November 15, 2006
The main objective of the Mattole Restoration Council's (MRC) Good Roads Clear Creeks (GRCC) program is to reduce sediment runoff that is harming salmon habitat, while improving private roads. This season has been particularly exciting and productive, with restoration projects completed at more than a hundred sites in the Mattole River watershed, from Four Corners to Ettersburg. These projects generally consist of storm-proofing road crossings, although they often incorporate stream channel stabilization upstream or downstream from the crossing. The projects will reduce future sediment delivery into the Mattole River and its tributaries, helping to obtain the ultimate goal of healthy salmon runs.
A team of local contractors has been hired to perform heavy equipment work for these projects. The MRC has matched specific projects with particular contractors, based on experience and equipment type. The GRCC program attempts to address every erosion site with a unique approach tailor-made for that site. In some cases, small machinery is used to have a lighter impact on the landscape, leaving more of the vegetation surrounding a sediment source. At larger sites, full-sized excavators are used to remove sediment and return stream channels to their natural gradients. At most sites, rip rap is used to stabilize the channel and reduce sediment delivery.
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If you have any questions regarding the GRCC program, please contact us at (707) 986-1078 or visit www.mattole.org
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TOC for Forest & River News, Fall 2006