State park on San Joaquin River adds floodplain. Public can offer recreation ideas
Another 250 acres of floodplain have been restored along the lower San Joaquin River, this time on the Merced County stretch.
The $3.5 million project is in the 2,800-acre Great Valley Grasslands State Park. Leaders in the effort gathered June 11 near Stevinson to celebrate the completion.
The project aimed to enhance habitat for wildlife such as the kit fox and chinook salmon while easing the flood threat to downstream homes. It involved breaching a levee that was built in 1954 to protect grazing livestock.
The restoration was led by American Rivers, an environmental group based in Washington, D.C. It had help from River Partners, a Chico-based nonprofit with a Modesto branch office, and other entities.
California State Parks consulted on the project with the Northern Valley Yokut Ohlone Tribe. The work seeks to mimic conditions before levees and dams diverted the San Joaquin and other rivers.
“Impactful restoration is driven by strong partnerships and informed by science,” said Ann Willis, regional director for American Rivers, in a news release. “By reconnecting this reach of the San Joaquin River to its historic floodplain, we are restoring important ecological functions that benefit both wildlife and communities.”
Great Valley Grasslands lies next to the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, reached by Highway 140. The park is open during daytime for hiking, bicycling, fishing, swimming and paddling.
The state is updating the management plant, which could include overnight camping. Details on providing public input are at www.parks.ca.gov.
State Parks Director Armando Quintero took part in the floodplain event, as did Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot. The former said the project “helps provide a glimpse of what the natural landscape looked like in the Central Valley a millennium ago.”
The same two officials took part in the 2024 opening of Dos Rios Ranch State Park. It lies where the Tuolumne River meets the San Joaquin about 10 miles southwest of Modesto. River Partners restored it with the Tuolumne River Trust and other allies.
The Great Valley Grasslands project also involved FlowWest, a consulting firm based in Oakland, and Cox Enterprises. The latter does conservation projects along with communications, automotive and other ventures. It is based in Atlanta.
