History
The Russian River historically contained numerous side channels and an extensive floodplain. The wetlands served as a refuge for fish during flood events and sustained large waterfowl populations. Although the river often dried completely during the summer, deep pools connected by underground flow supported steelhead and other fish. Prior to the European conquest, the floodplains were heavily wooded with extensive freshwater marshes and supported an abundance of fish, shorebirds, waterfowl, and large wildlife species including grizzly bear, cougar, elk, and pronghorn antelope. Native people - including the Pomo and Wappo tribes - lived in the watershed for thousands of years. They settled into relatively stable societies and used resources as they became seasonally available. Native people used fire, pruning, weeding, and selective harvest to promote the growth of beneficial plants while suppressing less desirable plants.
In the early 19th century, Russians, Europeans, and Mexicans also began to use the watershed’s natural resources while the Native American influence declined. The redwood forests, salmonid fishery, and rich agricultural lands provided a stable economic base for early settlements, which began to increase rapidly in the mid 19th century. In the mid 19th century, timber demand increased, and by the early 20th century, most of the large redwoods had been removed from the lower Russian River. Tourism became an important industry in the early 1900s. Beginning in 1908, the Potter Valley Project diverted Eel River water to the Russian River, modifying the Russian from an intermittent to a continuous flow. The change had a beneficial impact on tourism that has lasted to the present day.
Floodplain agriculture increased during the 1930s and ‘40s and large gravel extraction operations were initiated. Flood control projects – channel straightening, native vegetation removal, and culvert and dam installation – began to be implemented in the 1940s and ‘50s. The population of the watershed continues to grow, requiring further residential and infrastructural development and more flood control projects. During the latter half of the twentieth century, agriculture, gravel extraction, timber harvest, and water extraction have continued amidst a growing recognition of the environmental costs of resource extraction and use. The implementation of the Endangered Species Act and the subsequent listing of the salmonid fisheries of the Russian River have served to focus attention on restoration and preservation of our natural resources.
