The 8th annual Coho Confab was held August 12-14, 2005 at the Wolf Creek Education Center in Redwood National Park in Humboldt County. The Confab, produced and hosted by Trees Foundation and the Salmonid Restoration Federation, is an outdoor symposium to explore watershed restoration and learn techniques to enhance recovery of salmon and steelhead. The Confab brought together 80 community members, landowners, activists, scientists, and restoration ecologists for a weekend of innovative skills-building workshops, tours of restoration projects, community networking, and fun.
The Friday evening orientation included Yurok cultural, regional, and political perspectives on stewarding salmon; an overview of over 20 years of watershed restoration at Redwood National and State Parks; and a detailed discussion of why the removal of the Klamath dams will enhance fish, tribes, and community economics.
On Saturday there were morning and afternoon concurrent sessions that included tours to see the development of local riparian restoration projects, and to focus on issues and opportunities for restoration. A workshop at Prairie Creek State Park demonstrated hydrology, turbidity, and sediment yield from pristine watersheds. Saturday also featured workshops on "Tracking Sediment, Pool Volume and Herptafauna to Track the Fate of Damaged Streams," "Stories and Songs of Salmon," as well as a technical assistance forum. Saturday evening participants enjoyed a traditional salmon dinner caught and prepared by the Yurok tribe.
Arlen Charles of the Yurok tribe preparing a traditional salmon dinner on carved redwood stakes.
Photo: Dana Stolzman
Sunday morning workshops included "Field Collecting and General Identification of Macro Invertebrates," a tour of Klamath River restoration projects, and "Underwater Exploration" to identify salmonids and their microhabitats.
The 2006 Confab will again be held during the month of August and we are already working with local watershed groups to develop an event in the Smith River watershed, the last major undammed river in California, located in Del Norte County. Please let us know if you would like to be on our Confab mailing list, we'd love to see you there!
A grant from the Vera P. Vietor Trust of the Humboldt Area Foundation supported a portion of Trees' production and coordination work. The Yurok Tribe generously caught, prepared, and shared a traditional salmon dinner. Local businesses also were key partners in the success of the Confab with generous support from Bien Padre, Casa Lindra, Clif Bar, Ray's Food Place, Ray's Smart Shop, Sacred Grounds Organic Coffee Roasters, Six Rivers Brewery, Tofu Shop, and Wildberries Market Place. We thank you all.
This article can be found online at www.treesfoundation.org/publications/article-221
Forest & River News is produced by Trees Foundation.
For more information contact: Trees Foundation
P.O. Box 2202, Redway, CA 95560