“This stream’s outstanding attribute is extremely abundant streamflow even in the midst of a dry summer, when flows at nearby gaged sites on the Mattole River are running at less than 25th percentile on this date. Conserving and protecting the abundant cold water from this drainage has important benefits for salmonid rearing habitat in Big Finley Creek downstream and the mainstem Mattole River. As the riparian forest continues to recover from pre-1980s timber harvest and more wood recruits to the channel creating more hiding cover, scouring more pools, and creating more streambed heterogeneity, this stream has high potential to provide excellent habitat for steelhead, even in the driest of years”.
