Working Lands & Human Communities

Working Lands & Human Communities


The goal of the Working Lands and Human Communities Program is to promote healthy land management practices on private and public lands that support functioning ecosystems and human communities. The Working Lands and Human Communities program serves dual interests of the Mattole watershed promoting ecologically and economically sustainable land-management practices. This program is largely focused on fire safety and resilience through the following programs:

For information about timber harvesting see the Mattole Program Timberland Environmental Impact Report (PTEIR)

Fuels Reduction and Fire Planning

The MRC works with landowners, volunteer fire personnel and public resources to create shaded fuel breaks, reduce hazards along neighborhood evacuation routes, connect landowners with resources for conducting their own fire safe measures, and provide services for fuels reduction including a chipper with crew.

Fire Atlas

The Mattole Watershed is home to numerous volunteer fire departments and companies that serve as first responders and protection for our communities and ecosystems from wildfire. The Council works closely with these organizations to provide detailed mapping with gps tracking in the form of a fire atlas to aid them in emergency response. Recently, MRC has been working to install numerous fire-use-only water tanks throughout the watershed to avoid drafting from the river.

Lower Mattole Fire Safe Council

The mission of the Lower Mattole Fire Safe Council is to reduce risks and minimize damage to life, property, and the environment from wildfire, by coordinating efforts to fund and implement fire-safe education and projects in the Lower Mattole. Recently MRC has assisted in developing an alternative communication system for emergency use only.

Sustainable Land Management

The MRC works to encourage Mattole residents to manage their land for overall ecosystem health and to promote sustainable forest and range management practices, particularly as an alternative to industrial paradigms.

Good Roads, Clear Creek

The Good Roads, Clear Creeks program was one of the MRC’s biggest endeavors to date. The program sought to promote healthy streams and salmonid recovery by reducing erosion and stream sedimentation through road upgrades by working closely with both landowners and governmental agencies .