Mattole Restoration

n e ws
w i n tE R / Spri n g 2009 I SS U E # 3 1

The Future of Restoration – New Tools and Big Dreams

By Joel Monschke
One of the main goals that inspired the founding of the
MRC was to restore local salmonid populations through a water-
shed-wide approach to restoring natural systems. So, how do we
get there? Amid this political climate of hope and alarm—with the
state’s financial crisis freezing some of our work—we will have to
stay on the cutting edge of planning, implementation, and moni-
toring techniques if we want to continue garnering support in
financially tough times.
Planning has been part of the MRC’s work since our 1989
catalog of erosion sources, Elements of Recovery, and the current
development of Mattole Watershed Plan 2.0 takes that process to
the next level. However, our efforts to achieve this goal can all be
broken down into the simplest, yet most difficult question of all:
What are the largest limiting factors that threaten salmonid popu-
lations and how do we treat those problems?
I do not claim to have an answer to this difficult question,
but may be able to offer some insight—at least as far as sedi- We dream of a restored watershed that may one day provide for
ment is concerned. I have a background in geology and hydrol- salmon and steelhead runs in the Mattole that are abundant
ogy, and have seen on-the-ground conditions across much of the enough to support sustainable subsistence harvests. The fishermen
watershed. In many of the headwater creeks, the streambanks above caught these fish in the Mattole River early in the 20th
and hillslopes are stabilizing, a significant portion of the sediment century. Photo courtesy of Laura Cooskey, Mattole Valley Historical Society
sources have been treated, and hydrologic processes appear to
tices and development, has been flushed out of the upper tribu-
be functioning naturally. While certain components—like abun-
taries. This sediment persists in lower-gradient reaches throughout
dant large wood—may still be lacking, improved hydrology allows
the watershed and wreaks havoc on natural hydrologic processes.
for regrowth of the riparian canopy and the formation of pools.
In turn, the fish suffer, especially in the estuary where shallow
However, in recent years, many of these tributaries are suffering
water and a lack of riparian canopy often lead to low survival in
from a new ailment: the potentially catastrophic lack of late sum-
the summer months. Significant work has been done to improve
mer flows, especially prevalent in drought years like the summer
estuary conditions, with the Mattole Salmon Group installing
of 2008. Sanctuary Forest is taking the lead on this issue as its staff
habitat and streambank stabilization structures. More site-specific
develops a hydrologic model and groundwater management plan
work is scheduled, but to reach ideal conditions, a much broader,
to help provide a framework for future projects.
watershed-wide restoration approach is necessary. Indeed, this
Although low summer flows contribute to poor habitat
comprehensive approach is already underway with upslope sedi-
conditions in the lower river, the presence of excessive sediment
ment reduction projects throughout the watershed.
compounds the problem. Sedimentation caused by the great
However, many questions arise when we try to envision
floods of 1955 and 1964, and aggravated by poor logging prac-
these projects as part of a watershed-wide program of recovery.
For example: how does a streambank stabilization project in one
“What are the largest limiting part of the watershed affect the estuary? How fast is sediment
moving through the system? Where can restoration activities have
factors that threaten salmonid the most effect? How long will it take for conditions to improve?
Intrigued by these questions, we have begun to develop a
populations, and how do we sediment-modeling project. This modeling tool will interpret the
processes that shape stream channels and landforms throughout
treat those problems? ” “New Tools and Big Dreams” - continued on page 10

Mattole Restoration Council NON-PROFIT In this issue...

P.O. Box 160 U.S. POSTAGE
Petrolia, California 95558 PAID
PERMIT NO. 5
Page 3: Putting the U Back in Council
PETROLIA, CA Page 4: Forest Practices Program, PTEIR
95558 Page 5: Mattole Turbidity Study
Page 6: Lampreys of the Mattole
Page 7: Mattolians Unite in Weed Control
Pages 8 & 9: Native Grasslands
Enhancement
Page 11: Community Celebrates
Restoration
Page 13: Dilemma in Late September
Page 14: Staff and Board Updates
Page 15: Moving to Petrolia & Going
Home
Page 16: Mattole Salmon Group News
 Mattole Restoration
newsletter From the executive Director…
Published twice yearly by:
The Mattole Restoration Council On Dangers, Opportunities, and Change
Headquarters Office
P.O. Box 160 Petrolia, CA 95558
Phone: (707) 629-3514 Two thousand eight, right down to its very last days, was
Fax: (707) 629-3577 a year filled with accomplishment, excitement, change,
email: [email protected]
Upriver Office
peril and risk. MRC’s Good Roads, Clear Creeks program
P.O. Box 223 • whitethorn, CA 95589 completed another highly successful construction season,
Phone: (707) 986-1078
email: [email protected] stabilizing 106,832 cubic yards of sediment that had
www.mattole.org threatened to enter the river and its tributaries. Our wild
and working Lands program planted out 31,050 native
mattole restoration council Vision
we look forward to a time in the Mattole watershed when
tree and grass starts, many of which we raised from seed
“restoration” will no longer be needed to address the effects in our burgeoning native plant nursery in Petrolia. The
of our land-use practices, and the watershed and its human
communities are healthy and self-sustaining. we seek to
Telegraph Ridge fire break completed the eye-pleasing roadside forest improvement
educate ourselves regarding the natural processes at work from Honeydew clear to the watershed’s boundary at ettersburg Junction. The closely
involving the flora, fauna, geology, and streams of the
Mattole; to learn about best land management practices;
watched Pacific Lumber bankruptcy ended in a widely praised resolution that put the
and to share with our neighbors what we learn. we hope that management of 18,000 acres of ecologically critical Mattole timberlands in the hands
over time, a common understanding of these factors will help
to shape broadly held community standards that will sustain
of a company with a far better environmental track record than its predecessor on
the natural endowment of this place for future generations. that land, the Maxxam Corporation. we welcome Humboldt Redwood Company and
Processes of recovery are already at work in the Mattole. we
will apply what we learn by undertaking cooperative projects
look forward to future collaboration toward our mutual goals of watershed heath and
in watershed restoration to enhance those processes, healing sustained productivity.
the landscape as we heal our relations with one another.

BoarD of Directors “we will continue to promote watershed

Marcia ehrlich • sally French • Freeman House
Dave Kahan • Michele Palazzo
restoration as an essential public infrastructure,
Gary “Fish” Peterson • Cassie Pinnell • Claire Trower
Hartwell welsh • Rob Yosha • Ken Young
very much worthy of public investments.”
staff
F. Jeremy wheeler • executive Director
Amid these and other accomplishments too numerous to mention here, arose less
Claire Trower • Bookkeeper encouraging circumstances. we lost our long time restoration maestro and fire-safe
steve Lovett • Contracts Director visionary JJ Hall. The Mattole River posted its lowest flows in 58 years of record-
Pamela Conn • Contracts Manager keeping. when the rains finally did come, they failed to produce the high water that
nancy smith • Office Manager would provide the salmon full passage to their headwaters spawning gravels, and
Jessica wygal • Office Assistant many spawned in sub-optimal locations low in the river.
wild and working Lands
seth Zuckerman • Matt Cocking • Ali Freedlund
And in the last days of the year, the state of California—our single largest funder—
Mike Gordon • Hugh McGee • Andrew nash announced to us (and hundreds of other organizations across the state) that it was
Monica scholey unable to sell its bonds on the open market and would no longer pay for contracted
work, starting yesterday (happy holidays!). sure enough, the global financial
Good Roads, Clear Creeks meltdown had found its way to our little corner of the world. Fortunately, MRC’s
Joel Monschke • Jessica DeKelver • Angie Frerichs
finances are diversified enough that this bond funding freeze will not shut us down. It
Janna Pingle
does however have the potential to severely impact our ongoing projects and ability
ecological education: C. Moss • Theresa Vallotton to deliver on our restoration mission. It all depends on the duration of the freeze,
GIs/IT Department: Kimi Feuer • stephanie Cepellos which in turn depends on our legislators’ ability to balance the state budget and earn
watershed Planner: stephen Umbertis back the trust of global investors.
Resource Center & Development: Lauren Lubowicki
Outreach Associate: Flora Brain In this context of uncertainty and risk, we look forward with renewed resolve. There is
Monitoring Coordinator: nathan Queener
always opportunity to be found within challenges, and we do have cause for optimism
Americorps Mentor: Blase Bonpane
Americorps watershed stewards Project Members:
as we look toward the coming years. Our organization and our partners have invested
David Bloch • Lindsey Baris much in developing stronger collaborative frameworks. early in 2009 we will publish
our next iteration of the Mattole watershed Plan, presenting a collective vision for the
neWsletter ProDuction next ten years of place-based restoration. In addition, we will finalize our next five-
editors year strategic Plan, identifying MRC’s particular roles in the larger Mattole watershed
Flora Brain • Amanda Malachesky • seth Zuckerman
restoration effort.
Layout and Design
Flora Brain we welcome President Obama’s ideas for jump-starting the economy through public
infrastructure projects. we will continue to promote watershed restoration as an
Co nt r i b u to r s :
Aramis Andrews • Kayden Blair • Flora Brain essential public infrastructure, very much worthy of public investments. And we
Kate Cenci • Dakota Cox • stephanie Cepellos look forward to working with you, our members and friends, in all of the work ahead.
Israel Dellamas • Ali Freedlund • Mike Gordon we are constantly reminded of the value of community involvement in the work of
Jen Hayes • Lauren Lubowicki • Hugh McGee
Joel Monschke • C. Moss • Andrew nash • Tyler watershed restoration. These challenging times only emphasize its importance. To
Pietila • nathan Queener • skyler strange • Isaac west provide your input, drop a line to our new letters to the editor feature, or simply
Jeremy wheeler • Jacob York • seth Zuckerman address your thoughts to me, and I will see they are distributed among our directors
And a special Thank You to our supporters... and officers. we look forward to hearing from you!
Bella Vista Foundation • Bureau of Land Management
California Department of Fish and Game • California
Fire safe Council • Cereus Fund • County of Humboldt
Dean witter Foundation • Humboldt Area Foundation
McLean Foundation • Mountaineers Foundation • national
Fish and wildlife Foundation • national Oceanic and Letters to the editor Policy
Atmospheric Administration • Patagonia, Inc. • Ray and
Marie Raphael • Resources Legacy Fund Foundation
Rose Foundation • save the Redwoods League • state Do you have thoughts on the natural processes at work in the Mattole? Do you have
Coastal Conservancy • state water Resources Control questions or ideas to share about their restoration? we’d like to hear them. starting in the
Board • Trees Foundation • Us environmental Protection
Agency • Us Fish and wildlife service • Us Forest service next issue, Mattole Restoration news will have a dedicated space for letters to the editor.
UsDA Rural Development and MRC Members and
Friends of the Mattole.
Please email your letters to the editor – 300 words or fewer – to [email protected] or mail
The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of our funders,
nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or them to MR news editor, PO Box 160 Petrolia, CA 95558. Letters should include your full
recommendation for use.
name and place of residence. we may edit for space and clarity.

