Summer 1999 Conservation Almanac Newsletter, Trinity County Resource Conservation District

8/3/2019 Summer 1999 Conservation Almanac Newsletter, Trinity County Resource Conservation District

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1 Trinity County Resource Conservation District Summer Issue 1999

10 miles of road decommissioning

reduction in road-related impacts to anadromousfish habitat

Over $1,000,000 for watershed restoration androad maintenance work

Public support

One of the benefits of collaborating is the pooling of

(Continued on page 2)

Conservation AlmanacConservation AlmanacConservation AlmanacConservation AlmanacTrinity County Resource Conservation District

Summer 1999 Special Edition: Funded by California Department of Fish and Game SB-271 Vol. VIII No. 3

Also In This Issue:South Fork Trinity TMDLMessage from the SF CRMP CoordinatorSouth Fork Trinity River Watershed MapDistrict Managers CornerKids Page

Cooperation Gets Results inthe South Fork Trinity River

The South Fork Trinity River Coordinated ResourceManagement Plan (CRMP) is a unique partnership thathas provided everything from a Watershed Analysis toon-the-ground restoration projects. The CRMP is thecooperative effort of a group of landowners, timbercompanies and agencies that has resulted in water-shed restoration that might not have been possible oth-erwise.

A new approach was taken in the East Fork/SmokyCreek watershed analysis when the Forest Service(USFS) entered into the project jointly with the SouthFork CRMP and utilized specialists from a diverse ar-ray of agencies and organizations working as an inter-disciplinary team. This collaboration was envisionedby the USFS and the CRMP members to speed up theanalysis process and accelerate the rate at which wa-tershed protection and restoration was occurring withinthe South Fork Trinity River basin. The members weredrawn from the USDA Natural Resources Conserva-tion Service (NRCS), the Trinity County RCD, US Fishand Wildlife Service, Humboldt State University, PacificWatershed Associates, as well as several private con-sultants and the USFS. The watershed analysis pro-

ject was so successful that it has led to an on-goingpartnership between the USFS and the South Fork

CRMP. Some of the accomplishments to date withinthe South Fork are:

comprehensive inventory of road and streamcrossings risks and problems, estimated to beroughly 700 miles of road and almost 50% of theSouth Fork Trinity River drainage area, excludingHayfork Creek

76 miles of road storm-proofing

19 miles of hydrologic road closure

South Fork Watershed Road Improvement Project


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where culverts had plugged and waterran down the road for extended dis-tances. Upgrades to the roads similarto those discussed above have beenundertaken by the RCD on these prop-erties, because of the direct impact thatsediment from road crossing failureshas on the South Fork Trinity River andits fishery. Both properties are located

adjacent to the South Fork Trinity Riveritself, so sediment delivery to the riveris potentially very large when erosiondoes occur.

All these projects reflect the CRMPsphilosophy that people who live, work,and recreate on a given piece of landare the people who are most interestedin, and capable of, developing plans forits sustainable use. The CRMP wel-comes opportunities to create partner-ships between private landowners suchas Simposn Timber, Hidden ValleyRanch, River Spirit, and local, state,and federal agencies in order to meetthe needs of the parties and protectand enhance valuable aquatic re-sources. The collaboration that hastaken place in this watershed is becom-ing the way to get things done, by com-bining resources and objectives of dif-ferent groups, consolidating these andpreventing duplication of efforts. Wehope to see this trend continue.

RCD HOLDS FIRST STREAMCARE WORKSHOP

Schedule to be Changed...

The RCD held its first Stream Careworkshop at the Weaverville library onMay 15th. Supervisor Ralph Modinekicked off the workshop with a de-scription of the challenges with whichthe citizens of Trinity County are facedin managing natural resources, whiletrying to restore economic health to ourcommunities. He described the effortsof Trinity County and its north coastneighbors to work with regional andfederal agencies involved in endan-gered species and water quality regula-tions to find alternatives to new regula-tions. The stream care workshops areone such effort.

resources it allows. Much more workis able to get accomplished than ifpursued individually. More moneyactually goes into on-the-ground pro-

jects. In another example of coop-erative projects in the South Fork in-volved the CRMP working closelywith Simpson Timber, a CRMP par-ticipant, on their private lands in thePelletreau Creek watershed. A com-prehensive inventory of roads andstream crossings was conducted withfunds provided by the NorthwestEmergency Assistance Program(NEAP), which was established toprovide assistance and training fordisplaced fishermen in the wake ofserious declines in ocean harvesting.Technical oversight was provided byDanny Hagans of Pacific WatershedAssociates. Undersized culvertswere upgraded to prevent pluggingthat can occur in high storm flows

and cause road fill to enter thestream as additional sediment.

