A message from NRS Co-Director Craig Benson
 
(left: NRS Watershed Program manager and Co-Director Craig Benson and his daughters, right: yellow star thistle treatment site, August 2014)
 

This summer has been a fieldwork bonanza for NRS’ watershed staff. Senior Project Manager Don Allan has been working with the City of Trinidad, Green Diamond Resources, GHD, Madrone Enterprises, and McCullough Construction protecting the City of Trinidad’s drinking water source in Luffenholtz Creek. After many years of planning and funding acquisition on behalf of the City of Eureka, Don is also about to break ground on Phase I of the Martin Slough Enhancement Project. This will include tidegate replacement on the Northcoast Regional Land Trust property at the mouth of Martin Slough. Project Manager Tyler Ledwith has been performing road assessments for the USFS in the Smith River watershed, noxious weed inventory/treatment/ management plan preparation in the Lassik and North Fork Wilderness Areas, as well as working with NRS Senior Planner Morguine Sefcik on Low Impact Development projects in Humboldt and Mendocino County. Tyler, along with Mike Love Associates and Pacific Watershed Associates, is about to roll out construction plans for off-channel ponds and other fisheries enhancements in Lower Freshwater Creek.
For my part, I have continued to work with a wide net of collaborators and landowners towards pollution reduction in the Mad River and Humboldt Bay watersheds, particularly in the Elk River Watershed to support the RWQCB’s Total Maximum Daily Load and Recovery Assessment activities, as well as trash clean up in McKinleyville’s urban creeks. I also serve as coordinator for two coalitions of invasive weed managers: the Humboldt Weed Management Area and the Humboldt Bay Spartina Eradication Workgroup. These efforts are addressing early detection rapid response species, such as invasive knotweed, as well as some long established weed species, and have provided nearly a dozen FTE jobs and supported dozens of training program laborers. NRS Senior Field Supervisor Steffen Allan is calling this our “surf n’ turf” summer as we toggle between treating inland infestations of yellow star thistle, knapweeds, Scotch broom, among other species on USFS land in the hot Lower Trinity /Lower Mad River watersheds and invasive spartina throughout the cool marshes and sloughs of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. 
Speaking of weed, NRS has recently joined the Northern California Reclamation Coalition, a regional collaboration including the Integral Ecology Research Center, the Northcoast Environmental Center, the Trinity County RCD, and the Watershed Research & Training Center to provide labor and expertise for post-enforcement clean-up & restoration of trespass marijuana grow sites.  
Amidst this flurry of summer activity NRS continues to work hard on planning, enhancing, and maintaining multi-use trails, interpretive signage, and parks. In the near future look for new kiosks and signage at the Sequoia Park Zoo's Watershed Heroes Exhibit, Eureka Dog Park, and Lake Earl. Please check out the other updates below for more about our diverse projects!