Eel River Watershed Improvement Group (ERWIG) and California Conservation Corps Fortuna (CCC Fortuna) - ERWIG / CCC Fortuna

Placement Site Address: 1500 Alamar Way, Fortuna, CA 95540

Fortuna, California (CA 95540) - City Data Information Link

Mentors: Brian Starks, CCC Fish Habitat Specialist; Isaac Mikus, ERWIG Executive Director

Field Leader: Dave Heaton, Project Manager

Number of Corpsmembers at Site: 2

Number of Years Site has Hosted WSP Corpsmembers: 30

Service Hours:

8-hour days: 20%

10-hour days: 75%

>10-hour days: 5%

Housing Offered: No

Work Vehicle Provided: Yes

Corpsmember Time Spent in Field/Office:

In the field: 60%

In the office: 40%

Corpsmember Activities:

Site Specific Education & Outreach: 24%

LWD Installation: 19%

Site Specific Volunteer Management: 10%

Restoration Project Field Design: 8%

Commuting To/From Field Sites: 7%

Invasive Plant Removal: 5%

Spawner/Redd Surveys: 5%

Habitat Surveys: 5%

GIS Mapping: 5%

Post-Restoration Monitoring/Maintenance: 3%

Native Planting: 3%

Data Entry: 2%

E-Fishing: 1%

Marijuana Grow Site Reclamation: 1%

H2O Monitoring: 1%

Snorkel Surveys: 1%

Placement Site Objectives:

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 Corpsmembers at the ERWIG/CCC Fortuna 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, photo point documentation, aiding in writing project proposals, researching stream data and organizing information. They will work hand in hand with CCC Corpsmembers on stream restoration projects which include moving logs into place using grip hoists and hand tools, anchoring logs using wood drills and roto hammers, invasive plant removal, and planting native plants in the riparian zone and on unstable slopes. WSP Corpsmembers 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 Corpsmembers 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 Corpsmembers at this site, Creek Days would not happen. The Corpsmembers will have the opportunity to attend various trainings and conferences, potentially including but not limited to: Eel River Forum events, CCC chainsaw class, and CDFW spawner survey training.

Mentorship Style:

Our site often employs group mentoring, where both Mentors and WSP Corpsmembers work as a team to accomplish a task. Individually, Isaac's mentorship philosophy is to provide the tools WSP Corpsmembers need to succeed but allow them plenty of independence to maximize their opportunity to learn and gain confidence in their abilities. Though he is always available if they need guidance. Brian likes to find out what a Corpsmember wants to get out of their term and find a way to guide them in that direction. What this looks like in practice is making expectations clear on what needs to be done throughout the term, then providing options on what can be done in addition to those critical needs. These can be independent projects, diving deeper in the main projects, or site sharing, for example. In general, Brian believes in giving autonomy in many of the Placement Site tasks, but he is always there to guide and answer questions.

Unique Characteristics of Placement Site:

WSP Corpsmembers at the ERWIG/Fortuna CCC 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, 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 Corpsmembers forward in their careers like no other site. In addition, Corpsmembers 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 Corpsmembers 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. Corpsmembers at this site work alongside the CCC Corpsmembers and staff, as well as ERWIG and other project partner staff. Though diverse, members of our team all share the common goal of enhancing the environment to increase the fecundity of salmonids and other native species in our north coast streams. With partner organizations that share similar goals but offer a diversity of experiences, plus both Mentors as WSP alumni, WSP Corpsmember experience at the ERWIG/CCC Fortuna site is second to none. Corpsmembers here will find their path to whatever career inspires them.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Desired in Corpsmembers:

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