LOCAL

CCWG PARTNERS WITH FOOD BANK ......... 3

VOL 2
NORTH STATE SCIENTISTS LESS PICKY IN FACE OF LOW SALMON RUN .................. 4

No. 8

January 2010

HEALTHY ROADS FOR HEALTHY W ATERSHED .... 5

ADDRESSING THE NEWEST ISSUES EFFECTING THE COTTONWOOD CREEK WATERSHED

Watershed watch
use of farmers markets. In October, the 1st Annual Cottonwood Creek Fall Harvest Celebration marked the last Farmers Market & Artisan Fair of the season; featuring live musical entertainment, horse drawn wagon rides by Dove Hollow Farms, a beer garden by North Star Brewery and the Las Vegas Comedy Magic Entertainer, Bryan Gilles. This was one of CCWG Staffs favorite events The Devine Bank Stabilization Project was a partnership project with U.S Fish & Wildlife Services. Visiting the site now it is clear that it was a complete success; all of the plants are vigorously growing with signs of deer and turkey nests. CCWG also received a small grant to do a beautification project on the portion of Crowley Gulch that runs behind the Cottonwood Community Center and Little League Park. This project entailed the removal of blackberries, cleaning up garbage and planting of native plants. CCWG was also approved to be an official AmeriCorps VISTA program sponsor and will be overseeing three separate community service projects. AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. VISTA members commit to serve full-time for a year at a nonprofit organization or local government agency, working to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses, strengthen community groups, and much more. Our VISTA assignments are the Farmers Market & Artisan Fair, Community Garden and partnering project with Sheppards Heart Food Bank in Cottonwood. As we close the year 2009 and welcome 2010 we would like to gather with our community members, stakeholders, and other interested parties for the CCWG 2010 Annual Meeting which will be held on January 28th at 5:30pm located at the Cottonwood Community Center, 20595 Gas Point Road, Cottonwood, CA. Continued on page 2.

As we welcome 2010, we look back on a few accomplishments from 2009.

As 2009 comes to a close, the Cottonwood Creek Watershed Group (CCWG) would like to offer gratitude for your support and assistance in helping CCWG complete another satisfying year of serving the Cottonwood Creek Watershed. It has been such an extraordinary year, really, in the history of CCWG. This year, CCWG has enjoyed working to solve some of their most challenging issues affecting the watershed; and creating solutions through different programs and partnerships to help the Cottonwood community flourish. The Cottonwood Creek Certified Farmers Market & Artisan Fair started with a bang as we welcomed a wide variety of vendors to meet the needs of the Cottonwood community. The market acted as both a fundraising and outreach opportunity for CCWG. Additionally the market was a resource in promoting sustainable agriculture in our watershed. CCWG teamed with over 850 farmers markets and American Farmland Trust to raise the profile of farmers markets everywhere, speaking for farmers, farmland and the regional food systems that our community needs to maintain and develop. Shopping at a farmers market is an investment in you, your family, and your community. It is a way to build your community, meet your neighbors, and learn about your food. We also were approved to accept California Farmers Market Checks from WIC and Senior Farmers Market Program participants. Both programs U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs designed to provide fresh, nutritious, locally grown fruits and vegetables from farmers markets to low-income seniors and families, and to expand the awareness and

CCWG WELCOMES 2010

of the season and we look forward to hosting it again in 2010. Weve welcomed hundreds of new subscribers to the Watershed Watch newsletter mailing list. The comments, insights, and ideas from our readers have inspired us tremendously. We will continue to encourage strong active contributions by community members. Other outreach and fundraising events included an Art Show and Wine Tasting held in June, featuring artists Regina Wyatt and Dejon Weldon. July featured a concert performance by the West Street Blues Band, and in October, Prime Cinemas in Anderson hosted a Sponsorship Day for CCWG.

CCWG WELCOMES 2010

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
The event will kick off with a potluck dinner. A main course of Beef Stew, cornbread, biscuits and drinks will be provided by CCWG. Attendees are encouraged to bring a side dish, salad, or dessert. Attendees will also be given the opportunity to enter for their chance to win All-Day Lift Passes for two compliments of Mt. Shasta Ski Park. Executive Director, Brynn Nolan, will be giving a brief presentation on the past years significant accomplishments, projects, grants received and recognition of volunteers. She will also unveil a new web site, which will provide superior project tracking abilities and enhanced volunteer coordination and communication. CCWG formally announced in August that it was accepting applications for the upcoming 2010 election. Three seats will be up for election, the names of the applicants are as follows: Jim Busher, Gerald Kohler, Ronald Myers, Sherry Rosen, Louise Wilkinson. Each candidate will be asked to provide a brief introduction to the audience and highlight their qualifications and experience that they would bring to the Board of Directors. After which Cottonwood Creek Watershed Group Stakeholders will be invited to cast their vote for their choice of three candidates to fill the open seats. There will be one vote per stakeholder household. Volunteers will be counting the votes headed by community member Joy Johns. For more information please contact CCWG by calling (530) 3476637.. Here's to a very happy and prosperous New Year!

