A large portion of the stream, that were suitable for spawning and as nursery areas for salmon and steelhead have been severely damaged. Suckers now appear to have replaced salmonids as the dominant fish in a large section of the Garcia River. This can be attributed directly to deterioration of the stream habitat. The most serious damage is being done in the Coast Range. Most of the damage results from removal of vegetation along the stream banks and on the hillsides, and heavy equipment operations in the stream channels.
Excessive erosion fills pools and makes stream habitat less suitable for trout and salmon.
Removal of the streamside canopy results in increased temperatures that approach the lethal limit for trout. Trout populations are reduced significantly in severely damaged streams. Created for FrOG by FrOG .