The Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe’s Environmental Department planted
140 native trees and plants to create a riparian buffer along
School Creek, a tributary to the Mad River.

The Mad River flows through the Tribe’s lands and is listed as an impaired waterway for elevated temperatures, sediment loads, and turbidity.
Revegetating the riparian forest with wetland plants such as spreading rush
and dense sedge will help trap and synthesize harmful pollutants in the water, and provide habitat for benthic macroinvertebrates.

Wetland plants improve water quality by trapping sediments
and retaining pollutants such as heavy metals and excess nutrients.

A degraded creek can lose its capacity to remove sediments, nutrients,
and other pollutants, which harms habitat for fish and wildlife.

Fine sediments settle into the gravel of stream beds, which suffocates
salmonid eggs in their spawning nests, or redds.


Uncontrolled runoff is the primary way pollutants enter waterbodies.

Stream channels are the physical nexus between ground- and surface water;
maintaining healthy stream channels is critical to preserving the integrity of
our water resources.

Areas with a lineage of Indigenous management often contain greater biodiversity,
and this diversity and abundance of native vegetation can give indications of
overall watershed health.

The Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe’s Environmental Department planted
140 native trees and plants to create a riparian buffer along School Creek.

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