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Mattole Restoration Council (MRC)
MRC Staff proudly exhibiting their new sign.
P.O. Box 160
Petrolia, CA 95558
(707) 629-3457
(707) 629-3514 (fax)
MRC Webpage
Mentors:
Blase Bonpayne, Program Director
Mentor Biography
blase@mattole.org
Current Members:
Jen Hayes
Member Biography
Monica Scholey
Member Biography
Site Description:
Members work with the Mattole Restoration Council, established in 1983, to restore the Mattole River watershed through various restoration techniques. Members will perform fieldwork, work with landowners, other non-profit organizations, state and federal agency personnel, and teach in outdoor settings. Depending on the member's skills and interests, there is potential to take leadership on projects. With two offices, one located near Garberville in Whitethorn, CA and the original office located in Petrolia (near the north end of the 26-mile Lost Coast trail), the MRC operates six programs throughout the watershed:
(1) Good Roads, Clear Creeks (road treatment and sediment reduction, operates out of Whitethorn office)
(2) The Mattole Ecological Education Program (MEEP)
(3) Forest Practices Review
(4) Resource Center (providing tools and information to landowners)
(5) Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
(6) Forestry (including riparian reforestation, fuels reduction, invasive exotic plant removal, and reforestation)
Additionally, the MRC implements projects focusing on water conservation. The MRC collaborated on a Mattole Watershed Plan which was completed in 2005, which identifies restoration goals to implement over the next five years. Members will have the opportunity to participate in many of these projects. Please visit www.mattole.org to learn more about the Mattole watershed and the organization.
Mike Gordon on a native grass seed collection hike.
Time members spend on each of the following tasks at their site (WSP trainings and mandatory events not included in this breakdown):
Monitoring - 5%
Restoration - 50%
Field Surveys and Data Collection - 20%
Report Writing and Data Entry - 5%
Lab Work - 0%
Education - 10%
Outreach - 10%
Member comments:
"How dreamy can a job get? Very. The Mattole Restoration Council is surprisingly large inside such a small watershed, 61 miles long. There are surprisingly thousands of landowner contacts to work with. I spend my days part inside the ever more technological office and classrooms, and outside in this magnificent watershed. Inside, all the officers seem to have need for help on many levels, from whole projects to small and meaningful tasks. Outside, I find myself surrounded by the glory of the Mattole, tree planting, collecting seed, reducing fuels, and so much more. Inside or out, the work is mostly upslope restoration. (The elusive root of watershed problems.) The Mattole is a magnificently simple river that runs through four simple and unique little towns. Yet this watershed has proven to be mighty complicated and complex for a microcosm. This site requires lots of self motivation and it comes with an equal amount of freedom."
- Jen Hayes, year 13 member
"Working with the MRC is a dream come true. As one of the few WSP sites that focuses intensively on upslope issues (that affect the instream conditions of salmon), the MRC is actively working to change the culture and practices of one of salmon's chief adversaries- us. The MRC is a grassroots watershed organization so it deals with the practical intersections of nature and culture like encouraging light touch forestry, helping landowners fix their ailing roads, assisting with noxious weed removal, and working to reduce the dangerous risk of catastrophic wildfire. All of these things bridge the divide between landowners' interests and the interests of the landscape and its other biotic inhabitants. If instream work is like placing a bucket beneath a leaky roof, reforming upslope practices is like fixing the roof- it takes longer before achieving the desired effects but it seeks an ultimate long-term solution."
- Mike Gordon, year 13 member
Mentor comments:
"To learn about the history and importance of the MRC, please read the award-winning book Totem Salmon by Freeman House. Petrolia is a town of about 350 people on the longest stretch of undeveloped coastline in the continental U.S. (the Lost Coast). Plus, we are all a bunch of hardworking sweethearts. Come check us out!"
- Blase Bonpayne, year 13 mentor
For a sample calendar of WSP member duties at this site, click HERE.
Mattole elementary students conducting water quality testing at the estuary with Year 13 WSP members, Jill Grbavac (Mattole Salmon Group) and Jamie Hennessey (Mattole Restoration Council).
Mattole Salmon Group (MSG)
An aerial view of the Mattole estuary and Pacific Ocean.
P.O. Box 188
Petrolia, CA 95558
(707) 629-3433
(707) 629-3435 (fax)
MSG Webpage
Mentors:
Tom Campbell, Executive Director
Mentor Biography
Keytra Meyer, Program Assistant
Mentor Biography
Current Members:
Kate Cenci
Member Biography
Will Kelly
Member Biography
Site Description:
The Mattole Salmon Group (MSG) is a grass-roots, non-profit restoration group that has been run by local citizens since 1980. The MSG is located in rural Petrolia, near the BLM’s Lost Coast Wilderness Area in Southern Humboldt County. The MSG focuses mainly on salmonid habitat enhancement, water quality, and salmon population monitoring.
AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards Project (WSP) members assist with field work and data collection. They take part in spawner surveys, adult and juvenile salmonid trapping and tagging, snorkel surveys, water quality testing and monitoring, and large woody debris structure building. At any point during the year WSP members may have a live salmon, a rock drill, an oar, or a field notebook in their hands. Other duties include education and outreach via publications (MSG newsletter, brochures, info booth displays) and organization of fundraising events. Throughout the year opportunities arise to represent the MSG at various outreach events and local festivals.
Due to the small number of MSG staff members and distinctive social environment of Petrolia, WSP members get a unique opportunity to become closely involved with the restoration efforts of the Mattole Valley and the greater community. WSP members at the MSG have historically become integral members of the staff, often continuing their work beyond their WSP term, enriching the body of restoration work at the MSG. The MSG looks forward to continuing this valuable relationship with WSP, and welcomes members who are interested in hands-on restoration and many different and unique professional opportunities.
Operating a rotary screw trap for the downstream migrant trapping program.
Time members spend on each of the following tasks at their site (WSP trainings and mandatory events not included in this breakdown):
Monitoring - 30%
Restoration - 10%
Field Surveys and Data Collection - 30%
Report Writing and Data Entry - 10%
Lab Work - 0%
Education - 10%
Outreach - 10%
Member comments:
"Working with the Mattole Salmon Group is an instant entry into a very special community. This is the first time I have had a job I love going to everyday (even on weekends). The Salmon Group's projects have placed me in the water, with fish, in every corner of the Mattole River watershed, from the headwaters to the estuary. The opportunity to work with one of the original grass-roots watershed restoration groups and gain experience at a non-profit organization is invaluable. The variety of projects and training opportunities at the Salmon Group have doubled (at least) the size of my professional resume, and I've had buckets of fun doing it!"
– Jill Grbavac, year 12 and 13 member
"The Mattole Valley is a magical reality, a charmingly connected community, and one of the most beautiful places on earth! This site truly offers a little bit of everything fisheries-related: experience helping out with nearly every aspect of the work at hand, be it monitoring, stream enhancement and restoration, grant-writing, education, or community outreach. No matter what you end up doing as a member here, it feels good knowing you are helping a strong and influential non-profit organization continue their great work. Petrolia is remote and unique, and is an ideal site for someone highly adaptable, motivated, and above all, very excited about fish!"
- Natalie Arroyo, year 12 member
Mentor comments:
Please check back!
For a sample calendar of WSP member duties at this site, click HERE.
Volunteers diving the Mattole River in search of adult steelhead during the annual Summer Steelhead Dives.
