The kickoff meeting for the creation of the Russian River Watershed Community Council (RRWCC) took place on June 26, 1998. This effort is part of the community-based watershed planning effort announced in November, 1997 by the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the California Resources Agency (Resources). The local sponsors are the Board of Supervisors of Mendocino and Sonoma Counties.

Back in September, 1996, the Army Corps of Engineers cosponsored a new study of the Russian River Basin to review the operation of Coyote and Warm Springs Dams on the Russian River. The Corps had $400,000 to study the River's ecosystem and how to mend it. A Preliminary report was released September 17, 1997 called "Russian River Ecosystem Restoration Reconnaissance Report &endash; Mendocino and Sonoma Counties, California". The report discussed the watershed and the decline of the salmon fishery, the effect of deep pit terrace quarry captures, ESA habitat loss, and a need for Coordinated Management of River Resources.

Another scoping session was held on December 5, 1996 to identify options. Ten options were presented, but the majority of the participants were gravel mining industry and local landowners that, according to the Corps, found that the problem identification wasn't adequately conducted.

A third public meeting was held June 9, 1997, again with most participants being members of a coalition of gravel mining/landowners. The main concern was lack of coordination between them, the local Resource Conservation District (RCD) and the Corps. Subsequent meetings took place between the Corps and Resources in August and September, 1997. At the September meeting, the watershed study approach was selected as consistent with the State's watershed initiatives.

Three options were presented by the Corps:

1. Revisions to the Wet/Dry Flow Regimes of Warm Springs and Coyote Dams: process would allow for the public to be heard prior to the initiation of a final Biological Opinion by NMFS.
2. Watershed Management for Ecosystem Restoration Study; piece-meal treatment of problems in the watershed was identified as the overarching planning problem.
3. Santa Rosa Creek Ecosystem Restoration.

The final selection was for B and C above.