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The Historic Discovery of The Coho
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced that juvenile Coho salmon were spotted in a tributary of the Russian River in Mendocino County by a Pinoleville Pomo Nation water specialist — the first observation confirming natural reproduction of Coho in the Russian River's upper basin since 1991.The fish were found in June in Ackerman Creek by Dakota Perez Gonzalez, a water resources specialist with the Pinoleville Pomo Nation, while snorkeling the creek.
The adult Coho that spawned these young fish likely migrated in December 2024 from the Pacific Ocean, through more than 90 miles of the Russian River, and into Ackerman Creek.
The Rescue Operation
The young Coho, along with steelhead and Chinook salmon, were holding in an isolated pool that had been cut off from flowing water and was expected to dry up as summer progressed.Recognizing the risk, the Pinoleville Pomo Nation partnered with the CDFW to move quickly and rescue the fish.
Crews used nets to collect what they could from the shrinking pool, relocating two juvenile Coho, three Chinook, 146 steelhead, and hundreds of other fish.
The Coho were taken to the Warm Springs Fish Hatchery where a Coho captive breeding program has been working to recover endangered Russian River Coho since 2001.
Why It Matters — The Captive Breeding Program
"Coho likely would have disappeared from the Russian River basin by 2004 if not for the Coho captive breeding program," said Bay Delta Region Inland Fisheries Program Manager Corinne Gray.
"While there have been five observed adult Coho that have returned to their natal waters at Coyote Valley Fish Facility below Coyote Dam since 2012, it has been decades since evidence of successful spawning and rearing of Coho has been seen in tributaries in the Russian River's upper basin."
The Russian River Coho captive breeding program is a multi-agency partnership implemented by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, where natural origin juvenile Coho are hatchery reared to adulthood and then spawned.
This takes a few hundred fish and multiplies them to about 150,000 that are released to local tributaries with the goal of restarting sustaining populations of Coho.
Role of Indigenous Knowledge
The discovery highlights the crucial role of tribal communities. The Pinoleville Pomo Nation and CDFW also lead rescue efforts to save stranded fish."Pinoleville Pomo Nation respects the relationship of traditional ecological knowledge, passed down through generations, while learning about contemporary conservation practices," said the tribe's Vice Chairperson Angela James.
California's Broader Salmon Strategy
Governor Gavin Newsom's Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future, coupled with beneficial wet weather conditions, is supporting California's struggling salmon populations as they return to historical habitats like the Russian River.During the drought years of 2021–2023, CDFW conducted 51 rescue operations across 25 waterways, saving nearly 14,000 juvenile Coho salmon from drying pools and warm water.
A Ripple Effect of Good News
This comeback is part of a wider ecological resurgence across California:• Coho salmon were spotted in the Jenner Headlands Reserve on the Sonoma Coast — their first sighting in the area in roughly 60 years.
• For the first time since the 1950s, Chinook salmon were documented migrating into the reaches of Alameda Creek in the San Francisco Bay Area, as a result of the Sunol Valley Fish Passage Project.
• Further north, Chinook have returned to the Klamath River Basin for the first time in decades.
Why Coho Salmon Disappeared
Coho salmon vanished from the upper Russian River basin due to a combination of factors — prolonged droughts lowering water levels, rising water temperatures making river pools unsafe for spawning, and degraded habitat.Many of the state's river pools where salmon lay their eggs are no longer safe options due to lower water levels and higher water temperatures.
Decades of conservation, captive breeding, and habitat restoration have now turned the tide.
This is widely celebrated as a landmark victory for California's wildlife and a testament to what long-term, science-driven, and tribally-informed conservation can achieve.
Is the U.S. Environment Improving? — A Broader Look
The return of Coho salmon to California's Russian River is not an isolated story.It is a symptom of a larger, complex environmental picture across the United States — one that shows genuine progress in some areas, serious ongoing threats in others, and a policy landscape that is actively contested.
Where the Environment IS Improving
Air Quality — A Clear Long-Term WinBetween 1970 and 2024, the U.S. GDP increased 338%, vehicle miles traveled rose 195%, energy consumption climbed 43%, and population grew 66% — yet total emissions of the six principal air pollutants dropped by 79% over that same period.
