The Mattole Watershed

Mattole-Headwaters-in-WinterThe Mattole River begins its journey to the sea from its headwaters located approximately 200 miles north of San Francisco, near the town of Whitethorn on California’s Lost Coast.  Draining 300 miles of rugged mountains and forests, it flows sixty-six miles northwest to Petrolia where it empties into the Pacific Ocean.

Mattole in the native language of Sinkyone Indians means clear water.  Old timers in this area talk about a cold, clear river shaded by lush forest canopy, a river filled with native coho, Chinook and steelhead. So many salmon, they say, that it was possible to cross the river in shallow places during spawning season by stepping from one fish to the next!  That was before the post-World War II timber boom, when logging roads criss-crossing adjacent landscapes began to multiply exponentially.

By 1987, only 9% of the original old growth coniferous forests in the Mattole River Watershed remained standing. In a very short time, unsustainable logging practices had caused a dramatic rise in water temperature and sediment accumulation in the Mattole’s once-cold, clear waters. In the late 90’s because of significant degradation of their habitat, both coho and Chinook in the Mattole River were added to the threatened species list.

More than a decade ago, alerted by community concern, Sanctuary Forest decided to directly address the startling water shortages and declining native salmon runs in the Mattole River. As a land trust Sanctuary Forest had already been involved in river restoration projects for years, though the projects had focused mainly on protecting old-growth forests and developing conservation easements with land owners. Today, in collaboration with our many partners and the local community, Sanctuary Forest is working directly in various ways to restore the Mattole River.


Saving the last old-growth coniferous forests in the Mattole Watershed

As mentioned above, when Sanctuary Forest formed in 1987 only 9% of the original old growth forests in the Mattole River Watershed were still standing. This map illustrates that startling fact, which was the spark that ignited the Mattole community to form Sanctuary Forest as a way to organize to save what old-growth trees remained.