The Yuba Watershed Institute is a group of citizens who are concerned with the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of long-term biological diversity within the Yuba River watershed. The study, maintenance, use and preservation of the watershed is undertaken in partnership with public land management agencies, professional associations, private landowners, other non-profit organizations, and community organizations. The Institute also serves as an educational resource, providing an ongoing series of talks, seminars, publications and walks on all aspects of the watershed.
At the core of the YWI is a cooperative management agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Timber Framers Guild of North America for the joint management of nearly 2,000 acres of forestland on ten parcels in Nevada County, California. This area has been named the ‘Inimim Forest after the Nisenan word for ponderosa pine. The goal of this stewardship program is to foster ancient forest ecosystems and riparian habitats while developing a timber management plan for the selective and sustainable harvest of high quality forest products. The broad intent of this agreement is to demonstrate that local citizens can become active partners in managing public lands for their intrinsic biological and landscape values as well as for the economic and cultural sustenance of the community.
The Yuba Watershed Institute’s focus on forest management, biological diversity, and sustainable resource use is based on a perspective which suggests that the health of the watershed – our waters, forests, wildlife, and the economic viability of our rural way of life – are not contained within regional political boundaries. Activities within the watershed may affect a particular species, habitat or place elsewhere, and forces and activities outside the watershed may cause impacts within it. The Yuba River watershed is intimately connected with the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Staff
Chris Friedel, Executive Director & Secretary
chris@yubawatershedinstitute.org
Denise Della Santina, Forest Health Project Manager
denise@yubawatershedinstitute.org
Board of Directors
Daniel Nicholson, President
Amber Cone, Vice President
Ann Hobbs, Treasurer
Robert Erickson
Kurt Lorenz
Rebecca Wayman
Robert Kelly