The number of days reaching unhealthy air quality levels fell from 2,080 in 2000 to just 757 in 2024 — a dramatic improvement reflecting decades of Clean Air Act enforcement. This is one of America's greatest, and often underappreciated, environmental success stories.
Wildlife Comeback Stories (Beyond Coho Salmon)
In 2024, a cloned black-footed ferret named Antonia gave birth to three healthy kits at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute — the first time a cloned animal of this species had reproduced successfully. The black-footed ferret is one of North America's most endangered mammals, and Antonia's kits now offer new genetic diversity and a path toward recovery.
The Antarctic ozone layer — once a symbol of human environmental damage — has been healing steadily since the Montreal Protocol phased out ozone-depleting substances. Scientists now project it will return to pre-1980 conditions by 2066.
Water Quality — Clean Water Act's Legacy
Since the Clean Water Act's passage in 1972, it has transformed countless rivers and bays once filled with raw sewage and industrial waste into recreational hotspots.Despite dramatic population growth, the number of waters meeting water quality standards has doubled since the law's passage, and it now prevents 700 billion pounds of pollutants from entering waterways each year.
Clean Energy Surge
Clean energy usage surged across the United States in 2024. Solar energy led the charge — by year's end, 37 gigawatts of solar power had been added to the national grid, nearly doubling what was installed the year before.Fish Passage & Habitat Restoration
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has obligated $73 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for 79 fish passage projects in 30 states and Puerto Rico, which will open more than 6,000 miles of streams and rivers.This is precisely the kind of investment that made the Coho salmon's return to the Russian River possible.
Wildlife Crossings — Broad Public Support
A survey on public attitudes toward wildlife crossings found that 87% of respondents support investments in new crossing projects — showcasing widespread bipartisan support for simple and effective tools to save lives, save money, and reconnect habitat.Where Serious Threats Remain
Beach Water Quality — A Persistent ProblemIn 2024, 61% of the 3,187 tested U.S. beaches experienced at least one day with potentially unsafe levels of fecal bacteria, while roughly one in seven posed risks to swimmers on at least a quarter of the days tested — contributing to at least 7,563 health advisories or beach closures.
Toxic Chemicals & Plastic
There is still toxic PFAS and plastic pellets in U.S. waterways, and wildlife — from bees and butterflies to whales — continues to face mounting pressures.
Neonicotinoid pesticides, widely used on farms and lawns, are driving massive declines in pollinator populations.
Federal Conservation Funding Under Pressure
In the first year of its second term, the Trump administration significantly cut federal conservation funding and proposed a 22% reduction in the budget for the National Wildlife Refuge System.State-level conservation groups have been working to fill the gap.
Wetland Protections at Risk
In November 2025, the EPA proposed eliminating Clean Water Act protections for most streams and more than 80% of wetlands nationwide — a move that conservationists warn will harm water quality and wildlife habitat across the country.
How This All Connects Back to the Coho Salmon
The Russian River salmon comeback is a perfect microcosm of the national environmental picture:
• It happened because of decades of Clean Water Act enforcement, captive breeding programs, tribal stewardship, and infrastructure investments in fish passages — the gains column.
• It also happened in spite of droughts driven by climate change, warming water temperatures, and habitat loss — the threats column.
• It remains fragile, dependent on continued investment and protection of stream habitats that are now facing rollback risks at the federal level.
The Verdict: Mixed, but with Real Hope
The honest picture of America's environment in 2025–2026 is not simply "improving" or "declining." It is a tug of war.Long-term investments in clean air, clean water infrastructure, and fish passage are producing real, measurable wildlife recoveries.
At the same time, new policy rollbacks, plastic pollution, toxic chemicals, and the accelerating pressures of climate change threaten to undo decades of hard-won progress.
The Coho salmon swimming up the Russian River for the first time in 34 years is proof that nature can recover when given the chance. The central question is whether America will continue to give it that chance.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced that juvenile Coho salmon were spotted in a tributary of the Russian River in Mendocino County by a Pinoleville Pomo Nation water specialist — the first observation confirming natural reproduction of Coho in the Russian River's upper basin since 1991.
The fish were found in June in Ackerman Creek by Dakota Perez Gonzalez, a water resources specialist with the Pinoleville Pomo Nation, while snorkeling the creek.
The adult Coho that spawned these young fish likely migrated in December 2024 from the Pacific Ocean, through more than 90 miles of the Russian River, and into Ackerman Creek.
