Renew America Success Stories

Feather River Coordinated Resource Management Group

Description

The Feather River Coordinated Resource Management Group (CRM) is an ongoing consortium of 17 public, private, local, state and federal entities engaged in research and restoration projects to benefit the Feather River CRM watershed. This million-acre watershed is the main source of drinking water for the more than 20 million people and industries of Southern California, it hosts more than two million annual visitors, contains a major sustainable timber industry and supports more than one million acres of mountainous habitat for numerous species, including those listed as endangered.

The cumulative and damaging effects of mining, catastrophic wildfire, grazing and logging practices have led to accelerated erosion and declining water quality of the watershed since 1850 and the Feather River CRM was created in 1985 to reverse this trend. Since then, the CRM has implemented more than 33 successful projects including research on timber land and range land issues, as well as riparian and wetland restoration initiatives. Projects include the construction of fish ladders to aid fish in their swim upstream to spawn, a 600,000-acre watershed survey, and complete geomorphic channel and floodplain reconstruction.

Part of the reason for the success of this project has been its emphases on consensus-based decision making and community involvement, ensuring that parties that could be affected by any potential project are brought into the decision-making process from the beginning to secure their input, incorporate their ideas and respond to their concerns.

In all projects, CRM sets a standard to use only the best available science, to educate the participants and beneficiaries of a project about its inputs, outputs and effects, and to implement effective monitoring programs. Special efforts are made to ensure the participation of Native Americans as stakeholders.

Program Highlights

Principles

• All affected parties are involved at the beginning of any significant process (e.g., a process that would have a significant consequence for a particular stream or forest). In addition, no process goes forward without the approval of all partners. All processes emphasize the use of best available science, and all projects incorporate education and continual monitoring into their designs.
• The CRM adheres to the following principles (among others) when considering a research or restoration project:
• All affected parties are involved at the beginning of the process.
• An emphasis on enlightened self interest as well as on a commitment to measure results over the long-term are necessary to achieve solutions that are both environmentally and economically sustainable.
• All decisions are reached by consensus.
• The CRM emphasizes cumulative watershed effects (CWEs) problems with an impact on multiple use lands (public and private).
• Public and private landowners take the lead on any project on their lands -- developing goals, providing land history and establishing the boundaries of worst case scenarios. All participants in a particular project work to ensure that their collective goals are satisfied, and that a monitoring system is established to evaluate the success or failure of the project.
• When designing a restoration project, CRM incorporates job training, poverty alleviation, local business assistance and community development programs into the project whenever possible. All construction projects are awarded to local contractors.
• The regional, intergenerational and intergroup nature of the watershed is emphasized during the planning process for each project to foster a sense of community among stakeholders. By involving even distant stakeholders, the costs of environmental protection are distibuted as widely as possible, and of course, these stakeholders are repaid through the environmental and economic benefits that are realized through a successful watershed restoration project.

• All sources of non-point source sediment sources have been identified and education, management and restoration plans have been designed to treat and prevent problem recurrence.
• To help reduce the damage associated with mining, grazing and timber harvesting, preventative education programs in secondary schools, junior colleges and local businesses have been established.

Vital Statistics

Program Management/Partnerships: The Feather River Coordinated Resource Management Group (CRM) comprises 17 public, private, local, state and federal entities, including the United States Forest Service (which administers 75% of the watershed for the general public), the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Plumas County and the Plumas Corporation (a nonprofit community development corporation).

Budget: Total restoration and research costs since 1988 have been $3 million.

Community Served: The 20 million people and industries of Southern California who rely on the watershed as their main source of drinking water.

Measures of Success:

Since 1988, the Feather River has implemented 33 riparian and wetland restoration projects and studies on timber and range land projects totaling $3 million.

Projects include a three-year, 600,000-acre watershed survey, the construction of a fish ladder, the cleanup of a mine designated as a superfund site, and the complete geomorphic reconstruction of channels and floodplains.

Among the geomorphic stream restoration designs in existence long enough to generate measureable results, waterfowl use of the streams have increased 700%, trout populations are up 900% and streambank erosion has decreased 90%.

The first Junior College Watershed Management Technical program in the state has been in place for five years.

The project has employed 75 persons in part- and full-time employment, and two related businesses have been created.

All projects comply with all environmental laws and to date no project has been repealed.

Success stories designed by Mark Nowak

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