An armored channel (of embedded cobblestones) has been developed in the Kings River downstream of Pine Flat Dam, and the result was poor habitat for aquatic insects and juvenile trout. To reduce this armoring, the channel at and around boulder sites ripped using a bulldozer with 2-foot shanks prior to the placement of boulders.
This action helped enhance the available refuge habitat for juvenile trout, and provided increased available habitat for insect production, which served as an important food source for the trout population. It is anticipated that other channel ripping will be required on other places in the river.