20th Annual Coho Confab
Salmonid Restoration Federation
20th Annual Coho Confab in the Mattole August 24-26, 2017
Contact: Dana Stolzman, Executive Director, Salmonid Restoration Federation (707) 923-7501, srf@calsalmon.org
Salmonid Restoration Federation (SRF), Sanctuary Forest, Mattole Restoration Council, and the Mattole Salmon Group are coordinating the 20th Annual Coho Confab that will take place August 24-26 in the beautiful Mattole river valley in Humboldt County. The Coho Confab is a field symposium to learn about watershed restoration and techniques to restore and recover coho salmon populations. The Confab provides an ideal opportunity to network with other fish-centric people and to participate in field tours that highlight innovative salmon restoration practices. This event is partially funded by California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Fisheries Restoration Grant Program and scholarships are available.
The Coho Confab will open Thursday evening, August 24 with a community dinner and inspiring keynote presentations from Geneticist Carlos Garza of NOAA Fisheries who will address prospects for recovery and restoration of coho salmon in California. Sungnome Madrone, Executive Director of the Mattole Salmon Group, will present on landowner stewardship incentives. Tasha McKee, Program Director of Sanctuary Forest, and Elijah Portugal of Redwood Community Action Agency will give a joint presentation on what we can learn from beaver structures and apply towards salmon restoration planning. “The Confab is a great opportunity for practitioners, landowners, and planners to convene and strategize about restoration opportunities to improve coho salmon populations.” – Dana Stolzman, ED, SRF.
Friday will include concurrent morning field tours including a Mattole estuary tour to see heliwood placement, terrace margin treatments, off-channel slough restoration, and bioengineering techniques. There will also be a Prosper Ridge prairie tour to showcase grassland reclamation and fuels reduction in King Range coastal prairie systems. After the morning tours, we will all corral up at the historic Mattole Grange for afternoon concurrent workshops including Coho Recovery Planning from state, ESU (Evolutionary Significant Unit), and watershed level with coho recovery coordinator from the Southern Oregon Northern California Coast ESU, Julie Weeder, Carlos Garza, and Sungnome Madrone.
Additionally, there will be a stewardship workshop for landowners including tools and resources for road improvements and water conservation. This workshop will feature several resource professionals including Matt Clifford, JD, of Trout Unlimited who will address water rights and water conservation planning, Tom Leroy of Pacific Watershed Associates to address Best Management Practices, and Cassie Pinnel, Executive Director of the Mattole Restoration Council. This is a great opportunity for landowners to participate in a constructive dialogue about stewardship obstacles and opportunities.
On Friday night in Confab tradition, we will share a farm to table feast, have a lively campfire, and an impromptu talent show or cabaret. The last day of the Confab will include two concurrent field tours including Beaver Dam Analogues and Groundwater Recharge Planning in the Mattole Headwaters with Tasha McKee and Elijah Portugal, and a Lower Salt River Restoration tour in the Eel River estuary that will be co-led by fisheries biologist, Ross Taylor, and Allen Renger of California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Registration fees cover field tours, workshops, meals, and camping. To register for the Confab or to view the full agenda please visit our website: http://www.calsalmon.org.