The young Coho, along with steelhead and Chinook salmon, were holding in an isolated pool that had been cut off from flowing water and was expected to dry up as summer progressed.
Recognizing the risk, the Pinoleville Pomo Nation partnered with the CDFW to move quickly and rescue the fish.
Crews used nets to collect what they could from the shrinking pool, relocating two juvenile Coho, three Chinook, 146 steelhead, and hundreds of other fish.
The Coho were taken to the Warm Springs Fish Hatchery where a Coho captive breeding program has been working to recover endangered Russian River Coho since 2001.
"While there have been five observed adult Coho that have returned to their natal waters at Coyote Valley Fish Facility below Coyote Dam since 2012, it has been decades since evidence of successful spawning and rearing of Coho has been seen in tributaries in the Russian River's upper basin."
The Russian River Coho captive breeding program is a multi-agency partnership implemented by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, where natural origin juvenile Coho are hatchery reared to adulthood and then spawned.
This takes a few hundred fish and multiplies them to about 150,000 that are released to local tributaries with the goal of restarting sustaining populations of Coho.
"Pinoleville Pomo Nation respects the relationship of traditional ecological knowledge, passed down through generations, while learning about contemporary conservation practices," said the tribe's Vice Chairperson Angela James.
During the drought years of 2021–2023, CDFW conducted 51 rescue operations across 25 waterways, saving nearly 14,000 juvenile Coho salmon from drying pools and warm water.
• Coho salmon were spotted in the Jenner Headlands Reserve on the Sonoma Coast — their first sighting in the area in roughly 60 years.
• For the first time since the 1950s, Chinook salmon were documented migrating into the reaches of Alameda Creek in the San Francisco Bay Area, as a result of the Sunol Valley Fish Passage Project.
• Further north, Chinook have returned to the Klamath River Basin for the first time in decades.
Many of the state's river pools where salmon lay their eggs are no longer safe options due to lower water levels and higher water temperatures.
Decades of conservation, captive breeding, and habitat restoration have now turned the tide.
This is widely celebrated as a landmark victory for California's wildlife and a testament to what long-term, science-driven, and tribally-informed conservation can achieve.
Is the U.S. Environment Improving? — A Broader Look
The return of Coho salmon to California's Russian River is not an isolated story.
It is a symptom of a larger, complex environmental picture across the United States — one that shows genuine progress in some areas, serious ongoing threats in others, and a policy landscape that is actively contested.
Air Quality — A Clear Long-Term Win
Between 1970 and 2024, the U.S. GDP increased 338%, vehicle miles traveled rose 195%, energy consumption climbed 43%, and population grew 66% — yet total emissions of the six principal air pollutants dropped by 79% over that same period.
The number of days reaching unhealthy air quality levels fell from 2,080 in 2000 to just 757 in 2024 — a dramatic improvement reflecting decades of Clean Air Act enforcement. This is one of America's greatest, and often underappreciated, environmental success stories.
The black-footed ferret is one of North America's most endangered mammals, and Antonia's kits now offer new genetic diversity and a path toward recovery.
The Antarctic ozone layer — once a symbol of human environmental damage — has been healing steadily since the Montreal Protocol phased out ozone-depleting substances. Scientists now project it will return to pre-1980 conditions by 2066.
Despite dramatic population growth, the number of waters meeting water quality standards has doubled since the law's passage, and it now prevents 700 billion pounds of pollutants from entering waterways each year.
Clean energy usage surged across the United States in 2024. Solar energy led the charge — by year's end, 37 gigawatts of solar power had been added to the national grid, nearly doubling what was installed the year before.
This is precisely the kind of investment that made the Coho salmon's return to the Russian River possible.
In 2024, 61% of the 3,187 tested U.S. beaches experienced at least one day with potentially unsafe levels of fecal bacteria, while roughly one in seven posed risks to swimmers on at least a quarter of the days tested — contributing to at least 7,563 health advisories or beach closures.
Toxic Chemicals & Plastic
There is still toxic PFAS and plastic pellets in U.S. waterways, and wildlife — from bees and butterflies to whales — continues to face mounting pressures.
Neonicotinoid pesticides, widely used on farms and lawns, are driving massive declines in pollinator populations.
State-level conservation groups have been working to fill the gap.