2 • wInTeR/sPRInG 2009 • MATTOLe ResTORATIOn news

Putting the U Back in Council
By Lauren Lubowicki

On a sunny, July afternoon in 1983, over 30 residents sat pation from you, there would—quite literally—be no place to
under the shady protection of the world’s largest madrone tree restore. Each landowner and resident is an expert on his/her piece
engaged in a discussion of the health of their watershed and its of land. The Council depends on this knowledge and informa-
effect on diminishing salmon runs. By the end of the meeting, the tion exchange to identify sites that could be improved by direct
Mattole Restoration Council was formed, with two basic premises: restoration efforts, and to understand how each piece of land has
1) a watershed-wide focus on restoration was needed in order to changed through time.
create the habitat conditions necessary for salmon to thrive; and In addition to helping guide on-the-ground restoration
2) the people best suited to do this work of restoration were the projects, members play a significant role in guiding the overall
individuals who lived here. strategic direction of the Council. The Council’s Board of Directors
ultimately guides the cur-
rent and future direction
of the organization, and
it is members within the
watershed who decide
who will fill these seats.
Members have the oppor-
tunity to nominate them-
selves and others to run
in our board election, as
well as cast their vote for
whom they would like
to see in this position. It
is especially important
that our members and
Board of Directors fairly
represent the diversity of
opinions that exist within
Participants at the 1999 Mattole Restoration Council our watershed. Middle
membership meeting. Photo: MRC Archives Mattole rancher and Council board member Sally French stressed
The importance of active, individual participation in res- the importance of having the ranching perspective represented
toration activities caused the Council to incorporate in 1986 as within the Council: “Ranchers own the largest sections of proper-
a membership organization. This structure allowed the Council ty in the Mattole watershed; whatever they do is important to all.
and Mattolians to rely on one another for mutual support: the Expanding our membership in this direction is important...who
Council served as a resource for information, workers, project belongs to an organization ultimately controls the direction that
coordination, and funds for landowners interested in restoring organization takes on issues important to all of us.”
their piece of the watershed. Landowners and residents provided On the financial level, membership dollars provide the
the intimate knowledge of place that would be necessary to com- Council with steady funds that may be used in areas of greatest
plete a goal as lofty as the revitalization of an entire watershed. need. As a watershed community, we understand that restoring
Individual members were the heart of the Council, as well as the the Mattole is best done by the people who live here, but what we
entire restoration effort. don’t often consider is the relative instability of relying on outside
Fast forward to today. The increased understanding of sources to fund this work. This is apparent now more than ever, as
the importance of watershed-wide health in fisheries restoration our largest funder announced in the last weeks of December that
led to an increase in the amount of funds available to complete its bond-funded contracts are on hold indefinitely. An important
restoration activities. This forced the Council to become more way to combat this instability is with support from all sectors of
structured in its daily operations in order to handle the increased our watershed population who have an interest in returning the
organizational demands of grants and contracts. This growth Mattole to a healthy and productive community for all inhabit-
and more formalized role of the Council within the community ants.
changed how many residents, and even members, felt about the
organization. According to co-founder Freeman House, “In the “While times have changed and
past, the distinction of being an MRC staff member was almost
non-existent. The relationship was more like neighbors knocking
on doors and asking for permission to complete projects, not a
the organization has evolved,
formal staff member of one of the larger institutions in the water-
shed working for a specific program. The formalizing of the role
members are still the
of staff and the increase in the size of the MRC has changed that
nostalgic relationship that many people desire.”
lifeblood of the Council.”
This growth spurt, however, made lofty restoration goals
more attainable, as the scope of projects increased and allowed At this time, we invite you to re-engage with the Council
many individuals to actually earn a living by restoring this place. and let your voice be heard on all things watershed-related. In the
Today, we are treating a larger percentage of the watershed than spirit of maintaining an active, committed, and engaged member-
we have in our history, and are now one of the largest employers ship, we have re-introduced a letters to the editor column to pro-
in the Mattole. Despite this positive change for the health of this vide a forum for discussion about restoration in the Mattole. We
place and the future of our fisheries, many watershed residents hope to open up lively discussions, providing a space for passion-
have come to question the importance of their individual mem- ate ideas that will propel us well into the future. See page 2 for
bership within an organization that has become comparatively specific guidelines, and stay tuned to our website in the coming
large since its inception. The ironic reality of the situation is that months for an online version. Our monthly board meetings are
while times have changed and the organization has evolved, also open to the public. If you would like to attend a board meet-
members are still the lifeblood of the Council and the entire resto- ing either to observe or discuss an issue, please contact Nancy at
ration effort. our Petrolia office. We look forward to hearing from you, as it will
With 80% of the watershed in private ownership, active take all of us in this watershed, working together and separately,
involvement on the part of watershed residents and landowners to take on the goals that were laid out on that July day in 1983.
is critical to the success of restoration efforts. Without partici- To become a member of the Council, please fill out and
return the enclosed envelope.
WINTER/SPRING 2009 • mattole restoration news • 3
The Evolving Story of the Forest Practices Program
By Ali Freedlund
Once upon an era, in a wee watershed on the westernmost Participating in PL’s watershed analysis in the Mattole took
coast of our continental crust, there flourished young bounding me out in the field to see the spread of the land, finally. After a
hills filled with towering trees that spread out in every direction decade of reviewing only paperwork, I was impressed with the
except in the domains of water and grass. This is the beginning of vitality that remained there, the wildness. And now, the new own-
a story about the Mattole watershed and how human enterprise ers, Humboldt Redwood Company, have pledged both an end to
in the forests changed the dynamics of this place. clearcuts and old-growth logging—two of our biggest concerns.
Since its inception, the Mattole Restoration Council has During PL’s bankruptcy, the largest threat, however, was that their
been a voice for the salmon and the watershed. The Forest holdings would be broken up into smaller parcels.
Practices Program, one of the Council’s oldest programs, regularly As lands get subdivided, forests get fragmented and
commented on proposed Timber Harvest Plans (THPs), asking for degraded: precious water is diverted, more roads and landings are
additional protections to ensure no further impacts to salmon built, exotic flora and fauna compete with native species, and in
habitat or the integrity of the watershed, which included the some cases toxins are introduced. It is high time to support work-
retention of any remaining old growth—more than 90 percent ing forests, both at the industrial level and at the private residen-
of which was cut in the Mattole from 1947 to 1988. In addition, a tial level, in order to keep landscapes intact.
mainstay of the program was to encourage watershed residents Therefore it was a natural to be asked and agree to serve
to get involved in the public comment process and advocate for on the steering committee for the PTEIR (see related article
their place. below). In addition, the Forest Practices Program is participat-
As the coordinator of the program for over 12 years, I can ing in the Buckeye Forest Project, examining ways to reduce
attest that this work was completed in crisis mode. We got the costs for small forestland owners who keep their working forests
word out to affected neighbors, prepared our technical review healthy and productive, and thus less likely to be subdivided. On
and attended review meetings. A few times we succeeded in gain- February 11 and 12, the Project is convening Forest Futures II, a
ing major changes to the plans, sometimes minor changes were two-day conference in Ferndale that will explore ways to weather
incorporated, but, most often, the activities went ahead regard- the downturn in our wood products market on both a private and
less. regional scale. If you want more information contact Ali at 822-
Over the past five years, the priorities of the program have 4477 or [email protected]. To register call UC Cooperative Extension
shifted from crisis management toward envisioning how we can at 445-7351.
support forest management into the future. This major shift has Though we can never return to the unmarred landscape
been in response to several things: a severe drop in the log mar- at the beginning of the story, we can, excitedly, with forethought
ket and thus few actual harvest plans to review, an involvement this time, envision a Mattole and a county where working forests
with Humboldt Redwood Company land (formerly Pacific Lumber provide for both humans and critters in an enduring and vital way.
Company or PL), and a pattern of working forestlands being sub-
divided—some inappropriately—into rural residential properties.

