Humboldt Watershed Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of Humboldt County residents, watershed groups and community organizations that are concerned with the degradation of our watersheds, and the tremendous impact this has upon our health, safety, property, and quality of life.

We believe that maintaining the health of our watersheds is important not only for wildlife and the environment, but for the people and businesses that call Humboldt County home.

We believe that a healthy environment is key to a healthy community. We support efforts to create and maintain a sustainable economy by conserving the resource base upon which it depends.

Our Vision

The Vision of Humboldt Watershed Council is to protect, restore and maintain the natural function and beneficial uses of Northcoast watersheds, balancing long term benefits for human communities and the environment.

What We Stand For

* Preserving the health of our watersheds, for the benefit of the wildlife, residents, and industries that depend upon them.

* Keeping nutrient-rich soil on our slopes, where it can grow trees, rather than in our creeks, rivers and bay.

* Ensuring the long-term health of our industries by conserving the resources upon which it depends.

* Diversification of our industries, to increase opportunities for local ownership.

* A local economy based on value-added forest products, rather than raw logs.

* Restoring fish habitat, and encouraging natural genetic diversity and work for the Restoration of a Wild Salmonid Fishery.

* Providing a voice to advocate for local communities in addressing resource issues.


Humboldt Watershed Council Moves Forward
August 19, 2009
Greetings from the Humboldt Watershed Council. We are honored to submit an essay for this edition and decided to give everyone a little history and an update about what we are up to today. Humboldt Watershed Council is now one of the older and more inclusive environmental groups in Humboldt County. The Humboldt Watershed Council (HWC) was created about 12 years ago to put a spotlight on the intense logging practices of the Pacific Lumber Company (PL) that resulted in damage to water quality, habitat stream conditions, and private property in the Freshwater drainage. The HWC was driven by a collection of residents from the affected area and put its energy into creating a collective voice to the water and forestry agencies, politicians, and the general public. They successfully petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to list several watersheds as sediment-impaired under 303(d) of the Federal Clean Water Act. During its early years, HWC focused on forestry rules, THP (Timber Harvest Plan) monitoring and litigation, and the Headwaters Forest acquisition, where it played a prominent role in fighting for a scientifically credible HCP/SYP (Harvest Conservation Plan//Sustainable Yield Plan). In about 2002, the HWC focused its energies on the application of the Clean Water Act to our impaired watersheds. It organized public and scientific testimony for Regional Water Board meetings and evidentiary hearings, filed regulatory petitions, participated in mediation, and initiated litigation to force the State and Regional Water Boards to develop the unprecedented Watershed-Wide Waste Discharge Requirements (WWDR) for logging. The concept of WWDR served as the interim measure until Water Quality began development and implementation of today's Total Maximum Daily Load. (read more)



Contact Information

Web Site: www.voicesofhumboldtcounty.com
Phone: (707) 667-0673
PO Box 1301 Eureka, CA 95502