The RCD has partnered with the PostMountain Public Utilities District(PUD) to reduce sediment deliveryfrom road systems within the PostMountain/Trinity Pines area. Sedi-mentation from these eroding roadshad the potential to enter tributariesto Rattlesnake Creek and work itsway into the South Fork Trinity River,adversely affecting important spawn-

ing and rearing habitat. The fundingof this project was a combination oftwo sources. The Post MountainPUD received emergency grant fundsthrough FEMA to address storm-related damage to roads as well asTrinity River Restoration programfunds. The road network was inven-toried, mapped on a GIS, and imple-mented with typical practices includ-ing upgrading culverts, installing roll-ing dips and placing rock surfacing onthe road in order to reduce sediment

delivery.

Other projects have been undertakenat the request of landowners in theSouth Fork Trinity River basin. Hid-den Valley Ranch and River Spiritcommunity requested assistance torepair damage to roads as a result ofthe January 1997 storms. In someplaces, entire sections of road onthese properties were washed out

The workshop participants had theopportunity to discuss a wide range ofissues, including Miles Croom, Na-tional Marine Fisheries Service, dis-cussing the status of the proposed ri-parian buffer. Staff from the RCDand the Natural Resource Conserva-tion Service (NRCS) presented infor-mation on stream health, native treesand how to plant them, and wildlifethat use streams and the riparian vege-tation along the banks. Tree seedlingswere given away to all of the partici-pants. A special childrens programwas set up with birdhouse buildingand Creek Critterscoloring books.The highlight for most participantswas the short trip to Sydney Gulch atLee Fong Park, where Tim Viel, afisheries biologist with the NRCS, ledteams through a simple, landownersstream assessment process. As Bon-nie OConnor, one of the participantsput it, Theres so much here to learn.Dont miss the opportunity.

At least three more workshops areplanned, but the schedule is beingchanged to accommodate the busysummer schedules of Trinity Countyresidents. Pat Frost, the RCD DistrictManager, said This is such an impor-tant issue for residents in the countythat we want to make every attempt tomake it available to everyone. Thereis so much going on in the summerthat the workshop team has decided toshift the schedule until September andOctober. The RCD will provide arevised schedule for workshops inLewiston, Big Bar, and Hayfork. Callthe RCD for more information.

Workshop Stream Assessment


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the Trinity River Clean-up duringthe summer of 1998. This yearBrenda has been an importantbehind-the-scenes player in theDistricts Stream Care Work-shops, and a regular contributorto the Conservation Almanac.Her next major project at the

Planning Department will be theUrban Stream Coho Project. Thisis a part of the Five-County CohoPlan, in which she will assessstream conditions and identifycandidate sites for Coho habitatrestoration.We at the Trinity County RCD arevery thankful that Trinity CountyPlanning Department has beenable to share Brendas skills andtime with us, and as a landownerin Trinity County I am pleased tobe able to say that the countyhas benefited from the dedica-tion and efforts of people likeBrenda and Bill.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

SF CRMPJuly 21 RCD office Weaverville

10am

Aug 31 Hayfork Fairgrounds10am

Stream Care WorkshopsLewiston \

to be scheduledBig Bar in September

and OctoberHayfork /

DID YOU KNOW?

Senate Bill 271 (SB-271) providesfunding for salmon and anadromoustrout habitat restoration in coastalwaters through the Department of Fishand Games Fishery RestorationGrants Program. It provided $2.65million in fiscal year 1997/1998 and

provides up to $7 million per yearuntil the year 2002.

Fork CRMP group continues towork towards its restorationgoals strengthening existingpartnerships and seeking newones.