The PTEIR Inches Along

By Seth Zuckerman
Since it was founded in 1983, the Council’s mission has in- bilities and visible indicators of sliding, such as scarps and jack-
cluded a focus on sustainable harvest of nature’s gifts, alongside its strawed trees, to help foresters spot problem areas and give them
quest for ecological recovery. Through the MRC’s Program Timber- a wide berth.
land Environmental Impact Report (PTEIR), the Council is fine-tun- We believe these safeguards will ensure that logging under
ing an approach that will make it easier for landowners to harvest the auspices of the PTEIR will cause no significant harm to fish or
selectively in the Mattole’s second-growth forests. other wildlife. In the coming months, our forestry team will test
Staff and board members of the Council have deliberated that belief with scientific data and analysis. If necessary, we will
at length about the kind of timber harvest we would like to enable. tighten the logging standards embodied in the PTEIR to prevent
Deciding what kind of logging undue impacts from occurring.
we do support, rather than Throughout our analysis, we will
merely identifying the aspects
of logging we oppose, is part of
“The alternative to PTEIR-style be mindful that the alternative
to PTEIR-style logging isn’t a
the “envisioning process” that Ali
Freedlund describes above.
logging isn’t a landscape landscape frozen in time. If light-
touch logging is infeasible, some
In logging under these
plans, landowners who choose
frozen in time.” landowners may find it impos-
sible to make ends meet without
to participate will commit to subdividing their holdings; oth-
steer clear of streams and unstable terrain, forgo the use of herbi- ers may choose to log more intensively, using a regular THP.
cides, and be restricted to a minimal extent of new road as part of While the pace of the project may seem glacial at times, we
their logging operations. All old-growth trees will be off-limits, and believe that the months we’ve taken to blend the wisdom of those
tractor logging will be allowed only on gentle terrain. In exchange, who’ve taken an interest in the project will prove to have been well
we expect landowners will save roughly half the cost of the plan— spent. Early this year, we expect to submit an administrative draft
typically thirty to forty thousand dollars for a regular THP. to CalFire. By summertime, we hope to have published the official
In this journey, we have had the help of a broad-based draft Environmental Impact Report—although the freeze in bond
nine-member steering committee, a team of foresters from the Ar- funding (see Executive Director’s letter, page 2) may slow the pro-
cata firm BBW Associates, and regular consultation with local envi- cess if it persists much beyond press time.
ronmental activists and the five agencies that regulate timber har- Nor will this be the end of the review for PTEIR harvests. In-
vest in California, to craft a template that could be used anywhere dividual plans will still be reviewed and published before approval
in the Mattole. For instance, in response to the Mattole’s geologic by CalFire, with an opportunity for the public to comment. The
sensitivities, we developed a flow-chart that will help foresters Council will be watching, too, to make sure that the plans filed un-
identify sensitive areas that need special treatment or should be der the PTEIR are a bona fide implementation of the plan’s intent.
avoided altogether so as not to trigger landslides through logging Stay tuned to www.mattole.org/pteir for further updates.
or road construction. The flow-chart draws upon mapped insta-
4 • WINTER/SPRING 2009 • mattole restoration news
How Turbid is Murky? Mattole Turbidity Study Aims to Find Out
By Nathan Queener

Driving around the Mattole following a winter storm, it’s

easy to see that some streams run muddy long after others have
cleared up. Chronic turbidity—the length of time which streams
remain cloudy after a rainfall event—varies naturally, and is influ-
enced by a number of factors, including soils and geology, drain-
age size, and topography. Studies in other watersheds in northern
California have also shown that chronic turbidity can be very
sensitive to changes in land use that influence erosion. This winter,
the MRC is beginning a study to determine the degree to which
sediment reduction work through the Good Roads, Clear Creeks
program influences chronic turbidity in ten Petrolia area tributar-
ies.
Generally, only the smallest of sediment particles that a
stream carries—clays and silts—are suspended in the water col-
umn. Larger particles, like gravels and cobbles that are moved
by a stream in large flow events, generally roll or slide along the
stream bed. Sediment suspended in the water column is known
as the “suspended load,” and the larger particles moving along
the stream bed are called the “bedload.” If you’ve ever stood by
a steep, frothing mountain stream running at flood stage you’ve
probably heard the click and clatter of stones skipping along the
bed of the creek. What you’re hearing is the sediment the stream Hydrologist Randy Klein demonstrates turbidity sample collection
is moving as bedload. If the creek also looks dirty and you can’t in lower Mill Creek. Photo by Gary “Fish” Peterson
see into the water, it’s also carrying a substantial suspended
sediment load. Many turbidity studies have targeted sampling at the
The vast majority of a stream’s total annual sediment height of storms, trying to sample when stream flows and tur-
load—consisting of both bedload and suspended sediment—is bidity levels peak. This is not our intent—for one reason, these
transported in just a few big storm events. Likewise, over a longer peaks are very hard to anticipate and capture without expensive
time span, the amount of sediment carried in one big storm year automated sampling equipment (and, according to a source who
can dwarf the amount carried in decades. As an example, during a has done this sampling, they always occur at three in the morning
few days of the 1964 flood, the nearby Van Duzen River mobilized when the sampler has a bad cold). For another reason, the abso-
an amount of bedload equal to that which “normally” moves out lute highest turbidity value might not actually have much influ-
of the basin in a century. The point is that sediment load varies ence on fish—turbidity peaks often last no longer than an hour,
exponentially with streamflow, and it takes a really big flow event and fish can often find a sheltered nook to wait out the worst of
to move much bedload. With a succession of relatively mild win- them.
ters, there may not be any discernible change in a stream’s physi- Instead, we will investigate the duration of high turbid-
cal features such as pools, even if sediment sources are greatly ity levels. Through the winter storm season we will take turbid-
diminished. Measuring pool depth or frequency as an indicator of ity samples following large storms, measuring streamflow at the
watershed recovery can be foiled by mild winters—and by “lega- same time. Since turbidity (and suspended sediment) can vary
cy” sediments stored in the channel from past flood events or land so much with the magnitude of the storm event, knowing how
use, and remobilized. Suspended sediment—and therefore turbid- much water a stream is carrying at the time of taking the sample
ity—is much more immediately responsive to changes in land use. is essential. With sufficient samples, we can construct a turbidi-
graph, plotting turbidity as a function of streamflow. We are espe-
“If fish can’t feed for days at a cially interested in the “lower-bound line” of the turbidigraph, a
turbidity diagnostic developed by Arcata hydrologist Randy Klein.

time during the winter, A lower-bound line with a steeper slope indicates that a stream
maintains higher turbidity concentrations for a given flow.

when they head out into the We chose study streams which are similar in drainage area,
with varying degrees of sediment reduction work scheduled to

ocean they’re going to be occur upstream, including three control streams, where no sedi-
ment reduction work is scheduled to take place. We anticipate

skinny little runts, that turbidity levels in the “treatment” streams where sediment
reduction work takes place this summer may be slightly higher

much more likely to die the following year, but then drop significantly thereafter. Many
thanks are due to the landowners whose gracious cooperation has

or be chomped by a allowed this study to move forward.
In the last few decades, watershed restorationists, private

hungry predator...” landowners, and public agencies in Northern California have
embarked on an unprecedented effort to reduce the amount of

So, what does this have to do with fish? Even moderate sediment entering stream channels. Understandably, people want
levels of instream turbidity can interfere with juvenile salmonids’ to know: are we seeing benefits from this work where it really
ability to feed—it’s hard to catch a mayfly nymph when you can’t counts – in improved instream habitat for salmon and steelhead?
see it. If fish can’t feed, they don’t grow. If they can’t feed for days We hope this study will allow us to offer an informed answer to
at a time during the winter, when they head out into the big wide that question, and improve our understanding of the ways in
ocean they’re going to be skinny little runts, much more likely to which watershed restoration influences instream conditions.
die or be chomped by a hungry predator. The size and condition
in which juvenile salmonids leave fresh water may be as impor-
tant, if not more important, to the number of adults that return
than the sheer number of juveniles which head out into the
ocean. Chronic turbidity in the wintertime can greatly impair juve-
nile salmonids’ ability to grow to a size which will increase their
chances of survival in the ocean and their likelihood to return as
adults.
WINTER/SPRING 2009 • mattole restoration newS • 5
Lamprey For Dinner, Anyone?
By Flora Brain

