Inside -
• News from the Trail, Page 2
• Keys to Coho Survival, Page 4
• Salmonistas Visit Mendocino
Coast, Page 5
• Students help at Big River, Page 5
• Dine Out Night - Nov. 18th, Page 6
2009 Coastal Cleanup Day Breaks Records
by Jenny Hall, Development Coordinator
Over 450 volunteers helped to remove trash and
recyclables from thirty cleanup locations on Mendocino
County beaches, rivers and creeks as part of the
25th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, held
on September 19, 2009. Volunteers covered over 45
miles of beaches, rivers and creeks, removing a record-
breaking 8,344 pounds of trash and 1,139 pounds of
recyclables, for a combined total of 9,483 pounds, that
otherwise might have been washed into the ocean with
the arrival of winter rains.
Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) in Mendocino County
has been coordinated by the Land Trust for the past
seven years. This year, the Land Trust sought to
increase cleanup activities by expanding CCD to
include inland areas of the County. These efforts were
successful - five new creek and river cleanups were
added to the 2009 CCD. Three of the new locations
were creek cleanups in the Willits area, coordinated by
the Willits/Outlet Creek Watershed Group. Together,
cleanups of Willits Creek, Broadus Creek and Baechtel
Creek removed a combined total of 4,500 pounds of
trash and recyclables, an impressive achievement. Two
new coastal locations – an inland cleanup of Pudding
Creek led by the Sierra Club and a kayak cleanup
on the Noyo River led by Liquid Fusion Kayaking
– yielded another 780 pounds of trash and recyclables
combined. The results from these five news cleanup
sites demonstrate the importance of cleaning our creeks
and rivers as well as our beaches.
The addition of the new sites combined with the
efforts of an additional 100 volunteers created a 260
percent increase in the amount of trash collected
countywide. In 2008, 347 volunteers removed 2,822
pounds of trash and 769 pounds of recyclables and, in
2007, 350 volunteers removed 2,050 pounds of trash
and 750 pounds of recyclables.
While the Land Trust coordinates the countywide
efforts of CCD, much of the success of the event is
thanks to the dedicated Beach Captains and Site
Continued on Page 3 with Additional Photos
October
2009
Volunteers at Manchester Beach included the local Girl Scouts
and other area residents (Photo by Louise DeWilder).
Land Trust Welcomes New
Trustee Ron LeValley
It is a great pleasure to announce
the addition of well-known
biologist and wildlife photographer
Ron LeValley to the Land Trust’s
Board of Trustees. Ron has
been a friend of the Land Trust
for years and serves on our Board of Advisors. He
has led our annual Big River Bird Survey training
program for several years and you will remember his
photographs from our newsletters, mailings and cards.
Ron is well known locally for many things, including
his extraordinary nature photography on display at the
Mendocino Coast Photographer Gallery in Fort Bragg.
Ron brings many skills to our Board, not the least
of which is his enthusiasm for and love of the natural
world. Ron is the founder and Senior Biologist of Mad
River Biologists and an expert on the identification and
distribution of birds along the Pacific Coast. His many
years of experience in environmental matters along the
entire range of the north coast is of enormous value to
us in our work. During his five years as the California
Coordinator for Pacific Coast Joint Venture, Ron also
worked on integrating efforts to conserve wildlife habitat.
We welcome Ron to our Board of Trustees and look
forward to all that he will contribute to the Land Trust.
 Moving Ahead in a Difficult Economic Climate
by Win Bowen, President of the Board of Trustees
Our nation’s economy is slowly recovering from the worst recession
since the 1930s, or at least that’s what most economists are telling us.
Board of Trustees Housing markets and employment will follow by some years, but to
quote Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, “From a technical perspective,
President the recession is very likely over at this point” (September 15, in a talk
Win Bowen at the Brookings Institution). Good news indeed, but we’ll defer the
celebration until we see evidence of a recovery in our own lives and our
Vice President
neighbors’ lives.
David Jensen
We are not the only non-profit that has struggled over the past two years. Increased demand
Secretary and reduced revenue have hit every non-profit organization I know of. If there is any good
Barbara Weiss news in all this, it is that they have survived and continue to do their jobs. Here in Mendocino
County, non-profits have been particularly resilient. After all, our County’s economy has
Treasurer suffered at least as much as others and public funding is significantly reduced.
