Steelhead Enhancement Project - Toro Creek Watershed
Toro Creek represents one of the more important steelhead streams in California. Toro Creek Watershed is located in the central coast portion of California, approximately two miles north of Morro Bay in San Luis Obispo County.  The Toro Creek Watershed encompasses 14 square miles, originating at an elevation of 1,320 feet in the Santa Lucia Mountains, 12.5 miles from its mouth at the Pacific Ocean.  This pilot project demonstrated innovative approaches to steelhead habitat enhancement.  Richard Burchiel, a landowner on Toro Creek recently completed the following Steelhead Enhancement Project.  The project area is in the Toro Creek Watershed approximately 6.5 miles upstream from its confluence at the Pacific Ocean.  Partners involved with the Central Coast Resource Conservation & Development Council for steelhead restoration on Toro Creek included funding through USDA/Natural Resource Conservation Service Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “Partners for Wildlife” Program.  The California Conservation Corps provided labor.  The completed project will improve steelhead rearing habitat by the installation of root wads, boulder clusters, and logs at 14 sites on a 1700-foot section of Toro Creek.