Sanctuary Forest

Sanctuary Forest
November 15, 2006


As Sanctuary Forest moves into its
20th year, we celebrate the many successes of the past and prepare to overcome the new conservation challenges of the future.

One of the most acute challenges to the survival of the threatened coho, Chinook, and steelhead salmonids of the Mattole River is maintaining their summer habitat. This habitat is perilously diminished by low summertime flows in the Mattole River headwaters. When the river stops flowing and breaks up into disconnected pools, thousands of juvenile fish are lost. The headwaters are home to most of the river's juvenile salmon because of the cold water located there. These maturing fish must spend one to two summers in the headwaters in order to complete their life cycle.

Sanctuary Forest monitoring the diminishing streamflow on the Mattole River. Photo: Sanctuary Forest archives

Through its Mattole Flow Program, Sanctuary Forest is working to maintain healthy summertime instream flows. The program focuses on reducing human use, which consumes 20-100% of available summer flows, depending on the severity of the dry season. Participating landowners receive large-capacity water storage tanks in exchange for legal agreements not to pump from the river during the critical dry period from August 15 to November 15. The first phase of the project will install fourteen tanks in two critical habitat reaches. This past spring the program had a major breakthrough. After three years of collecting precise flow data, the California Department of Fish and Game was satisfied that the program will work and agreed to issue the necessary permits. Installation of the first tanks will occur in the spring of 2007.

Another conservation challenge that Sanctuary Forest is rising to meet is providing public access to the lands of the Upper Mattole River and Forest Cooperative. According to the Bureau of Land Management, more than 150,000 people visit the Mattole and Lost Coast region every year. Because of the $10 million-plus in taxpayer investment to conserve the Cooperative lands, Sanctuary Forest is meeting the obligation to help provide appropriate public access to these old-growth forests and salmon streams. Through a generous grant from the California River Parkways program, Sanctuary Forest intends to open the Ancestor Creek trail to public access by 2008. In use for the last decade as a private trail, the first phase of development of the Ancestor Creek access involves creating a small parking area, trailhead, and one mile of disabled-accessible trail. There will also be some signs interpreting the extensive restoration work undertaken in Ancestor Creek.

Over the last twenty years Sanctuary Forest and our many partners have created the 5,000-acre old-growth forest and salmon reserve in the Mattole River headwaters. As we move into our next twenty years, we look forward to sustaining the functions of the Upper Mattole River and Forest Cooperative through restoration projects like the Mattole Flow Program and by enhancing public understanding and appreciation for the temperate rainforest through projects like the Ancestor Creek Trail.

For more information please call (707) 986-1087 or visit
www.sanctuaryforest.org


This article can be found online at www.treesfoundation.org/publications/article-260

Forest & River News is produced by Trees Foundation. For more information contact:
Sanctuary Forest
P.O. Box 166
Whitethorn, CA 95589
Email: sanctuary@asis.com
Phone: (707) 986-1087 Fax: (707) 986-1607