The dedicated efforts of individu-als are another important waythat we are able to meet theDistricts goal of landowners as-sisting landowners. Brenda Rey-nolds is a good example.Brenda, whom many of youprobably have met, came toTrinity County in January. She isa second year, AmeriCorps

member with the WatershedStewardship Program working inthe Trinity County Planning De-partment. Her background, aB.S. in zoology from HumboldtState University and previouswork with The Watershed Stew-ardship Program in WillowCreek, has been a valuable addi-tion to the Districts staff. Herfield work has included salmonmonitoring, and fishery's habitat

restoration, but her skills in edu-cation and outreach are whereshe has contributed the most.Last year in Willow Creek shehelped to develop classroom andfield projects highlighting the im-portance of our natural re-sources, especially the rivers andstreams. She also coordinated

District Managers

Corner

Managing the natural resources ofTrinity County achieving a bal-ance between utilization and con-servation is central to the mis-sion of the Trinity County Re-source Conservation District. Oneof the most important tools thatwe have available for meeting thischallenge is the people in our owncommunities. If you read the pa-pers or watch TV, you haveprobably heard about the impor-tance of biodiversity, and its rela-tionship to the health of our natu-ral resources. Greater diversityresults in a stronger and more re-

silient environment. It also holdstrue that diversity of interests andopinions strengthens our ability tomanage our resources our for-ests, fish, wildlife, soil and water.Bringing varied interests to the ta-ble helps resources agencies makesound, balanced management de-cisions. Getting people involved iswhat the District is all about. Oneway has been through a processcalled Coordinated Resource Man-

agement Planning, or CRMP. Aproblem, or set of problems, in awatershed is identified and all ofthe interested parties are invitedto share in the development of thesolutions. This has been usedsuccessfully in the South Fork ofthe Trinity River to begin to ad-dress declining fisheries andeconomies, the possible reasonsfor their decline, and the methods

that can be used to restore both.It is an ongoing, dynamic process.The management strategies areadjusted, as new information be-comes available. Bill Huber, alandowner and grape grower inHyampom, is the coordinator ofthe South Fork Trinity River CRMP,and through his efforts the South

Brenda Reynolds


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As with most booms, the resource, (inthis case, wood), became less avail-able, and the economy it built and sup-ported collapsed, or went bust.

Trinity County is no stranger to thistype of boom and bust cycle. First itwas fur, then gold, then wood. Asbooms and busts go, people and re-sources get shoved aside. Nobodyever dreamed that we wouldnt havewood available, or that the huge runsof salmon and steelhead could ever bediminished. They were as dependableas the weather!

Dependable indeed! The sameweather that filled Trinity Lake thewinter that the gates were closed onTrinity Dam, flooded the South Forkof the Trinity River, too. To be sure,the South Fork had flooded before, butthe intensity of the 64 flood, coupledwith all of the roads and cut-over land:gutted creeks and delivered thousandsof tons of sediment to the river!Salmon and Steelhead populations di-minished as the silt smothered their

eggs. BIG, BIG, PROBLEM!

Now, we say the South Fork is unregu-lated. By that we mean no dams.There are plenty of regulations, stat-utes, ordinances, and opinions that go

Message From the South ForkCRMP CoordinatorBill Huber, Hyampom

Everyone would like to think theyhave the answer to improve the riversin Trinity County. And everyonedoes! A problem arises when people

dont agree whose answer is right.If you read the Trinity Journal, thenits clear, weve got a problem, be-cause people dont agree, except onsome of the most basic facts, like...oh... say... the weather, and eventhats open to plenty of discussion(but nobody does anything about it)!

So, How do you fix a river? Howare we ever going to come up with ananswer and get people to agree on

something as big and complex as ariver? After all, rivers here in TrinityCounty really start at the top of theridge and go to the ocean! Weretalking BIG problem!

Maybe we should look at smallerpieces! Something in the range of980 square miles, over 600,000 acres.That happens to be the area of theSouth Fork of the Trinity River, solets take a look at it as a whole wa-

tershed. Its one of the largest un-regulated (un-dammed) rivers in theUnited States!

The South Fork of the Trinity River,including Hayfork Creek, drains thenorth side of the Yolla Bolly Wilder-ness and flows north to meet themainstem of the Trinity River nearSalyer. Its mostly uninhabited, withpeople concentrated in the not-so-huge metropolis of Hayfork, and its

even smaller neighboring communi-ties of Hyampom, Wildwood, andForest Glen. There was a time whenthese were booming timber towns.The South Fork and its environs pro-vided huge volumes of timber that fedmills from Forest Service land andprivate timber company land, whichtogether cover 85% of the watershed.

along with (or against) them! Putthe regulations together with a dozenagencies, passionately opinionatedindividuals, environmental organiza-tions, and private timber companies;How could we ever hope to agreeon anything, much less accomplishanything? The answer is the South

Fork Trinity River Coordinated Re-source Management PlanningGroup! Or South Fork CRMP forshort.

The South Fork CRMP has hadsome remarkable accomplishments.

