Welcome to Mattole.WordPress.com.
The Mattole Restoration Council (MRC) has created this space to offer an opportunity for Mattole community members and others interested in the MRC to provide comments to MRC’s Board of Directors on our new Draft Strategic Plan (12-12-08). This Plan will guide our organization over the next five years as we participate in watershed restoration efforts in the Mattole.
Please comment (by 3/9/09) on the Strategic Plan sections that interest you:
Administration
The goal and responsibility of administration is to ensure that the Mattole Restoration Council is a corporation that is financially sustainable, a fair employer, and accountable to the Mattole community.
MRC Administration Principles
• Operate as efficiently as possible, seeking to maintain the lowest overall costs of completing administrative tasks.
• The MRC shall operate as effectively as possible, pursuing excellence in all administrative tasks.
MRC administration includes the following components:
(1) Finance, (2) Fundraising, (3) Membership, (4) Personnel Management, (5) Board of Directors, (6) Office and Facilities, and (7) General Administration
Finance
The goal for Finance is to maintain accurate financial tracking and organizational solvency.
Finance Principles
• Maintain integrity, honesty and transparency in all aspects of financial management.
Finance Directives
• The MRC shall consistently expedite all invoicing and pursue prompt payment from all funders.
• Maintain adequate insurance to protect the organization against potential liabilities.
• Meet all local, state and federal laws regarding employment, contracting and financial management of non-profit corporations, including the timely submittal of tax returns, payroll taxes, etc.
• Maintain adequate cash and credit reserves sufficient to meet payroll and pay subcontractors at agreed-upon terms.
• Continue to develop and define the Endowment Fund as directed by MRC’s Board of Directors.
• Undergo an annual audit of MRC finances and take corrective actions as recommended by the auditor.
• Conduct an annual review of all financial services: insurance, audit, banking, credit, payroll, investments, legal, etc.
• Track volunteer contributions to the organization.
• Develop strategies to encourage community donations such as planned giving.
• Annually Post IRS form 990 on the MRC website
• To ensure transparency, compile and post on the MRC website an annual financial report that lists the expenditures in the following categories:
• Salaries and wages for non-field personnel
• Salaries and wages for field personnel
• Subcontractor expenditures by company
• Overhead
• Materials and supplies for restoration work
• Office expenses
• In-kind contributions of materials, equipment and volunteer participation
Fundraising
The goal for fundraising is to raise sufficient funds to carry out MRC’s mission.
Fundraising Principles
• The MRC shall not compromise MRC’s general principles in the pursuit of funds.
Fundraising Directives
• Unless otherwise authorized by MRC’s board of directors, fundraising shall be limited to address Strategic Plan objectives.
• Diversify funding sources.
• Develop a policy for proposal generation, including a framework for how the organization pursues funds.
• Maintain and expand efforts to identify, recruit and reward donors.
Membership
The goal is to expand and track MRC membership, resident and otherwise.
Membership Principles
• MRC seeks a diverse membership within and beyond the Mattole watershed.
Membership Directives
• Maintain a membership database. This shall consist of members who are residents and/or landowners in the Mattole watershed. Others may support the MRC as Friends of the Mattole.
• Maintain and expand efforts to identify and recruit new members.
• All new landowners within the Mattole watershed shall receive a Mattole welcome packet containing educational materials and an invitation to join the Mattole Restoration Council. These packets shall be sent out annually.
Personnel Management
The goal is to recruit and maintain a staff that is skilled, motivated, enthusiastic and involved.
Personnel Management Principles
• The MRC shall be honest, open, forthright and fair in all personnel matters.
• The MRC recognizes the value of long-term employees.
Personnel Management Directives
• Maintain a local hiring preference for residents and landowners of the Mattole watershed.
• Specific personnel practices shall be described in the MRC’s Personnel Policy.
• To encourage cross-program communication, staff meetings shall be held regularly.
• Training opportunities shall be offered to all regular employees at the discretion of the Executive Director.
• Comply with all applicable local, state and federal laws regarding personnel management, hiring, and contracting.
• Maintain salaries, wages and benefits competitive with other local employers and regional watershed restoration employers.