while the others looked out at the ocean, Gary “Fish” LIFE HISTORY
Peterson’s gaze turned back towards the Mattole. His eyes sank In a single lamprey’s life, however, it is years before it may
to the sand berm, its wet portion recently exposed from the get the chance to attach its sucking disc mouth to a fish such
moments-ago opening of the river mouth. There near his feet he as a salmon. Born in a freshwater nest similar to a salmon redd,
saw something alarming: a mass of wriggling, 6-inch long snake- lamprey larvae called ammocoetes (pronounced AMmo-seats)
like bodies, squirming out of the wet sand. “There must have been move downstream with the current until they reach a spot on the
thousands, tens of thousands of them,” he recalls. what he saw river bottom with fine sand, silt, and organic sediments. They then
down at the Mattole estuary on that fall day in the late 1980s were bury themselves tail first in the muck, with only their large oral
juvenile lampreys, some of the only remaining descendants of the hoods emerging. Here they remain, filter feeding on algae and
most ancient vertebrate creatures on earth. organic matter while safely tucked
away from the jaws of potential
LAMPREY ORIGINS
Contrary to popular belief, “Both sexes work predators, for the majority of their
long larval lives.
lampreys are not eels. while our Generally between five and
neighboring eel River was named
for the presence of long, undulating
together to excavate seven years later, when the ammo-
coete has grown to roughly 6
aquatic creatures, those creatures
thought to be eels were in fact spawning nests by inches in length, it undergoes a
rapid metamorphosis before mov-
lampreys. Lampreys lack jaws and ing downstream to the sea to
paired fins, separating them from
eels and other true fishes. Their
removing gravel with commence the parasitic chapter
of its life. Most lamprey adults
genus name, Lampetra, comes
from the Latin lambere, to suck, their sucking mouths.” will spend up to two years at sea,
feeding on large, soft-scaled fish-
and petra, meaning stone, and es. After this time at sea, the adult
refers to their sucking disc mouth lamprey will return to its freshwa-
parts. Lampreys descended from ter home stream, and in so doing
ostracoderms, the first known ceases to feed. Both sexes work
vertebrates. Ostracoderms were heavily armored with bony external together to excavate spawning nests by removing gravel with
plates, and lived by filter feeding on organic sediments found at their sucking mouths. Maureen Roche claims to have seen a lam-
the bottom of oceans, rivers, and lakes. The name ostracoderm prey pair, bodies entwined, each one’s mouth sucking onto the
translates to “bony skin,” yet it was something beneath their bony same large rock, moving it together out of their spawning nest
plates that paved the evolutionary way for modern fish and all with their combined force! After spawning, the nest is covered
other vertebrate life on this planet. says local Maureen Roche, “Oh, with rocks loosened from the upstream side, and spawned lam-
I like lamprey; they showed salmon the way!” preys generally die. some Pacific lamprey, however, may survive
Running down the length of the early ostracoderms’ body after spawning and make a second round-trip to the sea. Lamprey
was a stiff, cartilaginous rod, the notochord. surrounding the larvae hatch quickly from their eggs, from within about 10 days
notochord were small additional blocks of cartilage to which for western brook, to roughly 19 days for Pacific lamprey.
muscle groups attached. This arrangement of vertebral column within the forty-plus lamprey species worldwide, there
with attaching muscle groups made possible the body movement are significant differences in life history strategies. Most notable
that became the basis for modern fish swimming. The ostracoderms among the species in the Mattole is the presence of one, the
eventually gave rise to new fish groups that possessed jaws, the western brook lamprey, which is not anadromous, but instead
structures that combined with the vertebral column to set the stage remains in the river for the duration of its life. This nonparasitic
for the evolution of land vertebrates. Ironically, the ostracoderms’ lamprey spends two to four years in its filter-feeding larval stage,
bony plates, which initially provided effective defense against before metamorphosing in the fall prior to spawning early in the
invertebrate predators, were apparently unable to withstand the following spring. while western brook lamprey metamorphosis
increasing strength and size of the evolving fish jaw. By the middle involves the formation of a sucking disc mouth like that of the
of the Devonian, around 375 million years ago, all but the lampreys parasitic lampreys, this mouth is never used for feeding.
and their solely marine cousins the hagfish were done for (McGinnis,
2006). Lampreys may have survived partially by one-upping their “Lamprey for Dinner” - continued on page 12
evolutionary competitors, the true fishes, with adult forms that are
parasitic on soft-skinned fish.

Do you know about Petrolia’s Library?

The MRC’s Community Resource Center in Petrolia has
been providing Mattole residents with books, DVDs, aerial
photos, maps, and tributary information since 1995.

Visit us Monday-Thursday upstairs in the Community

Center from 9am to 5pm, or check out our online database
at mattole.org/librarydatabase.xls.

If you would like an item that we do not currently own,

please send an e-mail to [email protected], as we are
sometimes able to purchase new materials.

For even more resources, visit our ever-updated website,

www.mattole.org. Here you’ll find links to voluminous
materials, and very soon we’ll be launching a redesigned
website, so stay tuned!

6 • wInTeR/sPRInG 2009 • MATTOLe ResTORATIOn news

Independently-minded Mattolians Unite Over Weed Control
By Mike Gordon

In the Mattole, where so much of the watershed is managed BEEF FOR BROOM
piece by piece on individual ownerships, there is no way to know Another landowner has been paying broom pullers with
what’s out there unless you ask. Recently, a number of stories have ground beef from cows that grazed in the very pasture being
sounded an encouraging theme: that there are numerous indepen- restored. These “broom-b-cues” have been enjoyable work parties
dent stewards out there working to keep our lands healthy and free that support the local barter economy and the cause of environ-
of weeds. mental restoration. We hope to sponsor more like them.

INDEPENDENT INITIATIVE CURIOSITY MOWED THE MEADOW

For example, one landowner on Wilder Ridge has been At a different Petrolia ranch, one resident has made use of
quietly controlling a small patch of Malta Star Thistle for the past his tractor’s mower deck to eliminate acres of mature broom plants.
4 years. Malta Star Thistle (Centaurea melitensis), a cousin of the He is undertaking a personal research project to find just the right
infamous Yellow Star Thistle (Centaurea solstitialis), has similar combination of timed mowing, burning, and potentially grazing his
spiny flower heads and prodigious seed production that allow it pastures to control the daunting seedbank that had accumulated
to dominate rangelands where it is accidentally introduced. Toxins before he acquired the parcel.
in the stem and leaves give it a strong unpleasant flavor to cattle
and can cause “chewing disease” in horses. Mattole rangelands and “A COMMUNITY THAT PULLS TOGETHER
grasslands are a treasure in part because of the absence of star STAYS TOGETHER”
thistles, which have taken over at least 15 million acres throughout In the middle of the valley, I see the broom along the fence-
the state. line that I watched get taller and taller over the turn of the seasons
because we did not have money to take on any more new projects
A SPROUTING DETECTION FORCE one day pulled and piled. And upstream, a rancher conducts a
This past year, knowing of only two other locations of star yearly pass over a river bank that has recently begun sprouting
thistle in the watershed, MRC took a first stab at controlling the with broom seedlings, pulling them in common spirit. It seems that
plant. Later last summer, an intern who’d been a part of that year’s everywhere, land stewards—who may act quietly and alone—are
Nick’s Interns program discovered a patch of the thistle far out on uniting through the shared satisfaction of invasive weed control.
Spanish Flat while on an annual backpacking trip with Lost Coast And when people join forces without even realizing it, when a com-
Camp. While the discovery was disappointing in that it meant we mon goal brings unlikely parties together, there is cause for great
had more acres of this weed than we realized, it was encouraging hope. In this case, I am inspired and hopeful that the Mattole will
to see that education and outreach had helped grow our detection stay wild and beautiful because we all take pride in keeping it so.
network.

Landowner Steward K.O.’s Cape Ivy

By Mike Gordon
Sean James has lived in Petrolia for 6 years, helping
native salmon and steelhead recover some of their former
health and vigor as a biologist with the Mattole Salmon Group.
Having recently bought property on which to build his home,
Sean discovered a vine blanketing the ground and climbing
aggressively into the canopy of several trees. The vine, Delairea
odorata or Cape Ivy, is rated as one of the most aggressive invaders
in California. It can smother plants on the ground and topple trees
by adding extra weight in storms. Forests invaded by Cape Ivy,
as well as English Ivy, over time become “ivy deserts” where few
other species can survive. Though it provides extremely thorough
groundcover, ivy can actually undermine bank stability because
its roots are not as deep as the mature trees that it destroys. The
foliage is moist and toxic, making it unburnable and ungrazable
(goats will reluctantly eat it). Cape Ivy can resprout from fragments
of stem or root left in contact with soil.
Sean showed me a bag of plant material he had pulled
weeks earlier where a shoot had emerged and was beginning to
creep away from its confines. As we looked at the black plastic
trying in vain to quarantine the potent invasive plant, Sean
recalled how the site of the ivy patch had previously been used
as a dump. Perhaps someone else out there had been battling
their own patch of Cape Ivy and decided the extra couple miles
to the county dump was just too far to go. As we considered this
explanation of the ivy’s origins, there loomed an eerie feeling that
another patch was out there in some unknown location…
Sean recognized that Cape Ivy is a bad thing for the salmon
he works with (Cape Ivy contains toxic pyrrolidizine alkaloids
which, above a certain concentration threshold, can kill fish), as
well as for the view from his house. We would like to recognize
Sean in this newsletter for his vigilance and dedication to the If you have Cape or English Ivy on your property, fall and
health of the watershed. By catching this plant invader early, winter are the best times to pull it out or at least cut the climbers
Sean was able to keep his home site clean and also to spare his to prevent it from setting seed. If you need help or have ANY
neighbors from a nasty weed. On behalf of all the beautiful parts questions, you can go to www.mattole.org/invasives_plants2/
of the watershed that remain undisturbed by invasive Ivy, THANK species_of_concern.htm or call Mike at the MRC: 629-3514.
YOU, SEAN! Photo by Mike Gordon