We found out that by meeting andtalking and planning we CAN agreeon some things, and actually worktogether to accomplish some com-mon goals. From the CoordinatedResource Management Plan for theSouth Fork of the Trinity River:

The CRMP process operates on the

local level with the underlying phi-losophy being that those who live,

work, and recreate on a given piece

of land are the people most inter-ested in and capable of developing

plans for its use. Inevitable conflicts

in resource use that arise from di-

verse interests and goals are bestsolved by face-to-face communica-

tion among all interested groups and

Beautiful Upper South Fork Trinity River


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South Fork Trinity RiverSediment Total Maximum Daily

Load (TMDL)

The South Fork Trinity River water-shed is included on CaliforniasClean Water Act Section 303(d) listas water quality limited due to sedi-

ment. The sedimentation in theSouth Fork Trinity River watershedwas judged to exceed the existingWater Quality Standards necessaryto protect the beneficial uses of thebasin, particularly the cold waterfishery. Accelerated erosion frompast and present land use practicesand natural sources impacts the mi-gration, spawning, reproduction, andearly development of cold water fishsuch as spring and fall run chinook

salmon and steelhead trout.

The South Fork Trinity River TMDLwas completed by the US Environ-mental Protection Agency (EPA) inDecember 1998. The EPA wascommitted to develop TMDLs for 18rivers by December 31, 2007 as aresult of a consent decree entered inthe US District Court, Northern Dis-trict of California (Pacific Coast Fed-eration of Fishermans Associations

vs. Marcus). The purpose of theSouth Fork TMDL is to identify sedi-ment loading targets that, when im-plemented, are expected to result inthe attainment of applicable waterquality standards for sediment.

The components of the TMDL in-clude:Problem Statement-including as-sessment of instream and up-slope conditions

Instream Numeric Targets-intended to represent acceptableconditions for cold water fish

Analysis of Significant Sedi-ment Sources-past and presentimpacts on streams

Linkage Analysis-to assess themagnitude of impairment and as-sociated levels of sediment

(Continued on page 6)

Strive toprevent listing of spe-

cies under the EndangeredSpecies Act t h r o u g hhabitat improvement andpopulation recovery.

Increase forest productivity

through soil conservation.

Provide access to, and facili-

tate transfer of, technical infor-mation and expertise.

Serve as a liaison between the

agencies, industries and localgrass roots groups.

So, you might ask, What has theSouth Fork CRMP accom-plished? We can agree on theweather. And we have helped allof the agencies get together andidentify the problem -- sediment;

its main source road-related ero-sion; and the solution -- reductionof sediment delivery to streams bythose roads.

Through the efforts of the CRMPgroup, roads get addressed throughrepairs, upgrades, and/or closed.We have gotten agencies from thecounty, state, and federal govern-ments and large and small land-owners to work together in unique

relationships to achieve restorationprojects that simply wouldnt oc-cur without a CRMP.

The CRMP continues to fosterthese collaborations and help findways to fund them, and encour-ages anyone with an opinion toparticipate. Little by little, we areworking toward the goals wherewe find agreement. While it wontchange the weather, it does make a

difference, and its no small ac-complishment!

For more information, or to get onthe mailing list of the South ForkCRMP, contact Bill Huber at(530) 628-5128, or the TCRCD.

individuals. Experience has shown

that people with diverse viewpointswho voluntarily meet together as a

planning team will find common

ground as they interact with one an-

other and have a chance to observeresource problems first hand.

Through discussion, landowners,

users, and resource managers beginto understand and respect eachother's viewpoints. The end result is

constructive problem solving

through cooperative resource plan-

ning.

This actually happens! Now, Iknow, meetings are not everyonescup of tea. But, the South ForkCRMP meetings arent always theslow, deliberative yawners typical of

government, nor are they packedwith the rants and raves of angrymalcontents. We try to insert asmall dose of levity, lest we takeourselves too seriously; and brevity,to avoid the dreaded meeting creep(and to keep from starving!). Allwith the stated goals and objectivesin mind; no small task. Again, fromThe Plan:

Goals:

Develop and implement a coordi-

nated resource management planfor the recovery of the fisheriesand economies of the South ForkTrinity River Basin.

Promote equality, cooperation

and voluntary participationamong all members of theCRMP process.

Build trust.

Objectives:

Provide the leadership necessary

to bring diverse interest groups

to agreement on resource man-agement opportunities.

Perform upland watershed

analysis and inventory.

Determine risk potential for

sediment yield from private andpublic land.