• It happened because of decades of Clean Water Act enforcement, captive breeding programs, tribal stewardship, and infrastructure investments in fish passages — the gains column.
• It also happened in spite of droughts driven by climate change, warming water temperatures, and habitat loss — the threats column.
• It remains fragile, dependent on continued investment and protection of stream habitats that are now facing rollback risks at the federal level.
Long-term investments in clean air, clean water infrastructure, and fish passage are producing real, measurable wildlife recoveries.
At the same time, new policy rollbacks, plastic pollution, toxic chemicals, and the accelerating pressures of climate change threaten to undo decades of hard-won progress.
The Coho salmon swimming up the Russian River for the first time in 34 years is proof that nature can recover when given the chance. The central question is whether America will continue to give it that chance.
The fish were found in June in Ackerman Creek by Dakota Perez Gonzalez, a water resources specialist with the Pinoleville Pomo Nation, while snorkeling the creek.
The adult Coho that spawned these young fish likely migrated in December 2024 from the Pacific Ocean, through more than 90 miles of the Russian River, and into Ackerman Creek.
The Rescue Operation
The young Coho, along with steelhead and Chinook salmon, were holding in an isolated pool that had been cut off from flowing water and was expected to dry up as summer progressed. Recognizing the risk, the Pinoleville Pomo Nation partnered with the CDFW to move quickly and rescue the fish.
Crews used nets to collect what they could from the shrinking pool, relocating two juvenile Coho, three Chinook, 146 steelhead, and hundreds of other fish.
The Coho were taken to the Warm Springs Fish Hatchery where a Coho captive breeding program has been working to recover endangered Russian River Coho since 2001.
Why It Matters — The Captive Breeding Program
"Coho likely would have disappeared from the Russian River basin by 2004 if not for the Coho captive breeding program," said Bay Delta Region Inland Fisheries Program Manager Corinne Gray."While there have been five observed adult Coho that have returned to their natal waters at Coyote Valley Fish Facility below Coyote Dam since 2012, it has been decades since evidence of successful spawning and rearing of Coho has been seen in tributaries in the Russian River's upper basin."
The Russian River Coho captive breeding program is a multi-agency partnership implemented by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, where natural origin juvenile Coho are hatchery reared to adulthood and then spawned.
This takes a few hundred fish and multiplies them to about 150,000 that are released to local tributaries with the goal of restarting sustaining populations of Coho.
Role of Indigenous Knowledge
The discovery highlights the crucial role of tribal communities. The Pinoleville Pomo Nation and CDFW also lead rescue efforts to save stranded fish."Pinoleville Pomo Nation respects the relationship of traditional ecological knowledge, passed down through generations, while learning about contemporary conservation practices," said the tribe's Vice Chairperson Angela James.
California's Broader Salmon Strategy
Governor Gavin Newsom's Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future, coupled with beneficial wet weather conditions, is supporting California's struggling salmon populations as they return to historical habitats like the Russian River.During the drought years of 2021–2023, CDFW conducted 51 rescue operations across 25 waterways, saving nearly 14,000 juvenile Coho salmon from drying pools and warm water.
A Ripple Effect of Good News
This comeback is part of a wider ecological resurgence across California:• Coho salmon were spotted in the Jenner Headlands Reserve on the Sonoma Coast — their first sighting in the area in roughly 60 years.
• For the first time since the 1950s, Chinook salmon were documented migrating into the reaches of Alameda Creek in the San Francisco Bay Area, as a result of the Sunol Valley Fish Passage Project.
• Further north, Chinook have returned to the Klamath River Basin for the first time in decades.
Why Coho Salmon Disappeared
Coho salmon vanished from the upper Russian River basin due to a combination of factors — prolonged droughts lowering water levels, rising water temperatures making river pools unsafe for spawning, and degraded habitat.Many of the state's river pools where salmon lay their eggs are no longer safe options due to lower water levels and higher water temperatures.
Decades of conservation, captive breeding, and habitat restoration have now turned the tide.
This is widely celebrated as a landmark victory for California's wildlife and a testament to what long-term, science-driven, and tribally-informed conservation can achieve.
Is the U.S. Environment Improving? — A Broader Look
The return of Coho salmon to California's Russian River is not an isolated story.
