A new salmon habitat has been created on the Sacramento River in Redding thanks to an improvement act providing millions and partnerships between state, local, and tribal partners.

The Kapusta Open Space Side Channel Project was built on the Sacramento River near the Kapusta Open Space to protect the endangered chinook salmon. Wednesday representatives from all over came to celebrate.

The channel will provide a year-round spawning habitat for the fish where they are protected from prey. The channel is about a half-mile long and was excavated this winter and completed this spring.

This is just the first of five projects Chico State Enterprise has received $27 million through the Central Valley Project Improvement Act to create.

The North State Planning and Development Collective (NSPDC) at Chico State partnered with the City of Redding, state organizations, and the Yurok and Wintu tribes to turn the land around the river into the now thriving channel.

“Collaboration serves as the foundation of our organization and is key to bringing these types of projects to fruition,” NSPDC Executive Director Jason Schwenkler said.”We are honored to bring together our University, city, state, federal and tribal partners today to celebrate the completion of this important work.”

Arthur Garcia is the culture representative for the Northern California Wintu tribe. He was one of the speakers at Wednesday’s event. He said it’s extremely important for everyone to come together to protect the salmon.

“It grew into something beautiful for our salmon, for the river,” Garcia said. “Just the way it’s flowing is beautiful. I can’t believe it and how the workers got along beautifully out here. It was just a beautiful atmosphere all working together as one.”

The next restoration projects will be near South Bonnyview and south of the Kapusta Open Space project.

Garcia also said they will be doing work to cross the island created by the canal and they named it Deer Island.