May this New Year bring many opportunities your way, to explore every joy of life and may your resolutions for the days ahead stay firm, turning all your dreams into reality and all your efforts into great Achievements. - CCWG Board of Directors and Staff

FOOD BANK PARTNERSHIP

CCWG Partners with Shepherds Heart to help make a difference.
CCWG partners with an established local food bank to help make a difference. Shepherds Heart, a part of the Cottonwood First Baptist Church, is all about meeting needs; providing food, support and valuable information to those of the Cottonwood area. With the opening of its doors in 2007, Shepherd's Heart began assisting many of the Cottonwood families who lack the transportation to reach the much larger assistance programs, such as A.C.C.A located in Anderson. Beyond the nutritional support, Shepherds Heart opened a clothing distribution this last October and beginning 2010 they will be offering educational courses in Financial Planning, Budgeting, Nutrition and a Beyond Survival class. The ultimate goal of Shepherds Heart is to find long term solutions rather than just giving a hand out, with no accountability. It is our hope that by partnering with Shepherds Heart Food Bank, CCWG will be able to help service our local community. We have a lot of hidden poverty in the immediate area and our organization feels the need to help those who need a hand in this tough economy. says Brynn Nolan, Executive Director. CCWG has two AmeriCorps VISTAs (Volunteers In Service To America), who will be assisting Shepherds Heart in gathering large scale in kind donations, recruiting volunteers, and by volunteering themselves. CCWG plans on servicing Shepherds Heart by providing fresh produce from the upcoming Community Garden, scheduled to break ground this winter in Cottonwood. It is the hope of both CCWG and Shepherds Heart that partnering will enable volunteers to organize another day of operation. Currently Shepherds Heart is only open on Tuesdays from 9:00am until noon. Community involvement is essential to the success of the Shepherd's Heart. Those wishing to volunteer their time should call Shepherds Heart at (530) 347-3691. Volunteer work may consist of preparing food boxes, organizing donated food items, follow-up calls, distribution etc.

COMMUNITY GARDEN PLANNING UNDERWAY

Partnership developed with Evergreen Middle School
CCWG has been working with Science Teacher, Dennis Mitchell and Principle Brad Mendenhall of Evergreen Middle School to secure a minimum of a quarter acre for development of the Cottonwood Community Garden Project that will be located at 19500 Learning Way in Cottonwood. The Community Garden Project is an initiative to build a community vegetable garden in Cottonwood. The garden will serve as a source for sustainable, nutritious food for Cottonwood residents and as a public space for the community to cultivate food and relationships. The project will encourage self-sufficiency and environmental stewardship and will achieve this through increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables. The Community Garden will not only be a wonderful addition to our area, but will help grow growers and give those people without one, an area to produce a garden, notes Sheri Curry, AmeriCorps VISTA. Although community gardens are often associated with urban areas, they exist in many rural areas as well. Situated in a beautiful rural setting the Cottonwood Community Garden will promote sustainable and environmentally responsible growing practices as well as a place for connecting with nature and strengthening community bonds. By partnering with Evergreen Middle School the garden will provide school education opportunities that incorporate gardening and nutrition education. This communal garden will be tended collectively with the surplus produce going to Shepherds Heart Food Bank. For more information on how you can get involved with the Cottonwood Community Garden please contact CCWG by calling (530) 347-6637.

NORTH STATE SCIENTISTS LESS PICKY IN FACE OF LOW SALMON RUN

AS REPORTED BY DYLAN DARLING OF THE RECORD SEARCHLIGHT
In 2002, a whopping record run of more than 450,000 Chinook swamped Battle Creek. The recent low numbers reflect an ongoing crash of the Sacramento's salmon returns. The crash is evident at a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service salmon-counting station along Battle Creek, which leads to Coleman, as well as at the hatchery itself. This year, Fish and Wildlife scientists counted 8,300 salmon at the Battle Creek station, said Jim Smith, project leader at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Red Bluff office. At the same station, scientists counted 145,000 salmon in 2003, 70,000 in 2004, 150,000 in 2005, 78,000 in 2006, 22,000 in 2007 and 15,000 last year. "The numbers are much lower than they have been in recent years, no question about that," Smith said. Despite the low returns, Hamelberg said the hatchery should be able to produce 11 million young salmon next spring, a million short of its 12 million goal. "We are going to be pretty close," he said. The cause of the salmon return crash still isn't certain, Smith and Hamelberg said, but most research so far leads scientists to think it's the result of low food levels at sea. "Right now, I think we are still seeing the impacts of poor ocean conditions," Hamelberg said.