WINTER/SPRING 2009 • mattole restoration news • 7

 A Year of Native Grassland Enhancement
by Hugh McGee

It all starts with:

Native Grass Seed Collection
Last spring and summer, the native grasslands crew combed miles
and miles of grasslands in the King Range to identify and collect
seed from native grass populations. This past year the grasslands
crew collected 53 pounds of native grass seed, for a total of
MRC Native Plant Nursery Expansion nearly 80 pounds over the past two seasons. Seed was collected
from Idaho fescue, California fescue, blue wildrye, California
and Future Projects brome, leafy reedgrass, junegrass, tufted hairgrass, California
In the coming months, our native plant nursery will be expanding its operations by con- oniongrass, California oatgrass, and big squirelltail. Some of this Native Grass Propagation
structing another hoop house/shade house and increasing production to 25,000 native seed was planted on grassland and GRCC projects this fall, and the Over the past year, we raised approximately
grass plugs of blue wildrye, California oniongrass, California oatgrass, junegrass, California remainder will be used to start our next batch of native grasses at 12,000 native grass plugs of California brome,
fescue, Idaho fescue, leafy reed grass, and tufted hairgrass. These plugs will be planted in the MRC native plant nursery in Petrolia. Idaho fescue, leafy reedgrass, junegrass, and
the fall of 2009 on grasslands enhancement sites on Paradise Ridge, Prosper Ridge, Johnny tufted hairgrass. These plugs were planted on
Jack Ridge, Spanish ridge, private lands, and invasive plant removal and riparian restoration Prosper Ridge, Paradise Ridge, Spanish Flat, and
sites throughout the watershed. The nursery will also be growing nearly 6,000 riparian trees, on a private working lands site.
shrubs and grasses for riparian restoration efforts. The MRC will continue to collect seed from
both grassland and riparian species for future revegetation projects.

Paradise Ridge Fire

Working Lands Native Grassland Enhancement
Native Grass Rehabilitation
In December, the MRC partnered with a local
landowner to establish native grass patches on Last October, the native grasslands crew re-vegetated
private land. A 1/10th of an acre site was burned, nearly 3 acres of bulldozer lines that were cut during
disked, seeded with blue wildrye and planted the Paradise Fire this summer. With hopes of re-estab-
with 100 plugs of Idaho fescue. Not only will this lishing native grass populations and stabilizing these
create a local seed collection site for grasslands bulldozer lines, we distributed over 100 pounds of blue
crews, but it will provide native grass straw for wildrye and California brome and nearly 50 pounds of
the landowner. The native straw will be used for blue blossom and manzanita. All sites were raked, fertil-
agricultural purposes as well as local restoration ized, and mulched. These sites will be monitored for
projects. This site will be maintained and moni- survival and growth over the next couple of years.
tored by MRC staff and the landowner.

Prosper Prairie Grassland Reclamation

Spanish Flat Fire Native Grass Rehab Last fall, an MRC thinning crew removed nearly 3 acres of Douglas-fir Native Grasses Now Available For Order!
Last November, seven daring native grass fiends hiked into the Lost Coast to attempt that was encroaching on Prosper Prairie. Sites were cleared of thinned
to establish native grass populations on Spanish Flat. This area burned in the sum- materials and seeded with California brome and blue wildrye. One-year- Blue wildrye: Elymus glaucus
mer of 2007 and was seeded with blue wildrye and California brome in November of old plugs of California brome and Idaho fescue were also planted on A beautiful, blue-green perennial bunchgrass that is good for
2007. The area was planted with over 10,000 plugs of leafy reedgrass, junegrass, and some sites. Some sites were mulched with native grass straw collected stabilizing slopes. Prefers full sun.
tufted hairgrass. These sites will be monitored for survival and growth over the next on site. These sites will be monitored for survival and growth and main-
couple of years. tained by community members in the Prosper Ridge neighborhood.
Idaho fescue: Festuca idahoensis
A small 7” to 12”, hardy and drought tolerant perennial bunchgrass.

Leafy reedgrass: Calamagrostis foliosa

A 2’ to 4’ tall, rare perennial bunchgrass is tolerant of fire, drought
and poor soils.

Tufted hairgrass: Dechampsia cespitosa

Tufted hairgrass grows about 1’ tall and is drought and fire tolerant.

Call the Mattole Restoration Council at 629-3514 or email

[email protected] with questions or to place an order.
Minimum order of 98 plugs. 10% down payment is required.

If you are interested in volunteering on collection, propagation, or planting projects or if you are interested in planting native grasses on your land, please contact Hugh at 629-3514 or [email protected].
Thanks to the landowners, staff, and volunteers who participated in this project, and to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Resources Legacy Fund Foundation, Bella Vista Foundation, and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for funding these projects.

8 • WINTER/SPRING 2009 • MATTOLE RESTORATION NEWS WINTER/SPRING 2009 • MATTOLE RESTORATION NEWS • 9
new Tools and Big Dreams - continued from page 1

the watershed and present the information in a visual format. energy and hydraulics of the lower Mattole are much more pow-
In other words, it will help us understand where the sediment is erful than the forces at work in upstream tributaries. A few of the
coming from and where it is going, and help us see how fast it is most critical questions will be: where should sediment extrac-
moving across the entire watershed. tion take place? How much sediment should be removed? And,
Thanks to advances in computer and mapping technology, where should the extracted material be placed? Local use of the
this once far-fetched idea could now be within reach. However, extracted gravel and cobble for road upgrades—something the
as one local expert advised, “a model is only as good as the input county has done in the past—is an especially interesting topic to
data.” Thus the important question: Do we know enough about explore in the coming years. This could possibly help offset the
the processes at work in the watershed to construct a model that huge cost of importing rock and large wood for stabilization and
will actually be useful to us? we’re not sure, but we think there’s a habitat projects. Combining these lower river projects with contin-
good chance that we do, and if the model does work, it will great- ued sediment reduction work upriver could hasten the return of
ly increase the effectiveness of our efforts. It is my hope that the a hydrologically-functional river system. The model could help us
model will play a big role in prioritizing restoration projects and in predict how soon recovery would occur, depending on the rate of
future watershed planning. restoration activities and other factors. Throughout other regions
Let’s look at some specifics. It is commonly accepted that of the watershed, the model could be coupled with other types of
the estuary is full of sediment, but there is little consensus on how fish habitat data, including salmonid presence, large wood, sum-
long it may take to flush out. The sediment model could help us mer flows, etc., to pinpoint areas where stream reaches have the
make this estimation by analyzing and integrating three impor- highest potential for recovery. It could help prioritize treatment
tant factors: 1) How much sediment is currently in the estuary; 2) locations and predict how restoration projects will affect lower
How fast is the river capable of moving sediment out of the estu- portions of the watershed over time. we will have a mechanism
ary; and 3) How much sediment is coming into the estuary. These for gauging and monitoring channel recovery throughout the
questions are difficult enough to answer alone, let alone when watershed and tracking those changes.
taken together. The mathematical powers of a computer become Development of a working sediment model will enable us
critical when one synthesizes these questions over a long time to present specific projects in a watershed and time-scale con-
period and across the entire watershed. If we had even a general text. More importantly, it will further our own knowledge about
idea of the time frame and sediment volumes involved, we would watershed processes and help to prioritize future projects. specific
be in a much better position to plan future work. efforts across the board will be necessary to restore historic sal-
specifically applying this idea to on-the-ground restora- monid runs, including projects to improve water conservation/
tion techniques, the model could give us a ballpark figure for management and to offer viable forestry options that will alleviate
how much sediment would have to be taken out of the system the pressure of subdivision and development. As we broaden our
per year to make a difference in estuary hydrology. If we are seri- interactions with the -powerful Mother nature, it is absolutely crit-
ous about healing the estuary, sediment extraction coupled with ical that we strive to further understand her inner workings. Only
floodplain and streambank stabilization in the lower river could be through increased knowledge can we continue to make educated
the best hope. extensive research and planning will be required restoration decisions.
for any sediment extractions and bank stabilization because the

Aerial views of the lower two and a half miles of the Mattole River, from February 15, 1942 (left), and March 31, 2000 (right). North is to
the right, and the Pacific Ocean is at top of photos. Despite differing river levels, notice the change from 1942’s predominantly single-thread
stream to braided channel in 2000. Notice also the migration of the lowest mile of river (left side of photos) from the South bank to the North,
the subsequent colonization of willow and alder forest visible along the South bank, and the extensive revegetation apparent along the north
bank of the furthest-upstream section of river (in the lower right area of photos). Photos courtesy MRC Archives

wInTeR/sPRInG
10 • wInTeR/sPRInG 2009 • MATTOLe ResTORATIOn 2001 • MATTOLe ResTORATIOn newsLeTTeR
news
Community Celebrates Restoration of the Mattole
By Andrew nash

On november 8th, 2008 the Mattole Restoration

Council held its annual membership meeting, followed
by a dinner party celebrating the longevity of local water-
shed restoration work. The event was held at the Mattole
Grange and was a great success due to many contribu-
tions from the community. Particularly inspiring was the
turnout: from founding fathers and mothers of the salmon
restoration movement, from hippies to local ranchers with
granddaughters in tow, from agency representatives to
non-profit partners, to the impressive cadre of inspired
twenty- and thirty-somethings running for the MRC Board,
from people who’ve grown up in the Mattole to those just
passing through, people came together to celebrate the
multi-faceted work that’s been done on behalf of this wa-
tershed.
executive Director Jeremy wheeler began the
afternoon by welcoming about 50 community members
to the MRC’s membership gathering in the main Grange
Hall. MRC’s restoration programs were discussed, followed
by candidates’ statements from the many nominees for the
Board of Directors and a discussion of Council activities.
The event then commemorated three decades of
restoration work in the Mattole River watershed with a Freeman House kisses Bob Anderson during dinner. Photo: Kimi Feuer
short new documentary called “Voices of Restoration.” The
movie showed interviews with over a dozen local restorationists
over the past 25 years, some of them preferring to be identified
simply as residents. Hence the theme of the film: watershed resto-
ration is a community effort that is best, if not only, accomplished
through the participation of a wide segment of local society. Lo-
cals are the heart of this work.

