Iron Canyon Fish Ladder

Spring run Chinook salmon swim up Big Chico Creek to spawn, but are blocked by the basalt boulders that have tumbled into the creek above Salmon Hole in Bidwell Park. A fish ladder was built in the 1950s to provide pools of water for the fish to traverse the blocked area and reach the cooler pools to hold over the summer for fall spawning. It has fallen into disrepair and the Alliance is working together with the resource agencies to fund a fix.

The Big Chico Creek Watershed Alliance (Alliance), the CSU Chico Research Foundation and the City of Chico are currently working together to move the Iron Canyon Fish Ladder towards construction. In 2007, the US Fish & Wildlife Service completed final designs and specifications for rehabilitation of the structure. The FWS then provided a grant to the Research Foundation and the Alliance to conduct environmental review, obtain environmental permits and develop grant funding for construction. The City of Chico, as the public agency owning the land on which the ladder is located, will serve as lead agency
for the purposes of environmental review. The Alliance is responsible for public outreach.

Please email the Alliance coordinator (coordinator AT bigchicocreek.org) to be put on an email list of interested parties.