After a Storm
Firescanbeprevented.Afeweasystepscan saveyourlife! Keepbatterypoweredlanternsorflash lightstouseinsteadofcandlesifthe powergoesout.Ifyoumustusecandles, keepthemoutofreachofchildrenand awayfromanythingthatcouldburn. Leaveatleast3feetbetweenportable spaceheaters,fireplaces,orwoodstoves andanythingthatcanburn. Neverthawfrozenpipeswithablow torchorotheropenflame. Ifyourhomeisdamagedbystorm,smell andlistenforgasleaks.Ifyouthink theresaleak,turnoffthemaingasvalve, openwindows,andgeteveryoneoutside quickly. Whenusingagenerator,usetherightsize andtypeofpowercords.Alwaysruna generatoroutdoors,neverinenclosed areaslikebasementsorgarages. www.firesafety.gov

SAFE HARBOR AGREEMENT UNDER REVIEW

AS REPORTED BY HEATHER HACKING OF THE CHICO ENTERPRISE RECORD
After more than a decade in the works, a plan to provide "safe harbor" as an incentive for landowners to provide habitat along the Sacramento River is moving closer to reality. Government agencies are seeking public comments on a program that would allow people protection from violating the Endangered Species Act while they improve habitat. Agreements between the Sacramento River Conservation Area Forum, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the California Department of Fish and Game would also allow neighboring landowners to receive incidental take protection if they are near land used by wildlife or if improvements are made to their own land. For years, there have been efforts to create more habitat along the Sacramento River, after large amounts have been developed and farm land has been established closer to the waterway. But landowners have voiced concerns that as habitat moves in, property owners could be subject to regulation if endangered species became established. The forum group took on the issue to try to work out some landowner assurances. The group works with concerned citizens, landowners along the river and resource management agencies to solve problems and protect natural areas and communities. Under the proposal, a property owner can do conservation efforts without increased property use restrictions due to conservation. The draft plan covers a 222-mile stretch of the river from the Keswick Dam above Redding to where the Sacramento River meets the Feather River at Verona. "The (Fish and Wildlife) Service encourages partnerships such as these because they provide a net benefit to the imperiled species, while protecting landowners who might incidentally harm a species," a press release stated. The press release from Fish and Wildlife talks about improvements such as tree cover, planting elderberries, removing invasive species and avoiding habitat during breeding. Anderson-Abbs said even small things, such as leaving water in canals and ditches and making sure there is vegetation along ditches for the giant garter snake are helpful. For pond turtles, preventing off-road vehicles will protect the creatures, she continued. "Other things, if you want to do a full restoration, that would be covered," she said. For bank swallows, having grasslands nearby can provide places for the birds to forage for food. In the past, some landowners felt there was a disincentive to leave those lands accessible to creatures. If the safe harbor program is approved, property owners can hook up with resource agencies to help provide funding for more restoration, she said. "There are quite a few incentive programs out there for people who want to do even small amounts of restoration," she said, such as fencing off ponds or streams on their property. In January, the Forum will be working to create a library of landowner programs, she said. The draft "safe harbor agreement" will be open for public comment through Jan. 20. It can be viewed at http:// edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E930207.pdf. Public comments can be sent to Kathy Brown, Conservation Partnerships Program, 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2605, Sacramento, CA 95825; (916) 414-6600; fax: (916) 414-6712/6713.

Forum manager Beverly Anderson-Abbs said the federal part of the program is geared toward the federally protected Valley longhorn elderberry beetle and the giant garter snake. She said the state worked on similar new rules this summer, but some work remained to be done at that level. Similar safe-harbor agreements have been worked out through the Cottonwood Creek Watershed and the California Cattlemen's Association, Anderson-Abbs explained. Within the current agreement under public review, landowners can convert habitat, then later decide they want to return the land to the original "baseline." Yet, the hope is that the land would remain in that habitat for the future, she said.

