FRIDAY TOURS
Firelighter Training
Workshop Coordinators: Henri Holbrook, Gabe Goff, Lenya Quinn-Davidson, UC ANR Fire Network
Taught by leaders of the Humboldt County Prescribed Burn Association, the Firelighter Training is a basic introduction to fuels, fire behavior, and how to be a safe and effective fire practitioner. During this training, we acquaint students with the basics of the fire environment, risk management and safety, prescribed fire operations, and the ethos of community based prescribed fire through classroom and experiential learning. We will also share opportunities for community-led burning and training in California, and explore how beneficial fire may be incorporated into the restoration toolbox. This course is designed for people of any skill level but is catered towards those with little to no prescribed fire experience.
Collaboration in the Navarro Watershed to Restore Salmon Populations
Tour Coordinators: Anna Halligan, Trout Unlimited; Peter Van de Burgt, The Nature Conservancy; Linda MacElwee, Mendocino County Resource Conservation District; with support from the Mendocino Land Trust and Prunuske Chatham, Inc.
Tour Coordinators: Anna Halligan, Trout Unlimited; Peter Van de Burgt, The Nature Conservancy; Linda MacElwee, Mendocino County Resource Conservation District; with support from the Mendocino Land Trust and Prunuske Chatham, Inc.
Visit an array of project sites that have been completed in the last 5 years or that are mid-construction. Sites may include Neefus Gulch fish passage (2 sites), Large wood projects in the NF Navarro, Soda Creek Fish Passage, and two engineered large wood projects at Mill Creek and Flume Gulch.
Conserving Water and Salmon at the Iconic Black Oak Ranch
Tour Coordinators: Anna Birkas, Village Ecosystems, and Joel Monschke, Stillwater Sciences
Tour the recently constructed Black Oak Ranch irrigation pond and 800,000 gallons of potable water storage. This municipal-scale project totaling 5-million gallons of storage will enhance flows in Ten Mile Creek and Streeter Creek by eliminating summertime diversions. Field tour participants heading north will also have the opportunity to tour the Marshall Ranch Flow Enhancement project in Redwood Creek, a critical tributary to the South Fork Eel. This project includes two off-channel ponds storing approximately 12-million gallons of winter water stored which is fully dedicated to flow augmentation during the dry season. August is an exciting time to visit this project to witness the multiple benefits of dry season flow augmentation which now keeps Redwood Creek hydrologically connected benefiting juvenile coho salmon.
SATURDAY TOURS
Large-scale Instream and Off-channel Habitat Restoration in the Lower Ten Mile River
Tour Coordinators: Lauren Hammack, Prunuske Chatham, Inc. and Peter Van de Burgt, The Nature Conservancy
More information TBA
Restoration Partnerships with State Parks in Big River
Tour Coordinators: Mike Love, Michael Love and Associates, Anna Halligan, Trout Unlimited, Chris Blencowe, Blencowe Watershed Management, Inc.
Visit several restoration sites along the M1 Haul Rd that is adjacent to Big River, extending as far up (potentially) as the Woodlands. Potential sites to visit may include, Dry Dock Gulch Fish passage and off channel project completed in 2023; Rail Dump Gulch – proposed for construction in 2027; Parks road-sediment reduction work (e.g. improvements and decommissioning); and Nelson Gulch (MLT project) fish passage project. In the woodlands we could visit Manly Gulch fish passage and channel restoration and LNF Big River large wood.
Cahto Creek Restoration Tour, Hands-on Gully Stuff, and Swim/Paddle at Mendocino Magic
Tour Coordinators: Chantal Simonpietri, Mainspring Consulting, Joel Monschke, Stillwater Sciences, Tivon Sandowsky, Swift Water Design, Woods Wilson, Cahto Tribe.
This tour will explore the stream restoration and dam removal proposed for the former Mast Lumber Mill, then Trout Farm, now Mendocino Magic Campground. Escape the cool coastal fog and enjoy the warmth of the redwoods inland. Participants will hike the highly human-altered project footprint, enjoy a lunch then swim/paddle at Holland Reservoir, participate in a mini process-based restoration workshop and hands-on gully-stuffing, and hear stories of the land and people of the Cahto Tribe. We will spend all day on the property. (1 hour and 20-minute drive from Jug Handle
SUNDAY TOURS
Flynn Creek Infiltration Project: Lessons Learned from a Paired Watershed Study
Tour Coordinators: Katie Robbins, Trout Unlimited and Linda MacElwee,Mendocino County Resource Conservation District
More information TBA
Coastal Population Monitoring, Restoration, and Recovery at Jackson State Demonstration Forest
Tour Coordinators: Anna Halligan, Trout Unlimited, Sarah Gallagher, California Department of Fish & Wildlife, and Robert Douglas, Jackson State Demonstration Forest
Visit the SF Noyo Egg Collecting Station/CMP monitoring station and tour several large wood augmentation projects. TU/JDSF/CDFW have given several tours in this area and it is an excellent location to showcase how timber, salmon monitoring, and restoration support one another. It would not consume an entire day (2-3 hrs), but there are other sites focused on fish passage that could be visited in Big River as time and interest allow.
Flow Augmentation on the Marshall Ranch, Redwood Creek, A Critical Tributary to the South Fork Eel River
Tour Coordinators: Joel Monschke and Tanner Cunningham, Stillwater Sciences
The Marshall Ranch Flow Augmentation Project was funded by the CA Wildlife Conservation Board and constructed in 2023 consisting of approximately 12 million gallons of off-stream storage in two ponds that fill during the wet season. Beginning in 2023, the project has been releasing between 40 and 50 gallons per minute of water into Redwood Creek during the dry season from July through November. During the past two years, the project has substantially improved downstream flow connectivity and associated salmonid habitat. This tour provides an opportunity to view the flow augmentation in action. The project employs several novel approaches including a passive cooling/filtration gallery to improve water quality, real-time control of augmentation flow rates via an online portal, and a telemetry-based monitoring system.
Coho Salmon, Habitat, and Restoration in Usal Creek
Tour Coordinators: Tom Leroy, Pacific Watershed Associates, Karen Youngblood, Usal Redwood Forest Company, Karen Jamgochian, Trout Unlimited, and Richard Gienger, Redwood Forest Foundation, Inc.
Sunday morning tour especially for those folks heading North — short North Fork Usal hike and drive by and stops at restoration sites on the South Fork [parallel to M&M road that connects to Highway 1. Restoration work accomplished, approved, and potential. Remnant Old Growth Redwoods and remarkable conditions and habitat along the North Fork. Ocean access as well – coming or going. Coho resurgence and future potential.