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Red Bluff FWO Office History

The Red Bluff Fish and Wildlife Office was established in 1978 as part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's responsibility to facilitate restoration of Pacific salmonids.

Previous names for this facility were the original Red Bluff Fisheries Assistance Office (1978), the Northern Central Valley Fishery Resource Office (1990), and the Northern Central Valley Fish and Wildlife Office(1995).

This office is one of the primary investigators of fish passage issues at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam and has been instrumental in discerning solutions. In 1992 President Bush signed the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, which modified the Central Valley Project (authorized in 1935) to include fish and wildlife mitigation as a project function.

In 1995, endangered species responsibilities were assigned to the office under the Northwest Forest Plan. Consequently, the offices name was changed to Northern Central Valley Fish and Wildlife Office to better reflect the expanded scope of office activities. In the year 2000 the name was officially changed to Red Bluff Fish and Wildlife Office (RBFWO).