• Benefits shall be offered as described in the Personnel Policy.
• Assess the feasibility of offering dental and retirement benefits
• All regular positions shall have written job descriptions that are approved by the Executive Director. Job descriptions shall be reviewed annually.
• Review and update the MRC Safety Policy as needed.
Board of Directors
The goal is to provide direction to keep the MRC focused in accomplishing its mission and goals.
• The MRC Board of Directors is elected by the membership as described in the Bylaws. The Board shall maintain a membership of eleven members.
• The Board shall maintain the following committees: Executive Committee (minimum of 3 board members, serves as decision-making body between full Board meetings), and Personnel Committee (minimum of 3 board members, oversees implementation of the Personnel Policy).
• The Personnel Committee shall conduct an annual evaluation of the Executive Director. The Executive Director shall conduct an annual self-evaluation.
• The Board shall identify and recruit Board candidates that reflect the diversity of the Mattole watershed. Potential members with expertise in watershed restoration/science, financial, and legal matters shall all be sought.
• The Personnel Committee shall review the Personnel Policy annually.
• The Board of Directors shall perform all duties mandated by law related to managing the organization, or otherwise described in the Board-approved Annual Plan of Work.
Office and Facilities
The goal is to maintain sufficient workspaces and infrastructure to adequately and safely support the MRC.
Office and Facilities Directives
• Maintain adequate office space, supplies and computers for employees to perform office tasks efficiently and safely. At the discretion of the Executive Director, telecommuting and flexible work schedules will be allowed.
• Maintain a remote access system to its internal server that contains all relevant MRC digital documents, both programmatic and administrative.
• Maintain an inventory of all equipment, supplies and fixed assets, updated annually. The MRC shall maintain appropriate facility security to protect MRC assets.
General Administration
The goal for general administration is the smooth and effective running of the organization.
General Administration Directives
• Maintain project management and fundraising calendars to assist in the overall management of workflow.
• Complete all projects on time and within budget.
• MRC subcontracting shall contain a clause specifying penalties for non-performance and negligence.
• Collaborate with partner organizations to mutually strengthen programs and projects relevant to our mission.
Watershed Information Systems
The goal of the Watershed Information Systems program is to collect, archive, analyze, and disseminate restoration information to promote restoration efforts in the Mattole watershed.
This goal will be achieved thru the following principles:
• The MRC shall be current with the latest available information technologies.
• The MRC shall seek to add functionality in support of restoration activities.
The Watershed Information Systems program has three principal components: Geographic Information Systems, Data Management, and Watershed Monitoring.
The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) group provides analysis and dissemination of geographic representation of watershed information in support of restoration programs in the Mattole.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Directives
• Migrate to geodatabase (GIS) data structure and develop topologies and linear referencing. )
• Fully update data catalog and metadata for entire collection annually.
• Update and improve key datasets including parcel boundaries, vegetation cover, roads, salmonid distribution, and restoration projects.
• Promote the Custom Mapping Service for use by landowners, resource managers, and partnering organizations (work with Resource Center).
The Data Management group locates, archives, organizes, and disseminates restoration-related data in support of MRC programs.
Data Management Directives
• Develop a comprehensive data management framework.
• Work with other MRC program managers to develop coherent, integrated, and documented data management systems for each MRC program.
• Locate and integrate historical data relevant to Mattole restoration efforts.
• Ensure outreach to local, regional, state, and national groups that are working toward similar goals.
The Watershed Monitoring group collects baseline and post-project data in support of restoration projects.
Watershed Monitoring Directives
• Collect baseline data in advance of potential restoration projects.
• Work with the Mattole Technical Advisory Committee to prioritize restoration projects.
• Collect post-project data that will be needed to assess the effectiveness of restoration projects.
Youth Education Programs
The goal is to foster ecological education and restoration field experience for local youth.
Youth Educational Programs has two principal components: MEEP and Nick’s Interns.
Mattole Ecological Education Program (MEEP)
MEEP Directives
• The MEEP shall provide in-class instruction.
• The MEEP shall provide field trip experience.
• The MEEP shall team with Public School teachers to achieve the above directives.
