The Long Way
Mendocino County

Coyote Valley Fish Facility

Ukiah, Mendocino County, California. Egg taking station and an imprinting facility; January - mid-April.

Details

Map. Ukiah, Mendocino County, California. Larger map
Where
1229 Lake Mendocino Drive, Ukiah, CA 95482. Directions
When
The sorting of adult return steelhead occurs daily at 10:00 a.m. near the fish ladder January - mid-April. Spawning occurs at 9:00 a.m. on Thursdays January - mid-April.
Getting there
From Highway 101, take the Lake Mendocino Drive Exit and head East (0.2 miles). Take a left turn on North State Street (.01 miles) and then take a right on to Lake Mendocino Drive. Proceed East approximately one mile and the hatchery will be located on the right, right below the dam.
Hours
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., January - April.
Access
100% funded by the USACE, maintained and operated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and supported by volunteers from the Ukiah Rod and Gun Club.
Walk-in or reserve
To schedule a tour for a class or small group, contact the US Army Corps of Engineer (USACE) Lake Mendocino office at (707) 467-4238.
Phone
(707) 433-6325
Website
wildlife.ca.gov
Managed by
Coyote Valley Fish Facility is 100% funded by the USACE, is maintained and operated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and supported by volunteers from the Ukiah Rod and Gun Club.
Established
1992.

Coyote Valley Fish Facility operates as an egg taking station and an imprinting facility. The sorting of adult return steelhead occurs daily at 10:00 a.m. near the fish ladder January - mid-April.

Notable Events

  1. 1990Warm Springs Hatchery added rearing ponds, start tanks, and incubator stacks to accommodate eggs and fish from Coyote Valley Fish Facility. wildlife.ca.gov
  2. 1996The Bill Townsend Conservation Fish Hatchery was built on the Coyote Valley Fish Facility grounds. wildlife.ca.gov
  3. 2002The Ukiah Rod and Gun Club opened the Bill Townsend Fish Hatchery to increase the numbers of smolts and yearlings released into the Russian River from Coyote Dam each year, to improve the viability of the steelhead population in local rivers and streams. corpslakes.erdc.dren.mil
  4. 2021The COVID-19 pandemic caused the facility to close to the public during the 2021 season. corpslakes.erdc.dren.mil
  5. 2022The facility reopened to the public and restored its education and interpretation program in 2022. corpslakes.erdc.dren.mil

People

  • Joe Christensen, President of the Ukiah Valley Fish & Wildlife Club, which supported successful operation of the facility (2022).
  • Willard Alton Townsend, Ukiah man known as Bill, recognized in the congressional record for his many years of service to Mendocino County's forests, rivers and youth (1916-2016).
  • Bill Townsend, namesake of the Bill Townsend Conservation Fish Hatchery on the Coyote Valley Fish Facility grounds, operated by Ukiah Rod and Gun Club volunteers.

Sources

  1. wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Hatcheries/Warm-Springs/Coyote-Valley
  2. wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Hatcheries/Warm-Springs/History
  3. wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Hatcheries/Warm-Springs
  4. ukiahdailyjournal.com/2024/02/20/4reel-fishing-report-from-ukiah-valley-fish-and-wildlife-club
  5. corpslakes.erdc.dren.mil/employees/volunteer/pdfs/SPN-%20Ukiah%20Valley%20Fish%20and%20Wildlife%20Club%20%202022.pdf
  6. mendoiwpc.com/our-shared-water/history
  7. corpslakes.erdc.dren.mil/partners/pdfs/appl10/3.4%20NR%20mendo-Handshake%202009%20application%20and%20financial%20wksheet-GRANTS.pdf
  8. ukiahdailyjournal.com/obituaries/willard-alton-townsend-ukiah-ca