Above: Can you spot the salmon smolt? This one was sighted in Redwood Creek last year. Photo: Alison Taggart-Barone

Both Lagunitas Creek and Redwood Creek, which drain the north and south sides of Mt. Tam respectively, are home to locally endangered coho salmon, as well as several other related fish. According to our 2023 Peak Health report, coho have a status of significant concern in the region. At the time of writing, the Lagunitas Creek population was holding stable, while the Redwood Creek population continued to decline.

What are we doing to help? Both creeks are undergoing efforts to improve conditions for these species. Features that salmon need include gravel beds where they lay their eggs, and pools where young salmon grow before heading out to sea. Marin Water, in partnership with California State Parks, just completed the first phase of a multi-year project to restore habitat in Lagunitas Creek for fish and other wildlife, including some innovative ways of creating new habitat. 

Another habitat enhancement project in Redwood Creek was completed in fall of 2023. This was part of the National Park Service’s Redwood Renewal work to protect health and biodiversity of Muir Woods National Monument and the Redwood Creek watershed, in partnership with the Parks Conservancy and other partners. The main goal was to create a more natural creek channel after a century of modification and bring back the habitat complexity that coho need. 

How are salmon doing this year? Lagunitas creek is seeing some hopeful numbers of returning salmon—these fish have a three-year life cycle where adults migrate out to the ocean and return to breed in the same creek where they were born. Get updated fish counts and learn the best place to view salmon in the creek here. For Redwood Creek, recent storms have opened its mouth at Muir Beach where it meets the ocean, which will allow adult salmon to swim back up the channel to breed. In addition, to help bolster that population, about 3,000 smolts (juvenile fish) were released into Redwood Creek in mid-November.

Learn more about recent salmon sightings in these two creeks.