• The MEEP shall monitor the progress of students.
Nick’s Interns
Nick’s Interns Directives
• Nick’s Interns shall provide restoration field experience and paid work for local youth.
• Collaborate with other watershed stewardship organizations.
• Ensure safe work supervision.
Community Resource Center
The goal is to enhance the access and exchange of knowledge among all community members by providing information to assist residents and staff working towards watershed health.
Community Resource Center Principles
• The MRC regards the community as a valuable source of watershed knowledge.
• The MRC shall make information available in a user-friendly fashion.
• The MRC shall strive to disseminate information that is scientifically valid.
Community Resource Center Directives
• In collaboration with Sanctuary Forest and the Mattole Salmon Group, the MRC shall research and develop a comprehensive approach to water conservation and streamflow enhancement in the Mattole.
• The MRC shall promote gatherings for exchange of watershed information, including talks by local experts and informal sessions.
• MRC shall engage in direct outreach such as tabling, poster sessions, presentations, and conference attendance to promote our work, educate the public, and network with larger communities.
• In order to increase community accessing of Resource Center materials, the MRC shall develop, enhance, and promote MRC’s website, investigate establishing community bulletin boards in higher-traffic areas, and publicize the availability of Resource Center materials in each newsletter.
• The MRC shall distribute Watershed Wares to promote the organization.
The Community Resource Center includes:
Library:
The goal for the library is to maintain, enhance and make available the MRC’s collection of watershed-related materials.
• Provide library services to the community.
• Create and maintain an online catalogue of materials.
Newsletter:
The goal of the newsletter is to provide information on Mattole projects and topics of local interest.
• The MRC shall publish and distribute the newsletter no less than twice a year.
• The MRC shall pursue greater distribution of the newsletters.
• The MRC shall make the newsletter available on MRC’s website.
Website:
The goal for MRC’s website is to disseminate information related to the watershed and MRC in electronic format.
• The MRC shall work to make the website interactive.
• The MRC shall regularly update website content with information of interest to the public.
• The MRC shall promote increasing website visits, for example crosslinking.
Publications:
The goal of MRC publications is to disseminate information related to the watershed and MRC in hard copy format.
• The MRC shall periodically produce a Mattole-oriented calendar or similar promotional materials.
• The MRC shall develop and publish a booklet describing the MRC’s programs and services.
• The MRC shall maintain the ability to proactively produce and distribute publications about urgent watershed threats.
Volunteer coordination:
The goal for volunteer coordination is to facilitate recruitment of volunteers for Mattole projects.
• Maintain a directory of potential volunteers with their interests, expertise and capabilities.
• Track volunteer participation.
Water conservation:
The goal is to promote water conservation within the Mattole watershed.
• Disseminate information on how individuals can reduce water consumption.
• Coordinate with other Mattole groups to reduce water consumption.
• Offer assessment and implementation of water conservation measures to Mattole residents.
• Maintain an inventory of water conservation equipment at the MRC office for residents to learn about and purchase.
Good Roads, Clear Creeks
The goal for the Good Roads, Clear Creeks program is to promote healthy streams and salmonid recovery by reducing stream sedimentation.
Good Roads, Clear Creeks Principles:
The success of the GRCC program depends on close cooperation with the community.
Good Roads, Clear Creeks Directives:
• Seek and track landowner cost share for each project.
• Work with the Bureau of Land Management and California State Parks, as well as other governmental agencies, to treat selected sediment sources on their lands within the Mattole watershed.
• Integrate the latest Department of Fish & Game design criteria into all projects where appropriate.
• Collect data on sediment savings and miles of road treated as well as archive project photographs, landowner testimonials, and related information.
• Monitor completed projects and coordinate with MRC monitoring personnel.
• Investigate the possibilities for sediment modeling.
The Good Roads, Clear Creeks program can be broken down into the following areas of focus:
• Active Roads (Stormproofing)
The goal is to reduce sedimentation from active roads and stream crossings and reduce the likelihood of stream crossing failures.
• Abandoned Roads (Decommissioning)
The goal is to evacuate stream crossings and regrade the surface to reduce sediment from abandoned roads.