“Locals are the heart

of this work...”
And that’s where the magic was: in the participation of
so many of the watershed’s community members. well-attended
meetings and film screenings aside, it was in the human connec-
tions taking place in the dinner line, the laughter of the cooks in “If I only had one wish,
the kitchen, the sharing of food, the coming together of our com- I’d plant a tree and save the fish.
munity to talk and dance in the name of a shared dream, that the Then there would be a world for me
true success of the event resided. when I turn twenty-three.
The evening really heated up with the danceable tunes of Wishes make the world go round
the local band Absynth Quintet. Lots of fun was had by all. new especially when they’re environmentally sound!”
friends were made, old friends reacquainted and all celebrated the To the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
many years of restoration work in the Mattole with a hope for a
healthy river and a thriving valley far into the future.
Thank you to all the volunteers, donors, and local busi-
nesses who helped make this event a success. special thanks goes “If I only had one wish” it would be to hear
out to Judy nash and Tammy Picconi, who anchored the kitchen the kids sing that endearing song that the Petrolia K-3 class
along with lots of other volunteers from the community and the sang at the celebration together one more time. we can all
MRC. Many thanks to both of them for their generous hard work; agree there is nothing better than young voices celebrating
we could taste the love! 25 years of watershed restoration with glee. not only did we
get some great singing, but also a few great poems that the
Honeydew K-4 class contributed. It would never have hap-
pened without teachers like Margaret Fraser and John Good-
row who took the time out of the day to prompt the kids to
express their love for the watershed. More big thanks go out
to David simpson for writing the song, and to Jane Lapiner
for choreographing. And we can’t forget to thank Tina dePro-
spero for helping the kids with the beautiful painting they
did for MRC. It is these experiences that will help our youth
connect with their watershed, and no matter where this life
takes them they will carry a little piece of the Mattole in their
souls. Thank you to all who make this happen.
-Jessica wygal

No fish remained in the Grange Hall kitchen nor dining room after
this well-attended, celebratory, and delicious meal. Photo: Kimi Feuer

wInTeR/sPRInG 2009 • MATTOLe ResTORATIOn news • 11

Lamprey for Dinner, Anyone? - continued from page 6
LAMPREY SPECIES IN THE MATTOLE A TANGLED WEB
According to the UC Davis Cooperative Extension’s Like most living things in their native habitat, lamprey
California Fish website, the Mattole River is home to three lam- probably play important and complex interactive roles in their
prey species: Pacific Lamprey, Lampetra tridentata, River Lamprey, local environments. Research suggests that lamprey, in their hey-
Lampetra ayersi, and Western Brook Lamprey, Lampetra richard- days, may have been an important source of marine nutrients in
soni. Differentiation between these three is difficult at the juvenile nutrient-poor watersheds. What’s more, coho salmon have been
stage, and even when they have reached adult form, positive found to eat emergent larval lamprey. Perhaps most fascinat-
identification can still be challenging. Pacific lampreys are the ing is what else feeds on lamprey, or rather, what feeds on lam-
largest, with adults reaching up to 30 inches in length (yet dwarfs prey instead of eating salmon. Amid controversy over waterbird
do exist within the species). When adult Pacific lampreys have just predation on salmon smolts in the Columbia River estuary, one
metamorphosed from juveniles to adults, they are silvery in color, researcher found that lamprey comprised 71% by volume of the
turning to a dark greenish-black during spawning. River lampreys, diets of California, ringbill, and western gulls and Foster’s terns
in the mainstem Columbia
River during May (Merrell,1959).
Lamprey was also found in the
diets of northern pikeminnow
and channel catfish in the main-
stem Snake River. Why might
these predators choose to dine
on lamprey over, say, Chinook
salmon? Consider now the adult
whose adults reach up to about 12 inches (30 cm), are slightly fishes, and look at it from a sea lion’s point of view: lamprey, which
larger that the Western brook, whose adult forms may reach 18 never stray far from the mouth of their home river, are slower
cm. Both River and Western brook lampreys have similar dark and easier to catch than salmon, and have remarkably higher fat
backs and lighter silver or white to yellow bellies. content and caloric value. Research by Roffe and Mate (1984) has
Sean James of the Mattole Salmon Group confirms the revealed that the most abundant dietary item in sea lions and
presence of Pacific lamprey in the Mattole, having caught adults seals was Pacific lamprey. Nowadays, sea lion and seal predation
larger than 12 inches every year from 2005 until the present in the on salmon may be heightened due to declines in lamprey popula-
MSG’s downstream migrant trap (set up to count down-migrating tions. Still, one wonders if all those sea lions hanging out at the
juvenile salmonids.) Gary “Fish” Peterson, who ran the trap from mouth of the Mattole, whom we jealously curse for eating salmon,
1985 until 2003, saw and identified two Western brook lampreys, are actually feasting on lamprey.
in addition to the many usual Pacific lampreys, during his time
on the trap. The presence of River lamprey in the Mattole could
not be confirmed, though Peter Moyle reports that River lamprey
appear to be regular spawners in Salmon Creek and in tributar-
ies to the lower Russian River, and he shows their range inclusive “A decline in lamprey
of the Mattole (Moyle, 2002).
Maureen Roche, who regularly dives for the Salmon Group
to count juvenile salmonids, reports a drastic decrease in the
abundance has sparked
occurrence of lamprey redds since she began in 1990. Today, she
estimates that lamprey redds are just 15% of what she used to see.
concern among tribal
In the 2008 downstream migrant trap season, four adult lamprey
were caught, along with 435 ammocoetes. It must be emphasized, members, for whom
however, that lamprey population data cannot be effectively
assessed using salmonid-based monitoring techniques, due to dif-
ferences in migration times and other lamprey behaviors (Moser,
lamprey is a culturally
2003). Thus we do not really know the status of our local lamprey
species. valuable food and
medicine.”
REGIONAL DECLINE
A decline in lamprey abundance in the Mattole would not
be surprising, given ecoregional trends. The slowly-fading Euro-
American perception of lampreys as pests—due in large part to
the well-publicized story of non-native lamprey being released in
Lake Michigan and the associated disastrous results for lake trout Close, David. “Ecological and Cultural Importance of a Species at Risk of
—has possibly played a large part in the lack of lamprey research Extinction, Pacific Lamprey”, Project No. 1994-02600, 9 electronic pages, (BPA Report
DOE/BP-00005455-4).
and lack of concern for their conservation—until recently. In 2002, McGinnis, Samuel M. 2006. Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of California.
a group of eleven conservation groups petitioned US Fish and University of California Press, Berkeley. 539 pp.
Wildlife Service to list Pacific, Western Brook, and River Lampreys Merrell, T.R. 1959. Gull food habits on the Columbia River. Fish Commission of
Oregon Research Briefs (7)1:82.
as Threatened or Endangered. Two years later, USFWS determined Moser, Mary, and David Close, “Assessing Pacific Lamprey Status in the
a lack of evidence for listing, but then in 2007 started the Pacific Columbia River Basin”, Project No. 194-02600, 10 electronic pages, (BPA Report DOE/BP-
Lamprey Conservation Initiative. 00005455-5).
Moyle, Peter B. Inland Fishes of California, Revised and Expanded. Berkeley :
A great decline in abundance of Pacific Lamprey in the University of California Press, 2002.
Columbia basin has also sparked concern among tribal mem- Roffe, T.J., and B.R. Mate. 1984 Abundances and feeding habits of pinnipeds in
the Rogue River, Oregon. Journal of Wildlife Management 48(4):1262-1274.
bers, who have traditionally used Pacific Lamprey as a culturally
valuable food and medicine. Traditionally dried or roasted, lam-
prey meat is important in the diets of tribal peoples of the mid-
Columbia plateau. Oil collected in the drying process is applied
to skin or ailing body parts in conjunction with a purifying
sweat bath. Lamprey oil was also historically used to condition
hair and to cure ear aches (Close, 2002).