Chet Anderson
I applaud their success. I know first hand what it takes to make an organization successful in
Trustees times such as these: sacrifice, leadership, dedication, optimism, creativity. All are needed, some
Alan Falleri days more than others.
Jeremy Isenberg
This is the right time to thank those who have helped us. I know our donors have not had it
Ron LeValley
easier than anyone else, but they continue to help us do our work. The best way to thank them
is by accomplishing our goals. If you read our newsletter, that is exactly what we are doing.
Your small, dedicated staff has made enormous progress. Coastal access easements are being
(Continued on Page 4)
MLT Staff
News From the Trail: Fall 2009
Big River Program
by Tamira Jones, Coastal Access Program Manager
Manager
Michael Miller MLT was informed in September of
the awarding of a Community-Based
Big River Stewards Transportation Planning Grant administered
Volunteer by Caltrans which would allow for further
Coordinator integrated multi-use Coastal Trail planning
Matt Coleman in Mendocino County. This grant will be led
by the Coastal Land Trust (CoLT) with the
Coastal Access Westport Municipal Advisory Committee
Program Manager (WMAC) and MLT contributing to the
Tamira Jones
planning process. The project would fund
the study of the feasibility of a continuous, Typical Highway 1 shoulder near Westport,
Development currently not accommodating pedestrian traffic
Coordinator multi-use, non-motorized trail from Usal
(Photo by Tamira Jones).
Jenny Hall Road to Ten Mile River along Highway 1
with significant input from a diverse group of stakeholders and the local community. The
feasibility study will look at utilization of state right-of-way, landowner negotiation, and
development of alignment alternatives based on constraints. Two community charrettes
are planned to gather input on unmet transportation needs, potential trail contribution to
tourism, environmental concerns, and trail design preferences.
The Mendocino
Land Trust is a
The Mendocino Council of Governments (MCOG) sponsored the grant and contributed
member of the to the cash match for the overall grant. This project is a perfect example of local
Land Trust Alliance collaboration with four organizations partnering to perform the grant tasks while working
and the California with a number of other agencies to complete the needed investigations including Caltrans,
Council of Land State Coastal Conservancy, and the California Department of Parks and Recreation. With
Trusts state funding disappearing, it is encouraging to receive funding from new sources and to
form partnerships in order to bring the knowledge and resources of local groups together.
The Integrated Multi-use Coastal Trail Planning near Westport project will commence after
the first of the year.

2009 Coastal Cleanup Day Results
(Continued from Page 1)
Captains – the people who run individual cleanup
locations – who help to recruit volunteers for their sites,
promote the event and help with cleanup logistics. The
2009 Beach Captains represent the most diverse group
of Captains yet and included local service groups, clubs,
individuals, environmental groups and businesses.
In addition to the Captains, the event would not be
possible with out the hundreds of volunteers who spend
one Saturday morning each year removing trash from
our creeks, rivers and beaches. Volunteers for this year’s
event were also diverse, including people of all ages,
local residents and tourists.
Unusual items found during this year’s Coastal
Cleanup Day included a car frame, a 25-foot long ship
mooring rope, a water heater, a motorcycle fender, and
75 cloth rose petals.
The Land Trust provided Coastal Cleanup Day
volunteers with a Volunteer Appreciation Lunch at
Big River following the cleanups. The Land Trust
extends special thanks to Safeway, Harvest Market,
Purity Supermarket, Corners of the Mouth and Crystal
Geyser for showing their support by contributing to the
Volunteer Appreciation Lunch. Additional thanks goes
to Mendocino Solid Waste Management Authority,
Fort Bragg Disposal, Solid Waste of Willits, and
California State Parks for providing trash and recycling
disposal.
California Coastal Cleanup Day is always held on
the third Saturday of September – mark your calendars
now for the 2010 Coastal Cleanup Day, which will
be held on Saturday, September 18, 2010. For more
information on Mendocino County Coastal Cleanup
Day results, visit www.mendocinolandtrust.org or call
Jenny Hall at 707-962-0470. For statewide California
Coastal Cleanup results, visit the California Coastal
Commission’s web site at www.coastal.ca.gov.

