Salmonid Restoration Federation

2026 Fish Passage Design and Engineering Field School

Tuesday, February 24, 2026 to Thursday, February 26, 2026
9:00am - 5:00pm
SRF is partnered with California Fish and Wildlife, Michael Love & Associates, Ross Taylor & Associates, and Creek Lands Conservation, to offer a hands-on Fish Passage Design and Engineering workshop in San Luis Obispo on February 24 - 26, 2026. The program is intended for engineers, hydrologists, biologists, and environmental planners, or those who are involved in the design and implementation of fish passage projects. The workshop curriculum covered aquatics species and stream crossings; channel morphology; and pre-design and project layout; including geomorphic based designs, profile control techniques, hydraulic designs using baffles and fishways, monitoring and adaptation strategies, and more. Two days were spent in a classroom setting and one day was spent in the field visiting project sites.
 
 
Main Presentation Slides (online only)
 
  1. Fish Passage: What is it and Why is it Necessary?, Ross Taylor, Ross Taylor & Associates
  2. Overview of Fish Passage Design Approaches, Michael Love, Michael Love & Associates
  3. Fish Passage Assessment and Prioritization, Ross Taylor
  4. Assessing Geomorphic Risk for Stream Crossing Projects, Michael Love
  5. The Pre‐Design Phase Geomorphic Based Stream Crossing Projects, Michael Love
  6. Stream Simulation Design: A Geomorphic‐Based Approach for Aquatic Organism Passage at Road‐Stream Crossings, Michael Love
  7. Hydraulic Design Overview, Michael Love
  8. Geomorphic-Based Profile Control Techniques, Michael Love
  9. Fish Passage Monitoring, Ross Taylor
  10. Traditional Hydraulic Designs for Fish Passage at Stream Crossings, Michael Love
  11. Neefus Gulch Group Exercise Slides: Thalweg Profile Interpretation 
 
Guest Speakers:
 
SLO Creek Watershed Overview: Hydrology and Barriers, Aleksandra Wydzga, Science Director at Creek Lands Conservation
CDFW Fish Passage Design Criteria/Guidance and Design-Review Process, Mark Gard, Senior Hydraulic Engineer – California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Population Status and Movement of Oncorhynchus mykiss in the San Luis Obispo Creek Watershed, Zach Crum, M.S., CDFW Region 4 District Fisheries Biologist, and Freddy Otte, Biologist, City of San Luis Obispo 

 
 
 
 
Field Tour site at the 2025 Fish Passage & Engineering Field School
San Luis Obispo Veteran's Hall
801 Grand Ave
San Luis Obispo , CA

Related Documents

Partners