HEALTHY ROADS FOR HEALTHY WATERSHEDS

Well-designed roads move water off the road quickly and prevent sediment from going into the waterways. AS REPORTED BY FORESTLAND STEWARD
Poor roads are responsible for many of the problems in watersheds. They can be a major cause of runoff that delivers sediment to waterways, impacts fish and other wildlife, changes vegetation, degrades groundwater and soil, and affects scenic values. However, with a properly designed and maintained road you can avoid many of these negative impacts, and reduce the wear and tear on your vehicle. It is your responsibility as a landowner to care for the roads on your property. Roads are a part of your essential infrastructure and should be viewed as a capital asset. They are expensive to build, and the consequences of failure grave, so it is important that you do it right the first time. It will cost you less to build roads properly than to maintain them in the long run. Initial design is critical. Roads must be properly sited and constructed, and appropriate water crossings and culverts installed. While road design isnt rocket science, its a highly technical undertaking and may require an engineer or road specialist to evaluate your needs, give advice, and oversee construction. Continued vigilance and regular maintenance are the key to healthy roads. Perform maintenance when needed. Do not wait! The longer you wait, the more damage will occur and repairs will be more costly. Keep ditches and culverts free from debris but maintain an erosion-resistant surfacing such as grass or rock in the ditches. Re-grade and shape the road surface periodically to maintain proper surface drainage. Remember to inspect the road at regular intervals, especially following periods of heavy rains. There may be cost-share funding available for road improvement projects. For more information on this and recommended maintenance contact your local Forestry Assistance Specialist by calling (530) 528-5108.

TAKING CARE OF HISTORY

BY DOTTIE SMITH OF REDDING.COM
This is the house that Dr. Gilliland purchased in 1895, moved into, and set up his medical practice in 1897. It is located on the southeast corner of Main and High Street in Cottonwood. His medical office was in the two front rooms that facing Main Street. In 1902, he opened a drug store at the northeast end of Front Street. In 1906, he began renting part of the house to schoolteacher Emory Null and his family. In 1909, Dr. Gilliland moved his medical practice and his drugstore into the east side of the brick building that is now Steve's A to Z Appliance Store - where an artist is painting a beautiful mural of a historical scene in downtown Cottonwood.

Re/Max Top Properties

KEN ROBISON
605 Main Street Red Bluff, CA 96080 (530) 527-1111 ken@kenrobison.com

Brynn Nolan Executive Director Keith Hackney AmeriCorps VISTA Board of Directors Jim Curry President Gary Klugman Vice President Sheri Curry Secretary Judy Huddleston Treasurer Jim Busher Director

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE! Contact CCWG to find out how. (530) 347-6637

For me, Tehama has always brought a sense of peacethe beauty of the land is what drew me here years ago.
- Clint Eastwood

ABOUT US The Cottonwood Creek Watershed Group (CCWG) is an organized association of landowners, residential home owners, business owners, and other private parties. The groups goal is to work together to maintain, conserve and restore a healthy and productive Cottonwood Creek Watershed. CCWG will work to preserve the environment, private property and water rights, and the economic resources of Cottonwood Creek Watershed through responsible stewardship, liaison, cooperation and education.

UPCOMING EVENTS
JANUARY 1st New Years Day OFFICE CLOSED JANUARY 4th - Crowley Gulch clean up day. For more information call (530) 347-6637. JANUARY 17th - CCWG Board Meeting located at 3645 Main St., Cottonwood at 5:30pm. JANUARY 21st - Sacramento River Watershed Program , SWMP Watershed Meeting. 10:00am. For information call (916) 549-4017. JANUARY 28th - CCWG 2010 Annual Meeting and Elections. 5:30pm. Located at the Cottonwood Community Center, 20595 Gas Point Rd., Cottonwood. Potluck Dinner. Please bring a side dish, salad or dessert. For more information call (530) 347-6637. JANUARY 29th - 16th Annual Tehama County Walnut Day. 8:00am1:30pm. Located at the Red Bluff Elks Lodge, 355 Gilmore Rd., Red Bluff. Registration Required. Please call (530) 527-3101 FEBRUARY 10th - Shasta County Fire Safety Council meeting located at 3645 Main St., Cottonwood at 5:30pm.

A PUBLICATION OF: Cottonwood Creek Watershed Group

PRDUCED BY: Sheri Curry

P.O. Box 1198 3645 Main Street Cottonwood, CA 96022 Office (530) 347-6637 Fax (530) 347-6346 www.ccwgrp.org info@ccwgrp.org