The breathtaking Mattole River watershed, situated along the longest stretch of undeveloped coastline in California, was spared from development when the rugged terrain of the King Range Mountains forced builders of the coastal highway to turn inland.  Host to one of the last genetically pure native salmon runs in the state of California and one of only two free-flowing rivers on the North Coast, the Mattole stands as one of the few truly wild places on the California coast.

Despite the undeveloped nature of the Mattole, past human land use practices have resulted in declining populations of its totem species—the native salmon, which include coho, Chinook, and steelhead trout.  As indicator species for the health of the entire watershed, these fish need cool, clear waters to spawn and survive, factors that were jeopardized in the wake of the post-WWII logging boom.  Today, all three salmonids continue to survive, but their numbers are diminishing, particularly coho salmon whose current population estimates are below 1% of 1950s levels. 

The Mattole Restoration Council was formed in 1983 by watershed residents to provide an organized, holistic approach to ecosystem restoration within the Mattole.  The basic premise in the Mattole was that those best fit to restore the watershed were those who knew it intimately— the people who lived there.  This model of community-led watershed restoration in the Mattole is one that communities and agencies throughout the country look to in order to understand how to implement a successful watershed restoration program.  Today, the Council runs five complementary programs to work toward its ultimate vision of a time when restoration is no longer needed.  Together, these programs provide the holistic approach that is necessary to ensure a healthy and thriving Mattole for future generations of people and salmon alike:

Good Roads, Clear Creeks:  Improving aquatic habitat through the reduction of road-related and streambank erosion, and replacement of failing culverts.

Wild and Working Lands: Restoring the health of the Mattole’s forests and grasslands through projects including riparian and grasslands restoration, wildfire hazard reduction, native plant restoration, invasive plant removal, timber harvest plan monitoring, and promotion of sustainable land-based livelihoods.

Youth Environmental Education: Helping Mattole youth become effective participants in their environment through providing hands-on, place-based watershed education in all 6 Mattole public schools, as well as offering paid summer internships for local high school students with natural resource organizations in the watershed.

Watershed Information Systems:  Mapping, data management, and monitoring of watershed trends in order to provide information for project planning, design, and implementation.  In addition to bolstering watershed information generally, this program allows the Council to fine-tune restoration approaches to assure that the most effective method is being utilized.

Community Resource Center: Providing individuals and groups with watershed-related books, DVDs, and other goods. .  The Resource Center also publishes the twice annual Mattole Restoration News which is circulated to 4,000 households within the watershed and beyond, as well as a monthly e-newsletter.

While the Council was once entirely supported through volunteers and small donations, the magnitude and complexity of restoration efforts, as well as state and federal recognition of the Mattole as a priority watershed for fisheries restoration, led to a necessary expansion of initial programmatic efforts in order to complete the magnitude of work required to truly restore the Mattole.  In 2009, the Council completed the Mattole Integrated Coastal Watershed Management Plan: Foresight 2020, which laid out restoration goals and priorities for the next ten years.  Costs to complete these prioritized projects are over the next ten years are estimated at more than $3 million per year.  While grant and government contract funding will continue to be needed to form the core of this funding, private donations allow us to leverage additional funding through demonstration of financial support within the wider community. 

Please consider making a tax deductible donation to support the restoration of native Mattole salmonids and their unique watershed ecosystem.  Join us and take pleasure in being a part of restoring and protecting this gem of the California coast.