The North Coast Resource Partnership (NCRP) recently announced the approval of $13.6 million in state funding for a variety of integrated projects that will support water security, enhance stream habitats, improve forest health and increase fire resiliency for communities on the North Coast. The NCRP was initiated in 2004 as a water management collaborative lead by county supervisors and tribal leaders representing the tribal territories and seven counties of the North Coast region; representing over 12% of the California landscape.
Representatives from the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors have been active members of the NCRP governing body, referred to as the Policy Review Panel, since its inception. Supervisors Mike Wilson and Steve Madrone currently serve on the NCRP Policy Review Panel, with Supervisor Rex Bohn as an alternate. Supervisor Wilson highlighted the benefits of participating in the NCRP for Humboldt County,
“Over the years, Humboldt’s participation in this collaborative has helped leverage nearly 24 million dollars to projects for our community and sustain our role as the NCRP Regional Administrator," Wilson said. "Joining forces with other counties and tribes throughout the north coast has strengthened our voice at the state level. Together, we rise and thrive as a region!”
The funding for the recently approved suite of projects is derived from Proposition 1 Integrated Regional Water Management bond funding administered by the Department of Water Resources and by California Climate Investments Cap-and-Trade revenues through the California Natural Resources Agency and Department of Conservation Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program. Funding allocations were made to the NCRP from these two state programs and the suite of projects were selected by the NCRP Policy Review Panel based on their ability to provide multi-benefits to rural, economically disadvantaged communities with a focus on watershed function, forest health, public health, economic development, jobs and local revenue. Seven of the projects provide improved water storage and drought resiliency, 9 projects improve water system infrastructure, and 10 projects enhance watersheds, fisheries, forest health and protect communities from wildfire risk.
For a full list of funded projects visit the NCRP Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program and Prop 1 Round 1 Implementation project webpages. Several projects sponsored by organizations, local agencies and Tribes working in Humboldt County were funded, including the Blue Lake Rancheria, the Briceland Community Services District (CSD), the City of Ferndale, the Eel River Watershed Improvement Group, the Fieldbrook Glendale CSD, the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District, the Mattole Restoration Council, Sanctuary Forest, the Yurok Tribe, the Karuk Tribe, and the Mid Klamath Watershed Council. I list of these projects with links to the original project applications can be found below.
To date, the NCRP has brought over $85 million in funding to the North Coast region for projects that achieve on the ground benefits related to watershed resiliency and forest health, prioritizing projects that reduce the risk of catastrophic fire, landslides and flooding while achieving other objectives including biodiversity protection and enhancement, climate change resiliency, clean water supplies, biomass energy, maintenance of forest carbon stocks, local jobs, public health and safety.
According to Judy Morris, NCRP Chair and member of the Trinity County Board of Supervisors,
“The North Coast is a critical source region for California – its forested watersheds provide clean drinking water and many other benefits to the rest of the state. We appreciate the water bond and cap and trade funding that provide critical investments in community and forest health in the North Coast region and that will help California reach its climate change and watershed resiliency goals while supporting healthy, vital and rural communities.”
For more information, visit the NCRP website.
Out of the 26 funded projects, there were 12 beneficiaries within Humboldt County including the following:
NCRP Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Planning – Round 1 Demonstration Projects and Processes
NCRP 2019 PROPOSITION 1 Round 1 IRWM PRIORITY PROJECTS
- Blue Lake Rancheria, Water Storage Project ($382,085)
- Briceland Community Services District, Water Supply Enhancement Project ($1,076,625)
- City of Ferndale, California Street Sewer Replacement ($326,750)
- Eel River Watershed Improvement Group, Kenny Creek Instream Habitat Enhancement Project ($176,077)
- Fieldbrook Glendale Community Services District, Water Tank Seismic Retrofit Project ($314,744)
- Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District, Ranney Collector 2 Rehabilitation Project ($600,000)
- Mattole Restoration Council, Carbon Sequest Lower Mattole River and Estuary Enhancement Project Phase II ($656,165)
- Sanctuary Forest Inc., Drought and Emergency Water Project ($558,501)
- Yurok Tribe , Upgrading Critical Infrastructure to Support Resource Recovery in the Blue Creek Sanctuary ($937,268)
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Media contact: Cybelle Immitt, County of Humboldt
707-267-9542