(WECC)
8-hour days: 20%
10-hour days: 75%
>10-hour days: 5%
In the field: 60%
In the office: 40%
LWD Installation: 13%
Education & Outreach: 14%
Volunteer Management: 10%
Seining: 10%
Snorkel Surveys: 9%
E-Fishing: 7%
Commuting To/From Field Sites: 7%
Native Planting: 7%
Weir Operation: 4%
Data Entry: 4%
Invasive Plant Removal: 3%
Spawner/Redd Surveys: 2%
Post-Restoration Monitoring/Maintenance: 2%
H2O Monitoring: 2%
CREEL Surveys: 2%
GIS Mapping: 2%
Grow Site Reclamation: 1%
Habitat Surveys: 1%
The California Conservation Corps is a service program for young people to develop work and life skills while helping conserve and restore our natural resources. Guided and supervised by CCC and partner organization staff, CCC crews implement restoration projects like installing logs and root wads in streams that serve as cover structures in pool and flat-water habitats. Restoration work is focused on streams and watersheds that have the greatest ability to maintain or increase threatened and endangered salmonid populations over the long term. The work zone of the Fortuna CCC is from northern Mendocino County to northern Del Norte County.
The Eel River Watershed Improvement Group (ERWIG) is a non-profit focused on improving habitat for native salmonids. ERWIG plans, designs, and implements fish habitat projects through funding from state & federal agencies and from private donations. ERWIG and the CCC have a long history of working together for anadromous fish, and they will continue to team up with WSP to provide a full fish restoration experience for Corpsmembers.
The Wiyot Tribe has been and continues to restore their role as active stewards of their ancestral territory. The Wiyot Natural Resources Department (WNRD) works in numerous projects that fulfill this mission that largely include surveying, monitoring, and non-native species removal in the Eel River watershed and other fish habitat restoration projects. The WNRD views this partnership as a path to building capacity and learning more about the river restoration world.
The Corpsmembers at the WECC site will engage in the following activities in the pursuit of developing and implementing watershed restoration projects. They will hike streams and riparian zones to evaluate for restoration opportunities, design specific project elements, collect pre- and post-project evaluation data, and participate in project implementation. They will assist with project development by creating maps using ArcGIS Pro, documenting photo points, aiding in writing project proposals, researching stream data, and organizing information. They will work hand in hand with CCC CMs on stream restoration projects which include moving logs into place using griphoists and hand tools, anchoring logs using wood drills and roto hammers, removing invasive plants, and planting native plants in the riparian zone and on unstable slopes. WSP CMs at this placement site help maintain and increase the CCC and ERWIG's capacity to develop and implement watershed restoration projects. Not only are more projects planned and completed, having WSP CMs at the site increases the quality of the work. In addition to the restoration work, they will plan and implement the Creek Days Environmental Education Fair, a 3-day event visited by over 300 local elementary school students. The tasks involved include picking the site, contacting teachers and schools, organizing WSP volunteers, organizing materials, and coordinating logistics. This is a huge and important task, and without WSP CMs at this site, Creek Days would not happen. The CMs will have the opportunity to attend various trainings and conferences, potentially including but not limited to: Eel River Forum meetings, CCC chainsaw class, and CDFW spawner survey training. Corpsmembers will assist WNRD in removing non-native Sacramento pikeminnow via gill nets, e-fishing, spearfishing and angling as well as operating a weir on the SF Eel. They will conduct snorkel and spawner surveys for pikeminnow, salmonids, and Pacific lamprey, assist with an acoustic telemetry study in the SF Eel, monitor wetlands on the reservation, and assist in restoration projects on tribal owned lands. Having WSP corpsmembers and this partnership with the CCC and ERWIG will help the tribe in expanding programming and stewardship roles, mentoring tribal youth, and engaging with tribal citizens on opportunities in the natural resource field.
There will be a structured style of mentorship laid out from the beginning of the term, with regular monthly meetings to lay out goals and schedules. At the same time, the Corpsmembers will have a significant amount of autonomy and will be expected to pursue project goals independently. The Mentors will be available for guidance, assistance, and advice
with most aspects of the Corpsmember's work. The style of mentorship will vary from Corpsmember to Corpsmember, and the Mentors can adjust as needed. The Corpsmembers at this site work closely with the Mentors, which promotes an environment where ideas, advice and input flow organically as we work on individual and collaborative projects.
Mentorship will largely be shared between Mentors, though it will depend whether current projects are CCC, ERWIG, Wiyot, or shared projects. The CCC Mentor will take the prominent role when working on CCC projects, which include large wood installations, project design, and invasive plant removals. The ERWIG Mentor will take the prominent role on ERWIG projects, which include fish passage, native tree planting, and working with heavy equipment operators, in addition to large wood installations and project design. Creek Days is a collaborative project shared by both the CCC and ERWIG, so mentorship will also be collaborative. The Wiyot Mentor will take the prominent role when working on WNRD projects, which include snorkel surveys, Sacramento pikeminnow removal, Pacific lamprey monitoring, CREEL surveys with tribal eelers, acoustic telemetry work, e-fishing, native planting, and water quality sampling.
WSP Corpsmembers at the Fortuna CCC/ERWIG/Wiyot Tribe site get a dynamic, hands-on experience involving all aspects of watershed restoration. They assist with the development and implementation of projects that take them from the streams to the ridge tops. Project types at this site include instream wood loading, bioengineering, invasive exotic plant removal, native revegetation, and a variety of other projects that provide benefits to fish and wildlife. This site provides the truly unique experience of being involved with projects from the pre-planning process all the way through implementation. The experience gained at all stages of the process propels CMs forward in their careers like no other site. In addition, CMs at this site plan and execute the Creek Days Environmental Education Fair, a 3-day outdoor event where over 300 K-8 students attend. Planning this event will help CMs build leadership and organizational skill that they can take with them to any job. The flexibility of this site allows Corpsmembers to pursue their interests within the field, while being in a supportive environment so they can really get the most out of their term. They also get the opportunity to work with resource professionals from a variety of agencies, native tribal organizations, nonprofit groups, and private landowners. CMs at this site work alongside the traditional CCC Corpsmembers and staff, as well as ERWIG, WNRD, and other project partner staff. Though diverse, these professionals, Corpsmembers, and mentors all share the common goal of enhancing the environment to increase the fecundity of salmonids and other native species in our north coast streams. The addition of the WNRD to this long-time placement site provides the unique experience of working with a tribal entity that is involved with a wide array of projects and partners. Work with the WNRD will range from constructing a weir to collecting water quality samples in Humboldt Bay. With 3 partner organizations that share similar goals but offer a diversity of experiences, plus all 3 Mentors as WSP alumni, the WSP Corpsmember experience at the WECC site will be second to none. Corpsmembers here will find their path to whatever career inspires them.
Comfortable outside in rough terrain and inclement weather
Proactive, with an ability to find the next step in a large project without a need for specific instruction
Comfortable with office days
Experienced pickup truck driver
Computer literate