• Fish Passage Improvement
The goal is to remove barriers to the passage of adult and juvenile salmonids.
• Streambank Stabilization and Landslide Treatment
The goal is to limit the negative impact caused by streambank failures and landslides and to improve aquatic habitat and salmonid spawning and/or rearing conditions near the worksites.
Wild and Working Lands
The goal of the Wild and Working Lands Program is to promote healthy and productive forests, meadows and streams.
Principle for Wild and Working Lands:
The Wild and Working Lands program serves the dual interests of the Mattole community with regard to watershed health and sustainable land-management practices.
The Wild and Working Land program has six principal components designed to accomplish this goal: Riparian Ecosystem Restoration, Fuels and Fires, Forestlands, Invasive Species, Grasslands, and Native Plant Nursery.
Riparian Ecosystem Restoration
Goal: To improve the quality of streamside habitat for salmon and other species.
• Survey prospective riparian restoration projects.
• Develop and implement treatments using best professional judgment, in consultation with the Technical Advisory Committee.
• Monitor the results of treatments.
Fuels and Fires
Goal: To minimize the risk of catastrophic fire in the Mattole watershed.
Fuels and Fires Directives:
• The MRC shall assist in the transfer of the operations and management of fuel reduction projects to local Fire Safe Councils.
• Explore use of fire for economic and ecological purposes.
• Conduct outreach, education, and planning to encourage landowners to undertake fuels reduction.
• Assist landowners in implementing fuels reduction projects.
• Research the development of a local market for thinning by-products. Encourage local entrepreneurs to commercialize thinning by-products.
• Provide training to local residents and youth in fuels reduction techniques.
Forestlands
Community Forestry has parallel goals.
Goal: To encourage Mattole residents to grow their forests for overall watershed health and to promote sustainable harvest of timber using ecologically sound practices.
• Review and comment on Timber Harvest Plans, Non-Industrial Timber Management Plans, and other Forest Practices documents submitted in the Mattole watershed, through the Forest Practices Program (FPP).
• Update www.mattole.org to include information about previous, current and proposed THPs.
• Participate in industrial timberland planning processes in the Mattole.
• Track the Regional Water Quality Control Board’s Watershed-Wide Waste Discharge Requirements process proposed by the Regional Water Quality Control Board as it affects the industrial timber ownerships in the Mattole. Participate to encourage regulatory relief and incentives for non-industrial landowners in this process.
• Conduct outreach and information exchange about forestry issues including, for example, new or amended Forest Practice Rules, sustainable forestry, etc.
• Assist non-industrial timberland owners with programs such as MRC’s Program Timber Environmental Impact Report (PTEIR), Non-Industrial Timber Management Plans (NTMPs), and conservation easements. MRC’s assistance is contingent on a plan that meets MRC standards with regard to sustainable forest/land management.
• Cooperate with the Buckeye Conservancy, the Institute for Sustainable Forestry, the Redwood Forest Foundation, and others to encourage sustainable land management.
Invasive Species
Goal: To prevent the spread of non-native species that crowd out native species from ecologically significant and economically productive habitats in the watershed.
• Learn about invasive species and their locations in the watershed.
• Maintain and organize an invasive species infestation database for the Mattole watershed.
• Continue to research best eradication techniques for high-priority species within the Mattole watershed.
• Offer education and outreach within the Mattole watershed to raise awareness, interest and involvement in invasive species control.
• Develop and prioritize potential invasive species removal projects.
• Develop proactive plans for the potential invasion of high-priority invasive species known to exist nearby, such as pikeminnow and Phytophthora ramorum (the microbe which causes Sudden Oak Death).
• Conduct projects to control and/or eradicate invasive species.
• Monitor past Mattole project sites to ensure long-term success of invasive species removal projects.
• Coordinate with Humboldt and Mendocino County organizations working on invasive species. Coordinate activities with county road departments.
Grasslands
Goal: To increase the native biodiversity of Mattole prairies as sustainable grassland.
Grassland Directives
• Gather and propagate native grass seed.
• Partner with local landowners and land managers to propagate native grasses.