winter/spring
12 • WINTER/SPRING 2009 • mattole restoration 2001 • mattole restoration newsletter
news
Dilemma BLM King Range national Conservation
By C. Moss Area, whitethorn elementary school,
and Mattole Restoration Council earn
“where’s all the water?!”
“where’d the river go?!” 2008 Hands on the Land Award for
september 25th. eight students from whale Gulch school,
their teacher, and I were standing just below the one-lane bridge
Community Collaboration!
by Lost River, in the uppermost Mattole. we stood atop gravel that
Hands on the Land, a national network of field classrooms
should have been under water, but looking upstream and down,
linking students, teachers, and parents to their public lands and
all we saw was more exposed gravel and a few small disconnected
waterways, gave its 2008 award to these organizations for Lost
pools, although calling them ‘puddles’ is more accurate.
Coast Lifelab, an after-school program for 5th to 7th graders. This
we’d come on a field trip to do photo point monitoring of
program connects teachers and students with the environment
the river during its low-flow season, and look for aquatic macroin-
by allowing them to collect phytoplankton, analyze the samples
vertebrate bioindicators. Once the kids saw the ‘disappeared river,’
and enter their findings into a national database. It has given
however, the field trip’s entire focus changed.
the local community a renewed sense of responsibility to the
They snapped their photo points, took compass bearings,
environment.
then charged as one mind onto the river’s exposed central chan-
nel, looking for puddles and pools and whatever living creatures
were still alive in these pitiful refuges.
“Hey! There’s still some fish in this pool!” one kid exclaimed.
what we saw In Late september
The other students tore over to the stagnating, 2-3 inch deep
whale Gulch’s 4th-6th graders wrote the following responses after
puddle and conferred. A larger black pool lay further upstream. Re-
a september 25th field trip to the upper Mattole River, which was
connoitering by a couple of students using crude measuring sticks
basically dried up at that point.
confirmed that this larger pool was about three or more feet deep
at its center. It was also the largest, albeit still disconnected pool
when I saw the river I was very shocked. I saw fish and all sorts of
on this stretch of the river.
animals in small and dirty ponds of water. I remember when I first
“we have to rescue these fish,” one student solemnly an-
moved here and the river was full. But now there are only ponds
nounced.
on the river.
stop! Hold on there! Rescuing the fish would have been ille-
--Jacob York, 5th grade
gal. we didn’t have permits. we didn’t have equipment. we weren’t
properly trained. Fish rescuing was not something we could rea-
River too low!!! sorry and sad and angry. Unfair for fish. Fish are
sonably do.
sad and confused.
so what should we have done? what do concerned citizens
--Isaac west, 4th grade
do in situations like this? should we have called the game warden
or a state agency like Department of Fish and Game? should we
shocked! Before my eyes was where a river used to flow with fish
have set up a webCam to see if it was a heron, egret, snake or otter
and their sparkly glow. now before me stands nothing more than
that would snag the last fish in those pools?
a puddle filled with bugs, fish, and water. somebody help these
There were threatened species in those puddles, with
fish before they die in the murky water!
specific laws and mandates in place on behalf of the fish. what is
--Tyler Pietila, 6th grade
the most important and/or right course of action? should people
observe the letter of the law or the spirit of the law, knowing that
A river. no one to help. Fish are dead. Gone. Confused.
moving fish would be illegal? Do we ‘let nature take its course’?
Unfortunate.
what is the ‘natural course’ of the Mattole considering the cumula-
--Israel Dellamas, 4th grade
tive effects of 100 years of strong human impact? Arguably, nature
hasn’t had as much impact on the river and fish as humans and our
Today at the river we saw many horrible things. The river was low.
roads, logging practices, and pump intakes sucking water during
The fish were in 2 inch deep and about 20 inches long water. It
even the lowest-flow season.
was a harrowing sight.
we were just one small group. Breaking the law and mov-
--Dakota Cox, 5th grade
ing a handful of fish would have mainly been a symbolic action,
and wouldn’t have made much difference in the river’s overall sal-
monid populations. The bigger-impact issues of drought, climate The water is really low. I feel lots of fish are dying. There is one big
change, and ongoing human presence would still remain. pond. The fish are stranded in the little pond.
so what would you have done? --Aramis Andrews, 4th grade

Today at the river, there was very, very low water that was sepa-
Let us know what you would have done rated into ponds. I feel sorry, sad, and depressed for the river and
macroinvertebrates.
in the above circumstances - drop us a line. --skyler strange, 6th grade
submit a letter to the editor by emailing it to [email protected] Once we got to the river, there were a whole bunch of rocks and
or snail mailing it to MR news editor, PO Box 160, CA 95558. much water. There were lots of stuck fish in little puddles. we
Letters should be 300 words or fewer, and include your full name looked at the fish. They were very small in the pools, and we felt
and place of residence. we may edit for space and clarity. sorry for them.
--Kayden Blair, 5th grade

wInTeR/sPRInG 2009 • MATTOLe ResTORATIOn news • 13

 Staff and Board Update
Wetlands Ecologist Joins MRC Board of Directors
After an election that saw nine candidates compete for five seats,
all four incumbents running were re-elected, along with one new
member. We welcome Cassie Pinnell to the 2009 MRC Board.
Cassie brings extensive experience in wetlands conservation,
and looks forward to focusing more of her attention on her
home watershed. “In my work throughout the state I am yet to
encounter a community that is as deeply committed and involved
in preserving its ecologic systems as the Mattole community,” says
Cassie.

We welcome Cassie—and welcome back Sally French, Dave

Kahan, Michele Palazzo, and Rob Yosha—to another
productive year in the healing of the Mattole. Thank you to all who
ran in this election and to all who voted.

Dedicated, Motivated Schlepping: GIS Tech Earns Certification

Steph Cepellos traveled to San Francisco for a total of 12
weekends this year to earn her Geographic Information System
Certificate from San Francisco State University. Why San Francisco?
Well, no other equivalent program is offered in Humboldt County
for as reasonable a cost (yes, including transportation) and with
the same weekend scheduling. For one semester, our techie
had to take the bus to her weekend classes until she was able
to purchase a car. And that came just in time for the second
Beloved Intern Takes the Helm at Native semester, which was a brutal, yet quick, 6 weeks of commuting
every weekend. But all the schlepping paid off! She has already
Plant Nursery! been able to start using many of her new skills to work smarter in
Monica Scholey officially joined the MRC staff this winter, furthering habitat restoration through mapping and spatial data
and is eager to continue working for the watershed as the Native analysis. Congrats, Steph, and happy mapping!
Plant Nursery Manager. Monica’s interest in native plants began
while exploring the forests, rivers and dunes of coastal Oregon
where she grew up. Later she gained a deeper understanding of
botany and native plant communities while studying Environmen- David Bloch comes to the Mattole after spending three of the
tal Science at the University of Oregon. While in school, Monica last four years farming in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. His year
explored the world of plants with elementary children as a field off was spent at Joshua Tree National Park, where he worked
guide and eradicated invasive plants for the Lincoln County Soil on desert restoration projects. Prior to that, Dave received a
and Water Conservation District. For the past two years in the bachelor’s degree in environmental studies at Naropa University
Americorps Watershed Stewards Project, she worked on the Cas- in Boulder, Colorado. Some of his interests include sustainable
par Creek Watershed Study, raised native plants for Jughandle living and design, local food security, and exploring the woods. We
Farm and Nature Center and propagated, collected and planted welcome Dave on board as an Americorps intern.
native plants in the Mattole.
Monica has fallen in love with the Mattole and is excited
to stay here and work towards the health of this incredible place. MRC wishes Jen Hayes, our dedicated Americorps WSP intern of
She has big dreams for the native plant nursery and would like to the last two years, a fond farewell – and are we ever glad she’s not
see it provide native grasses, trees and drought-tolerant plants to going too far away! Congratulations to Jen as she takes on the job
Petrolia’s residents, as well as supply the revegetation projects of of Office Manager for our partner the Mattole Salmon Group. For
the Mattole Restoration Council. the last two years, Jen has made herself a valuable part of the MRC
In the spirit that spawned the restoration movement in the team, working on everything from ecological education projects
Mattole, she would like to involve as many community members with local students to grasslands restoration to redesigning our
as possible in the nursery. Already students from Mattole Elemen- website. We are especially grateful for the professionalism, enthu-
tary and community volunteers have helped pot-up trees and siasm, and thoughtfulness with which Jen approached her work.
shrubs and native bunchgrasses. When asked about the future of Read more about her experience in the Community Column. We
the nursery, Monica said “I think the nursery has a lot of potential. I love you, Jen!
also know that there are many knowledgeable people in this valley /

who have been growing native Mattole plants for years. The more
involvement and input that I get from those people the better the
nursery will be, so stop by anytime and see what’s growing.”

