Forest Flash: Watersheds as Drought Solutions, Conserving the McCloud, Celebrating Randy Moore and Landscape Collaborations

Climate-smart Water Management for Challenging Times

As drought deepens across the West and impacts from climate change intensify, there is growing recognition that we must add to the traditional “toolbox” of water management to increase water security now and in the future. The most cost-efficient and immediate tool to do that is restoring watershed function and resilience. Healthy watersheds yield more water, more reliably, and later into the summer season than do degraded ones. Dams and reservoirs are only part of a water system—if the watersheds feeding them don’t work well, neither do they. However, federal funding for water infrastructure programs in the western reclamation states, the Water Infrastructure Investment for the Nation (WIIN) program, has not included watersheds as eligible investments.

A new bill introduced by Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA) aims to change that. The FUTURE Act, or Western Water Infrastructure and Drought Resiliency Act, was introduced by Mr. Huffman, and co-sponsored by legislators from Colorado and Arizona as well as California, in late May. It would specifically include watershed restoration and conservation projects as eligible for investments precisely because these projects are cost-effective, near term, and yield so many other co-benefits. Watershed restoration reduces fire risk, enhances wildlife and recreation opportunities, increases resilience, and is a major source of rural employment. PFT is proud to have worked with Mr. Huffman, who was a speaker in our recent Forest Fete, in crafting this important legislation, focusing on the inclusion of natural water infrastructure for climate-smart water management. Learn more about PFT’s work in watersheds and water security.

California Wildlife Conservation Board Approves Grant to Conserve Lightning Canyon Ranch

We are delighted to share that the California Wildlife Conservation Board has approved a grant of $795,000 to PFT to help acquire a conservation easement on the Lightning Canyon Ranch, owned by Bob and Cassie Hixon. Adjacent to Lake Shasta in California, the ranch links the Shasta National Forest with other working forests, creating a buffer from expanding development. The 2,100-acre Lightning Canyon Ranch adds to our larger work in the McCloud watershed, where we have conserved over 35,000 acres of well-managed forest.

Forested creeks, such as the one fed by Sneaky Falls, assure the cold water that is critical to salmon and humans alike.

The property has been painstakingly assembled from 27 separate parcels that had been created by real estate speculators in the 1970s. Beginning in 2010, Bob and Catherine Hixon began piecing the ranch together. The conservation easement partnership with PFT ensures that it will never be broken up again and that management will serve to restore resilient forests and thriving habitats. Future management will reduce fuel loads, restore more naturally fire resilient conditions and help Lightning Canyon Ranch serve as a key buffer protecting people and nature from catastrophic fire. Funding for the easement comes from the Wildlife Conservation Board’s Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program. We invite you to learn more about this important project and consider supporting PFT as we work to conserve additional habitat in the region.

Regional Forester Randy Moore Embodies What It Means to Act Outside the Box

At April’s Forest Fete, PFT honored Randy Moore, the Forest Service’s Regional Forester for the Southwest Region, with our prestigious “Outside the Box” Award. Honorees are chosen for their enduring love of forests and commitment to stewardship, as well as acting “outside the box” of conventional actions and thinking to ensure forest stewardship and conservation for the good of all. Randy has long stewarded our public forests for their myriad values. His ability to include diverse sets of stakeholders in his actions underscores his commitment to helping the public understand the importance of these forests. “Your commitment to working with stakeholder communities is exemplary given the diverse communities calling California home,” shared PFT Board Vice-Chair, Ann Bartuska, Ph.D. in presenting the award at Fete.

Randy Moore has been Pacific Southwest Regional Forester since October 2007, with overall responsibility for 18 National Forests in California that cover 20 million acres of land. Throughout his career, Randy has been a catalyst for change and creativity in how the Forest Service cares for the land and serves people. PFT’s own success can largely be attributed to a willingness to think outside of the box by creating and advancing strategies to conserve private forests. We’ve been proud to collaborate with Randy over the years, including the recent Fire MOU Partnership, a call from diverse organizations and agencies to advance the use of fire for ecological benefit and improved fire management. Randy Moore exemplifies how we can reach across borders—be it of stakeholder communities or forest ownerships both public and private—to illustrate a way forward for all of us.