Conservation goals planned

What better time than Watershed Awareness Month to begin putting together a clean set of management goals for the Colusa Basin Watershed.

That is what resource conservation officials have planned in May that describes the approach they will use to implement projects to improve the watershed's health, according to Mary Fahey, Colusa County Resource Conservation District watershed coordinator.

RCD officials from Glenn and Yolo have joined Fahey in launching the development of a Colusa Basin Watershed Management Plan, all with a common goal to protect the watershed's natural resources, protect agriculture land and open spaces, restore critical ecosystems, improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and implement fire prevention and floodwater solutions.

"Our goal is to plan projects that will sustain and enhance watershed function," Fahey said a recent planning meeting in Colusa.

Fahey said once the plan is in place, the Conservation District will be able to seek funding for projects and to help landowners plan and implement restoration projects of their own.

District officials hope a clear plan of management goals will prevent random acts of conservation, and generate highly focused acts of conservation, Fahey said.

The Colusa Watershed covers 1,634 square miles of Glenn, Colusa and Yolo counties, on the Sacramento Valley's west side, extending from Cache Creek Watershed in the south, to the lower Stony Creek Watershed in the north, and from the west bank of the Sacramento River to the Coast Range foothills.

In January, the Conservation District finished the first step of the process by publishing a watershed assessment, a compilation of historical and current conditions within the watershed.

"Having a watershed assessment to help move the plan forward is a big deal," said Heather Crowell, Yolo County Resource Conservation District manger. "It helps us base watershed planning on science. It's a great resource."

The next step in developing the management plan is the formation of a Technical Advisory Committee and Community Advisory Group, Fahey said.

The Conservation District also plans to host a series of meetings to gain stakeholders input and support.

For more information, contact Fahey at 458-2931, ext. 117 or mary.fahey@ca.usda.gov.