• Survey and map native grass populations within the Mattole watershed (exclusive of the King Range National Conservation Area, KRNCA).
• Identify prospective native grassland restoration projects within the Mattole watershed exclusive of the KRNCA.
Native Plant Nursery
Goal: To ensure that the Council’s restoration projects have a supply of Mattole seed stock, in order to protect native gene pools.
• Collect and maintain a seed bank of important tree, grass and shrub species for restoration and reforestation projects.
• Maintain one or more nurseries to provide locally raised seedlings needed for projects.
• Make surplus production available to Mattole landowners and promote native landscaping.
MRC General Directives
The following directives are designed to guide the Mattole Restoration Council in the realization of its mission:
• The MRC shall pursue a conscious contraction of overall scale to best address our mission. This includes but is not limited to a focus on accomplishing core restoration projects with high quality, improved financial stability, and a reduction in contract complexity.
• The MRC shall give priority to hire and train Mattole watershed residents by increasing part-time opportunities.
• The MRC shall maintain a prioritized list of restoration objectives. MRC staff shall prepare a draft of the prioritized list and then submit the list for board review and approval. The list shall be reviewed and updated annually. The prioritized list shall be appended to this document.
• The Mattole Technical Advisory Committee shall provide scientific input in Mattole restoration and conservation activities. The TAC will continue to review project plans and outcomes at biannual meetings and conduct an annual field trip.
• On-the-ground surveys shall be completed before restoration treatments are conducted. All projects shall include clearly defined outcomes.
• All projects shall include a monitoring component to assess pre- and post-project conditions and overall project effectiveness.
• The MRC shall employ adaptive management strategies, in other words, shall incorporate the results of past projects into new approaches.
• The MRC shall design proposals limited enough in scope to accomplish adaptive management strategies.
• The MRC shall invite local student participation in order to facilitate exposure to restoration and conservation concepts, and to offer employment opportunities.
• All MRC programs shall have an active volunteer component.
• MRC shall be an example of sustainability. MRC shall operate under a high environmental standard, for example, using recycled, non-or low-toxic products where possible (e.g., recycled paper, biodiesel), and encouraging carpooling, energy efficiency and water conservation in its operations.
• The MRC shall create a program to address low-flow issues throughout the watershed.
• The MRC shall purchase from and employ local businesses and contractors where possible.
• The MRC shall offer services to landowners as an integrated package incorporating various activities such as riparian reforestation, invasive plant eradication, fish passage improvement, etc.
MRC Vision
We envision a Mattole that has healthy, self-sustaining, productive forests, meadows, and streams, with abundant native fish and wildlife populations. We look forward to a community that draws its sustenance from and lives in harmony with the environment. We seek to understand processes of natural healing and enhance them using best land practices in harmony with the local environment. We seek to enhance the exchange of knowledge among all community members toward that goal. We look forward to a time in the Mattole watershed when “restoration” will no longer be needed.
MRC General Principles
• The MRC will pursue the highest priority watershed objectives that directly address the factors limiting watershed and salmon recovery. Related funding opportunities are secondary.
• The MRC will focus on core restoration projects. The MRC will limit the scale of projects to what can be accomplished with high quality, existing labor and local expertise.
• All research, monitoring and assessment activities will be focused to answering specific, applicable research questions relevant to Mattole watershed issues.
• The MRC is a learning organization. It seeks to learn from its members, staff, directors and community and will share information transparently.
• It is a priority for the MRC to hire and train Mattole watershed residents.
• The MRC shall increase opportunities for community and staff volunteer involvement in achieving its restoration and conservation goals.
The Mattole Restoration Council realizes its vision through ongoing programs that undertake discrete projects throughout the Mattole River watershed. The Mattole Restoration Council’s activities are organized into five program areas:
Wild and Working Lands
Good Roads, Clear Creeks
Community Resource Center
Youth Education
Watershed Information Systems
Within each of these program areas, numerous projects are undertaken each year to further the objectives set forth in this Strategic Plan. The administration of these programs is described in the final section of this document. In undertaking these projects, the Council does so with the above-listed principles in mind.