2009 Coastal Cleanup Day Photos (Top to Bottom):

• Jeff Laxier of Liquid Fusion Kayaking named the kayak he
pulled behind him during the during the Noyo River cleanup
“the Garbage Barge” (Photo: Liquid Fusion Kayaking).
• Volunteers at Big River swimming holes pickup a large
amount of trash (Photo: Matt Coleman).
• Volunteers at Van Damme found a relatively clean beach
and enjoyed the great weather (Photo: Amy Ryerson).
• A volunteer in Willits surveys a truck load of trash collected
from a local creek as part of Coastal Cleanup Day (Photo:
David Partch).

 Business Member Partners
July 2009 - September 2009
These businesses showed their commitment to land
conservation in Mendocino County by becoming a business
member of the Land Trust or renewing their membership:
Living Light International
Mendocino Bootcamp for Women
Mendocino Travelers Guide
Mendocino Weddings
Tom’s Aircraft Enterprises
Partners in Conservation
July 2009 - September 2009
These businesses and individuals show their support by
contributing products and services that enrich our events:
Esterlina Vineyards
Larry Butler
2009 Coastal Cleanup Day Contributors
September 19, 2009
The following businesses showed their support for our
2009 Coastal Cleanup Day activities by making in-kind
contributions that benefited the event:
California State Parks Safeway
Fort Bragg Disposal Harvest Market
Solid Waste of Willits Purity Supermarket
Mendocino Solid Waste Corners of the Mouth
Management Authority
President’s Letter (Continued from Page 2)
opened, trail planning proceeds in Caspar, steady
progress in acquiring Hare Creek Beach is made,
Big River Stewards are having a record-setting
year, Coastal Cleanup has had its best year ever,
the Big River Watershed Coalition is established
and is identifying new restoration projects, and the
list goes on. I would love to report on the pending
conservation easements, but they are slow by nature
and I don’t like to herald accomplishments that are
not yet completed. Still, you deserve to know what
is going on and I hope to have more for the next
newsletter.
Finally, I thank you all sincerely. Donors,
volunteers, our small staff…all of you are helping
us make this a year in which we do not just survive,
but accomplish the ambitious goals we have set for
ourselves.

Keys to Coho Survival in California
by Michael Miller, Big River Program Manager
In California, coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kitsutch)
populations are the southernmost for the species and
they have adapted to the extreme conditions (for the
species) of many coastal streams. Coho salmon are
currently federally and state listed as endangered south
of the Mattole River watershed.
Coho salmon are widely distributed in coastal
streams of California. Their populations show large
fluctuations, but the general trend has been downward,
especially in wild populations of small coastal streams.
Of 582 coastal streams that historically held coho
salmon, records for 244 of them indicated that 40-
50% had lost their coho runs. In 1994, percent of
stream loss within the North Coast counties include
Del Norte County 45%, Humboldt County 31%,
Mendocino County 41%, and Sonoma County 86%.
The coastal streams of the North Coast are critical
to the future survival of coho salmon. The watersheds
of these coastal streams will provide the last refuge
for recovery of spawning stocks of coho salmon in
California. Given their geographical locations these
watersheds are not dependent on snow melt and
their costal location will aid in moderating water
temperatures.
Water temperatures of coastal streams of the
North Coast are moderated by the marine layer. The
distribution of juvenile coho salmon in Redwood
Creek in Humboldt County appears to be restricted
to the lower reach of the river by water temperature,
as noted in a recent publication by U.S. Geological
Survey and National Park Service scientists.
Among the authors’ conclusions: Redwood Creek,
unlike many rivers reported in the literature, reaches
its maximum temperature in the middle basin and
becomes cooler farther downstream. Coastal fog and
old-growth redwood trees in the riparian zone of the
lower basin contribute to the cooling trend there.