It is a symptom of a larger, complex environmental picture across the United States — one that shows genuine progress in some areas, serious ongoing threats in others, and a policy landscape that is actively contested.
Where the Environment IS Improving
Air Quality — A Clear Long-Term WinBetween 1970 and 2024, the U.S. GDP increased 338%, vehicle miles traveled rose 195%, energy consumption climbed 43%, and population grew 66% — yet total emissions of the six principal air pollutants dropped by 79% over that same period.
The number of days reaching unhealthy air quality levels fell from 2,080 in 2000 to just 757 in 2024 — a dramatic improvement reflecting decades of Clean Air Act enforcement. This is one of America's greatest, and often underappreciated, environmental success stories.
Wildlife Comeback Stories (Beyond Coho Salmon)
In 2024, a cloned black-footed ferret named Antonia gave birth to three healthy kits at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute — the first time a cloned animal of this species had reproduced successfully.The black-footed ferret is one of North America's most endangered mammals, and Antonia's kits now offer new genetic diversity and a path toward recovery.
The Antarctic ozone layer — once a symbol of human environmental damage — has been healing steadily since the Montreal Protocol phased out ozone-depleting substances. Scientists now project it will return to pre-1980 conditions by 2066.
Water Quality — Clean Water Act's Legacy
Since the Clean Water Act's passage in 1972, it has transformed countless rivers and bays once filled with raw sewage and industrial waste into recreational hotspots.Despite dramatic population growth, the number of waters meeting water quality standards has doubled since the law's passage, and it now prevents 700 billion pounds of pollutants from entering waterways each year.
Clean Energy Surge
Clean energy usage surged across the United States in 2024. Solar energy led the charge — by year's end, 37 gigawatts of solar power had been added to the national grid, nearly doubling what was installed the year before.Fish Passage & Habitat Restoration
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has obligated $73 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for 79 fish passage projects in 30 states and Puerto Rico, which will open more than 6,000 miles of streams and rivers.This is precisely the kind of investment that made the Coho salmon's return to the Russian River possible.
Wildlife Crossings — Broad Public Support
A survey on public attitudes toward wildlife crossings found that 87% of respondents support investments in new crossing projects — showcasing widespread bipartisan support for simple and effective tools to save lives, save money, and reconnect habitat.Where Serious Threats Remain
Beach Water Quality — A Persistent ProblemIn 2024, 61% of the 3,187 tested U.S. beaches experienced at least one day with potentially unsafe levels of fecal bacteria, while roughly one in seven posed risks to swimmers on at least a quarter of the days tested — contributing to at least 7,563 health advisories or beach closures.
Toxic Chemicals & Plastic
There is still toxic PFAS and plastic pellets in U.S. waterways, and wildlife — from bees and butterflies to whales — continues to face mounting pressures.
Neonicotinoid pesticides, widely used on farms and lawns, are driving massive declines in pollinator populations.
Federal Conservation Funding Under Pressure
In the first year of its second term, the Trump administration significantly cut federal conservation funding and proposed a 22% reduction in the budget for the National Wildlife Refuge System.State-level conservation groups have been working to fill the gap.
Wetland Protections at Risk
In November 2025, the EPA proposed eliminating Clean Water Act protections for most streams and more than 80% of wetlands nationwide — a move that conservationists warn will harm water quality and wildlife habitat across the country.How This All Connects Back to the Coho Salmon
The Russian River salmon comeback is a perfect microcosm of the national environmental picture:• It happened because of decades of Clean Water Act enforcement, captive breeding programs, tribal stewardship, and infrastructure investments in fish passages — the gains column.
• It also happened in spite of droughts driven by climate change, warming water temperatures, and habitat loss — the threats column.
• It remains fragile, dependent on continued investment and protection of stream habitats that are now facing rollback risks at the federal level.
The Verdict: Mixed, but with Real Hope
The honest picture of America's environment in 2025–2026 is not simply "improving" or "declining." It is a tug of war.Long-term investments in clean air, clean water infrastructure, and fish passage are producing real, measurable wildlife recoveries.
At the same time, new policy rollbacks, plastic pollution, toxic chemicals, and the accelerating pressures of climate change threaten to undo decades of hard-won progress.
The Coho salmon swimming up the Russian River for the first time in 34 years is proof that nature can recover when given the chance. The central question is whether America will continue to give it that chance.
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