlife, wilderness, and waterways get the focus they deserve.

Warmly,
Mauricio Gomez
Founder and Director
South Coast Habitat Restoration

By Mauricio Gomez

I have been working on local habitat restoration projects in the Santa Barbara and Ventura region since 2002. Over these past two decades, my passion has remained the same: building partnerships to protect, conserve, and restore the native biodiversity of our incredible coastal watersheds. Today, I am thrilled to introduce a new tool to help us achieve that mission—our updated website.

At South Coast Habitat Restoration (SCHR), we believe that healthy creeks and thriving native species are the lifeblood of our community. However, for too long, the stories of our watersheds have been hidden behind concrete barriers or lost in outdated infrastructure. Our new digital home at https://schabitatrestoration.org/ is designed to bring those stories to light and connect with like-minded people and organizations.

Showcasing Our Impact

The heart of our new site is the updated Projects page. Here, you can explore the tangible results of our collaborative efforts:

• Fish Passage Restoration: You can now see detailed records of projects like the Wheeler Gorge Fish Passage, where we recently removed four barriers and opened 13 miles of upstream habitat for the endangered Southern Steelhead Trout.
• Creative Solutions: Explore how we modified concrete channels at Patterson Avenue to help native fish navigate urban environments.

A Focus on Education and Partnership

We have always known that we cannot do this work alone. Whether it is our fiscal sponsorship through Earth Island Institute since 2007 or our daily collaboration with private landowners, tribes, and wildlife agencies, teamwork is our greatest asset.

The new website features resources to help visitors better understand the challenges we face and tools we have to confront them. Check out our videos and blog page and learn how to Get Involved.

We want this to be a resource for anyone—from a student studying aquatic biology to a local landowner—who wants to understand why clearing the way for steelhead migration is critical for our region’s ecological health.

Looking Ahead

We look forward to filling you in about upcoming projects as we move from the behind-the-scenes design/approval phase to construction and completion.

Our work is an act of “putting things back where they belong”. We hope this new website makes it easier for you to join us in that vital endeavor.

Warmly,

Mauricio Gomez
Founder and Director
South Coast Habitat Restoration