Assess water quality and quan-

tity improvement opportunities.


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Project supervision by aRegistered ProfessionalForester.

The minimum project size fortree planting or thin/releasework is five acres and 20acres for forest resource man-

agement projects.Erosion control and fish andwildlife habitat improvementprojects have no size limita-tions. Any work requiredunder the Forest PracticesAct is not eligible for CFIPfunding.

Ninety percent cost sharerates are provided for work on

lands damaged by wildfires,insects, disease, wind, floods,landslides or earthquakesduring the last ten years.

Please contact DuaneShintaku at the CaliforniaDepartment of Forestry andFire Protection (530) 623-5681, if you have any ques-tions or would like to submit

an application.

(Continued from page 5)

source reductions necessary toaddress the problem

Allocation of Loads-to distrib-ute needed load reductionsamong various sources

The TMDL was developed by re-viewing and analyzing existing

data on instream resources anddesired conditions. The numerictargets were developed based onliterature sources, existing datafor the South Fork, and best pro-fessional judgment. A sedimentsource analysis was developed todetermine sources and quantitiesof sediment delivery to the streamsystem utilizing air photo analy-sis, modeling and literature-basederosion rates to estimate sedi-

ment production over time. Thisanalysis estimates that sedimentdelivery to the stream averaged1,053 tons per square mile peryear over the period 1944-90.

This report concludes that anoverall improvement of about30% from the historical sedimentloading rate would achieve targetconditions, although there isvariation between indicators. Tar-

gets include fish population re-covery, channel form and struc-ture recovery, improved substratesize distribution, as well as de-creased sediment delivery. Imple-mentation and meeting the tar-gets of this TMDL is the responsi-bility of the North Coast RegionalWater Quality Control Board.

This TMDL addresses only sedi-ment impairment. High tempera-

tures were identified as additionalsources of impairment in the 1998303(d) listing process, but werenot included in this TMDL. TheEPA indicates that temperatureimpairments will be addressed ina future TMDL.

CFIP FUNDS AVAILABLEFOR LANDOWNERS

Funds for fish and wildlife habitatimprovement, tree planting, thinand release, and erosion controlprojects will soon be available

through the California Forest Im-provement Program (CFIP).

CFIP is a state-funded programaimed at improving the economicvalue and environmental qualityof forestlands. CFIP can help re-build forest and wildlife re-sources to meet our future needsfor a healthy environment andproductive forests. Forest land-owners can be reimbursed up to75% of their expenses for the fol-lowing practices:

Fish and wildlife habitat improve-ment, including creation of corri-dors and openings, planting blue,valley, coast live or Engelmannoaks or riparian species, install-ing exclusion fencing along wa-tercourses and wetlands, andstream restoration projects.

Preparation of a Manage-ment Plan.

Tree thinning or release. Site preparation, tree plant-

ing, and follow-up work,such as adding browseguards or fertilizer.

Erosion control, includingrevegetation, road rehabilita-tion, and installation of struc-tures such as waterbars,rocked crossings, or checkdams to reduce soil ero-sion and stream sedimenta-tion.


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K

I

D

S

P

A

G

E

SouthForkTr

inityRiverWatershed

TheSouthForkTrinityRiverwatershedisalargeareaof

TrinityCounty,coveringabout980squaremiles.Thou-

sandsofinsects,birds,m

ammalsandfish,includinghu-

mans,maketheirhomeinornearthemanycreeksand

streamsintheSouthForkwatershed.Lookatthemapof

theSouthForkTrinityRiverwatershedontherightofthis

page.Doyouliveinthis

watershed?Haveyouvisitedany

oftheplacesidentifiedon

themap?

Trytoname20typesoflivingcreaturesfoundnearyour

home.Writethem

down

onapieceofpaper.Next,

unscramblethefollowing

wordsofanimalsfoundinthe

watershed.Howmanyw

ordsmatchyourlistofcreature

s?

rede____________

otutr________________

_

rbdis__________

__

adot________________

_

maslno________

__

etotrs_______________

_

atb_____________

ltretbuyf_____________

_

kciertc__________

legae________________

cdku__________

__

pograsprehs___________

whka___________

eanks_______________

_

romtam

_________

xfo_________________

_

rbea____________

tnoamunioiln__________

Summer 1999 Conservation Almanac Newsletter, Trinity County Resource Conservation District

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Transcript of Summer 1999 Conservation Almanac Newsletter, Trinity County Resource Conservation District