Bureau of Land Management Arcata Field Office

Placement Site Address: 1695 Heindon Rd, Arcata, CA 95521

Arcata, California (CA) - City Data Information Link

Mentors:  Zane Ruddy, Fish Biologist; Sam Flanagan, Geologist

Number of Years Site has hosted WSP Corpsmembers: 9

Number of Corpsmembers at Site: 2 

Service Hours:

8-hour days:  70%     

10-hour days: 20%    

>10-hour days: 10%      

Housing Offered: No

Work Vehicle Provided: Yes

Corpsmember Time Spent in Field/Office:

In the field: 50%

In the office: 50%

Corpsmember Activities:

Spawner/Redd Surveys: 20%

Post-Restoration Monitoring/Maintenance: 10%    

Commuting To/From Field Sites: 10%   

Habitat Surveys: 10%   

LWD Installation: 10%      

Education & Outreach: 10%

Invasive Species Monitoring and Suppression: 10% 

Snorkel Surveys: 10%

GIS Mapping: 5%

Data Entry: 5%

Seining: 5%

Placement Site Objectives and Organizational Needs: 

Corpsmembers will primarily focus on salmon and steelhead population monitoring, stream habitat monitoring, habitat restoration planning and implementation, and outreach activities (e.g., field trips with schools and the public). Projects and tasks the WSP Corpsmembers will work on include spawner surveys in coordination with Mattole Salmon Group and CDFW, juvenile snorkel surveys, summer adult steelhead snorkel surveys; invasive species monitoring and suppression; Salmon Creek (Headwaters Forest Reserve) stream gauge maintenance and data analysis (discharge/turbidity); wood installation habitat projects; and attend various workshops and trainings. Our fisheries/watershed program is small (one fish biologist, one geologist), so the Corpsmembers provide our site with the capacity to monitor conditions on BLM-managed lands and inform management decisions.

Mentorship Style:

Corpsmembers will be co-mentored by Zane Ruddy (fish biologist) and Sam Flanagan (geologist), who see Corpsmembers as an integral part of the BLM watershed team. At this site, Mentors interact daily with Corpsmembers, providing technical assistance and guidance as needed to meet the task at hand.  Corpsmembers and Mentors work together directly on several projects and Corpsmembers are provided opportunities to work independently in areas that interest them most. We encourage an open line of communication to ensure they are meeting each Corpsmembers expectations both as Mentors and as a Placement Site overall.   

Unique Characteristics of Placement Site: 

The BLM experience is unique because the WSP Corpsmembers will work on a wide range of projects across a highly diverse landscape, with habitats ranging from temperate coastal lagoons and estuaries to hot, dry, and rugged interior mountains. The WSP Corpsmembers will gain knowledge in vastly different watersheds and work on fish (e.g., population and habitat monitoring) and non-fish projects (e.g., stream gauge operation). Each day the WSP Corpsmembers will work with two experienced BLM watershed professionals and other highly specialized multi-resource staff (e.g., botanist, forester, wildlife biologist, etc.), as well as government agencies and non-profit organizations that share the same watershed restoration and fish recovery goals. These agencies and organizations include the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, Wiyot Tribe, Mattole Salmon Group, Mattole Restoration Council, and Sanctuary Forest.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Desired in Corpsmembers: 

Ability to work in rugged conditions (e.g. steep terrain) 

Comfortable swimming/snorkeling in creeks and rivers 

Ability to work long days and drive long distances