We welcome Lindsey Baris, who joins the MRC as an Americorps

intern. Originally from St. Louis, MO, Lindsey spent the last 6 years
in Olympia, WA attending the Evergreen State College where she
graduated with a B.S. in environmental studies. In Washington,
she found great interest in forest ecology and conservation as
well as sustainable living and organic farming. After a trip to New
Zealand to study alternative ways of living, she found herself living
in and loving Petrolia. After already serving a one-year term of
Americorps with the Nature Conservancy in Olympia, she is ready
to get back into the world of conservation with the MRC.
14 • WINTER/SPRING 2009 • mattole restoration news
 Community Column
Moving to Petrolia, and Coming Home
By Jen Hayes

Like many AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards Program

interns who have passed through the valley, I first arrived in
the Mattole to work with the Mattole Restoration Council.
Coming from Arcata in the fall of 2006, I was so eager to get
out of town and into the country. I wanted to work outside
and come home to a cabin with a wood stove, outhouse, and
life off the grid. I got what I asked for and more! My dream of
living and working in Petrolia somehow felt like it was unique,
and while being here, I’ve discovered that my arrival was the
completion of a circle started long ago.
At first, choosing to move to the Mattole was some-
thing I thought I wanted all on my own, as an autonomous
young adult finding my own original future. It seemed a
natural path to follow after graduating in Natural Resources
from Humboldt State and trying to find a rewarding job. For
two years I worked as a WSP intern for the MRC and learned
hands-on watershed restoration. While working, I often for- Leslyn Lyons at five years old, circa 1936, near Petrolia, on her way to
got about any family connection I have to the Mattole, and catch some fry in the Mattole River. Photo courtesy of Leslyn Lyons.
went on like most other interns do, working hard and absorb- we were walking over to the MRC office to show off where I had
ing information. Over those two years, I slowly came to see that been working, she was reminiscing on this and stopped dead in
there was so much more to my decision than my autonomous self her tracks, proclaiming, “This is it, I just know it is!” We confirmed
had me believe. It wasn’t until I got involved in the Mattole Valley later that in fact Aunt Maud had lived right where the Mattole
Historical Society and began working closely with Laura Cooskey Valley Community Center is today, though her house has since
that I realized the role my family had played in Petrolia and the burned down. She remembered coming to the house years after
Mattole. it had burned, and found the back door lock amidst hundreds of
My grandma, Leslyn Lyons, remembers coming out to eucalyptus tree sprouts.
Petrolia when she was four or five years old. Her Mother, Alice Now every time I walk past the eucalyptus trees and up
Luella Crippen, was born in Petrolia, and traces her roots all the the stairs to the MRC office, I stop for a moment. Not only have
way back to some of first Europeans to settle in the Mattole Valley, I come back to the town and valley where some of my family
the Goffs and Crippens. She fondly remembers catching fry for settled, but I have come back to where they had last lived, right
breakfast while visiting with her Aunt Maud. Aunt Maud Langdon where my grandma left off.
was the post master and phone operator, roles she had inherited The Mattole has been an inspiring place to be a part of the
from her father, Charles Goff. restoration movement. Getting to know those who helped start
This past summer my grandma came to visit, with hopes up the movement in the Mattole, and working alongside those
that we could do some historical digging and place some of her who are carrying it on, has offered me such a wealth of knowl-
memories. With gracious help from Laura Cooskey, we were able edge. I am grateful to everyone involved. Having the opportunity
to piece together a family tree and find locations of many original to work in places where my family has lived and worked gives me
family homesteads. a sense of connection to the land greater than ever before, and
My grandma fondly remembers sliding on a piece of card- provokes in me a sense of wonder and awe.
board down a hill to go visit her Aunt Maud at the Post Office. As

Become a Member of the Mattole Restoration Council!

Benefits of Membership 1) I/we live or own property in the Mattole watershed: ___Yes ___No
Becoming a member of the MRC is one of the easiest ways to become 2) This payment is for: __New Membership __Renewal __Just donating (skip to #4)
a part of the Mattole restoration movement. Your membership dues are 3) Please select membership level: __Individual $25 __Family $40 (two votes)
extremely important to us, allowing us to pursue important work that may __Low Income $15
otherwise fall through the cracks of our grants and contracts. 4) __YES! I would like to make an additional tax-deductible donation.
Amount $_______
Additional Benefits:
* Subscription to our twice-yearly newsletter. 5) Mattole Watershed Wares: (to see photos of these products, visit our website at
* 20% discount on custom mapping services (applies to labor costs only). www.mattole.org/watershed_wares/index.html)
* Members who are also residents or landowners in the Mattole watershed are Thinking Like a Watershed (VHS Video) $20 each Qty:____
eligible to vote in our board elections. Totem Salmon (paperback) $15 each Qty:____
MRC Pint Glasses $ 5 each Qty: ____
MRC Aprons $20 each Qty:____
Name (or two names for family membership)________________________ MRC T-shirts S M L XL XXL $15 each Qty: ____
____________________________________________________ MRC Sweatshirts S M L XL XXL $25 each Qty: ____
Address_______________________________________________ Ribbed MRC tank tops S M L XL XXL $15 each Qty:____
City, State, Zip___________________________________________ Mattole watershed color relief map (11 x 17”) $ 5 each Qty: ____
Telephone_____________________________________________________________
E-mail Address __________________________________________ 6) Total amount enclosed (#3 + #4 + #5) $___________
Payment type (circle): MC VISA CHECK MONEY ORDER
Card Number _______ - _______ - _______ - _______ 7) ____Please contact me about additional ways to give to the MRC, including donations of
stock, property, and planned giving.
Expiration Date: _____________________

Thank You!
WINTER/SPRING 2009 • mattole restoration news • 15
 Mattole salmon Group news
Ladies and Gentlemen, we Are now in The Red
By Kate Cenci

“How did things get so bad out there?” he asked. The task of determining these factors isn’t so easy, partly
I didn’t know where to begin. I was back in snowy, bitterly because there is much that still remains a mystery when it comes
cold northern Michigan discussing current issues with my dad, to salmon. The Mattole, however, may be ahead of the game
an always interesting and entertaining conversation. He of course when compared to other northern California rivers. The Mattole
was referring to the salmon “situation” in California, which hap- salmon Group (MsG) has been intensively monitoring salmon
pens to be the focal point of my current work. distribution for nearly three decades. Currently, the MsG is tak-
so I tried as best I could to explain to Dad a very compli- ing steps to become one of a few watersheds in the state focused
cated subject. I told him of the intensive logging practices of the on complete life-cycle monitoring, setting the Mattole up as a
1950s and ‘60s, the steep slopes of ever-eroding mountains in “Life Cycle Monitoring watershed.” This will help us discover more
an area naturally prone to earthquakes and landslides, and men- about the salmon species in the Mattole, and what, when, and
tioned a couple of hundred-year floods, just for fun. It sounded where they are most impacted by current conditions.
terrible, like a battle that can’t be won. Add to all of that the ter- As I said before, sometimes it feels like a losing battle.
rifying reality of global warming, population expansion, and the while both Chinook and coho are classified as “Threatened,” and
negative human impacts that affect once-pristine rivers, like the in danger of extinction, by the Federal Government, Chinook are
Mattole, and it almost seems too late. faring slightly better than coho in the Mattole, but the threat of
Almost. losing both species all together is very
salmon are a
remarkable fish. I, as well
“Chinook are faring slightly real and very urgent. To borrow some
jargon from the Feds that we will surely
as others in the scientific
restoration field, believe
better than coho in the Mattole, all understand, we are now in “the red”
– the threat is imminent.
they can flourish if given
the opportunity. Take
but the threat of losing both To get the Mattole back into the
green, or at least the yellow or orange,
Butte Creek, a tributary to
the sacramento River, for
species altogether is very real the MsG is continuing its salmonid
population monitoring programs,
example. The creek experi-
ences spring-run Chinook
and very urgent...” water quality monitoring programs,
and instream habitat enhancement
salmon, and in 1987, there efforts (i.e. large-wood structures).
were a mere 14 returning Also in the works is further develop-
adults. In stark contrast, over the past ten years, Butte Creek has ing a Coho Recovery strategy, which will include Federal recom-
seen an average of 10,000 returning adults. This increase is mostly mendations for focus areas and restoration efforts. The national
due to major restoration endeavors (over $30 million worth) since Marine Fisheries service (a division of the national Oceanic and
the early 1990s that have included the removal of several small Atmospheric Administration) is also currently drafting recovery
dams and efforts to increase water flow. while we face different plans for Chinook salmon and steelhead trout, in addition to coho,
obstacles and conditions here on the Mattole, Butte Creek can for the Mattole watershed. These plans will map out the necessary
most importantly be used as an example of how, given the oppor- steps to saving these species and facilitating the return of sustain-
tunity, salmon can run the home stretch – or more appropriately, able populations.
swim the final lap – and thrive as a sustainable population. we’ve all heard the saying, “As goes California, so goes the
so...what’s different here? what’s keeping coho, Chinook, nation.” If there is any truth to this adage, then we are at a very
and steelhead from thriving in our Mattole waters? The two things crucial tipping point. we can do nothing (or almost worse, not
we know are sediment and temperature. we got our name on the enough), and lose species by the dozens, lose old growth, lose
board with those – the Mattole River is listed as a 303(d) water water, lose water quality, lose the very habitat in which we all live,
body by the California state water Resources Control Board (a and watch the nation follow suit. Or we can act locally to better
division of the CA environmental Protection Agency). This is not a our environment – which also betters the human condition.
good name-on-the-board; basically that’s a few letters and a num- we have an opportunity to make the Mattole a prototype
ber that mean, according to the Clean water Act, that the Mattole for how a naturally functioning watershed can be, eventually
is polluted. being a model for the rest of California to follow, and we all know,
Here’s the million-dollar question: when and where, specif- “As goes California...” This doesn’t only just involve the Mattole
ically, do sediment and temperature have the most effects on sal- salmon Group or other restoration groups in the watershed, but it
monid species in the Mattole? In the restoration industry, we call involves all of us as people, as citizens, caretakers, and stewards of
these parameters “limiting factors” to salmon recovery. These limit- the land in which we live. we each have the ability to make efforts,
ing factors could hold the key to the door of sustainable salmon great and small, to preserve and improve our natural world.
runs.

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wInTeR/sPRInG 2009 • MATTOLe ResTORATIOn news • 16