Into the Woods
SHCP Receives $88,000 Grant To Begin
Conservation and Restoration Projects

This spring, a well-seasoned crew will head into the woods to begin a multi-year conservation and restoration project at the community park. Their work will be conducted under the thoughtful guidance of Timothy Metz, whose enthusiasm for this project has been contagious.

“It’s exciting that we have obtained multi-year funding for these conservation and restoration projects at the Community Park. It is rare these days to receive funding for multi-year projects. Improving resource stewardship at the park has been one of our priorities and now we can begin to do the work.”

Tim, a Registered Professional Forester and Chairman of the Southern Humboldt Community Park's Board of Directors, is referring to the $88,000 Environmental Quality Improvement Program (EQIP) grant received from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). This grant will provide funding to perform forest stand improvement work on 50 acres over a five-year period. Additional work to address legacy erosion issues will help in bringing the park to a state of health and vitality.

Some of the erosion visible today at the park is a result of damage from historical farming practices. “As far as we can tell, the entire flat was a wetland around the turn of the century.” Metz stated. During that time, in an effort to bring the land into greater agricultural productivity, two parallel drainage ditches were installed to drain the flat. These ditches, in combination with the flood activity of 1955 and 1964, created an impressive system of gullies due to the radical changes in the hydrology of the park flat.

This project will address seven major gully sites. Stabilization of the gullies will be accomplished with the use of an innovative, bio-engineered, branch-packing method that Metz and former caretaker Crockett Marr had significant success with in a smaller SHCP project in 2003. In addition, the head-cut gullies will be addressed with rock boulder and riprap placement.

Each year for the next five years, ten acres of the forested woodland slope will be limbed and thinned from below to improve the forest stand and reduce the risks of wildfire. This forest treatment will also have the additional benefit of creating a beautiful park-like setting.

Later this fall, Timothy Metz will lead a “Walk in the Woods” a tour for those interested in viewing these project areas. On Saturday, October 23rd at 10am the group will discuss and observe forest management, restoration practices, and the upland erosion control strategies currently being utilized at the Southern Humboldt Community Park. Please call 923-2287 for more information.

We exist because……….

We believe that the inherent beauty and value of the natural landscape is tied to our cultural history and weaves vitality into the fabric of our daily lives. We are striving to acquire 452 acres of meadow, forest and historic ranch structures alongside the Eel River; to establish a regional park that will conserve the scenic, civic, historic, and natural resources. Our goal is to create opportunities for recreation, culture, agriculture, education and celebration and to ensure the enjoyment of this rich, diverse land for generations to come.