The National Marine Fisheries Service is currently
working on a draft coho recovery plan for the
California Central Coast which includes the Big River
Watershed. The final report, due out January 2010,
will include specific measures that focus on restoration
actions that will increase survival rates. Three key
actions in the draft report include maintaining cool
water temperatures, increasing the number of wood
formed pools and providing off channel habitats
for juvenile escapement during high flows. For
more information about the efforts of the Big River
Watershed Coalition to restore coho habitat in Big
River, contact Michael Miller at 707-962-0470.
Salmonistas Visit the Mendocino Coast
by Matt Coleman, Big River Stewards Coordinator
On August 29th and 30th, the Mendocino Land
Trust’s Big River program co-hosted the Salmonid
Restoration Federation’s 12th Annual Coho Confab,
a symposium exploring watershed restoration and
techniques to recover endangered coho salmon
populations, held at Jughandle Farm in Caspar.
In addition to arranging field tours, which included
restoration and research sites in the Garcia, Navarro,
Usal and Ten Mile watersheds and state and federal
research in the Caspar Creek watershed, MLT staff
lead two trainings in underwater fish identification in
the Little North Fork and the mainstem of Big River.
Participants learned to identify juvenile Coho Salmon
and Steelhead Trout during snorkel surveys and to Student members of UC Berkeley’s Environmental Sciences
gather important habitat data. Student Association helped remove invasive plants from Big
River Beach in late September (Photo by Matt Coleman).
The highlight came on Sunday when three staffers
from the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control
Board in Santa Rosa drove up specifically to participate Big River Stewards Give it the Old College
in this training. After training in the cold, clear water of Try Thanks to Visiting Students
the Little North Fork, the divers travelled out to the far
warmer mainstem where they observed juvenile Coho by Matt Coleman, Big River Stewards Coordinator
Salmon and Steelhead Trout. The Big River Stewards efforts to remove invasive
For background, mainstem river habitats are seldom plants from Big River received a boost as 12 students
surveyed as their greater depth makes it impossible to from the University of California, Berkeley tackled
use backpack electro-fishing equipment and also because Ammophila, or European Beach Grass, at Big River
models suggest that the higher water temperatures found Beach on September 19th and 20th.
there are lethal to Coho Salmon. However, despite
conventional wisdom, volunteers with the Big River The students, members of UC Berkeley’s
Stewards have observed juvenile Coho Salmon rearing Environmental Sciences Student Association (ESSA),
in the mainstem after summer temperature peaks for donated 72 hours to the project. Their visit was
the past four years. This year, despite low adult salmon
facilitated by Berkeley student and Mendocino native
returns last winter, juvenile Coho were still found in six
of the ten pools surveyed on the mainstem. Coho prefer Tyler Grinberg, who first helped remove invasive plants
deep pools with cover provided by large woody debris. from Big River Beach as a student in Mendocino High
Other Stewards research this past summer may School’s highly regarded School of Natural Resources
explain why Coho can withstand the high water (SONAR) program several years ago.
temperatures routinely found on the mainstem: while Thanks are due to California State Parks for
shallow, surface waters quickly heat up during warm
providing lodging for the visiting volunteers at Russian
days, deeper waters heat very little. For example, during
a recent water quality monitoring field day on September Gulch State Park.
23rd, temperatures throughout the water column at 7:30 The ESSA students first helped out with the Big River
a.m. were 15.7º Celsius. By 2:30 p.m. on this warm and
Stewards Invasive Plants Project back in April when
sunny day, surface water temperatures had risen to 20º
Celsius. However, at three foot and five foot depths, they donated 48 hours to removing English Ivy from
temperatures had only risen by half a degree. riparian redwood stands further upriver.
Temperature is not the only factor determining College groups helping out at Big River is a growing
suitable salmon habitat. Dissolved Oxygen (DO) levels trend: in March 2009, students from Iowa’s Wartburg
are also crucial for fish. With this year’s near-record College donated 350 hours to removing invasive plants
low stream flows, water quality monitoring by the Big from Big River and in April 2009 another contingent
River Stewards has found early morning DO as low as
5.13 mg/l on the mainstem. Typical winter DO levels of students from the University of California, Davis
are 11mg/l and the state standard for salmon streams is helped out during the Steward’s annual Earth Day Work
7 mg/l. Weekly monitoring will continue until Fall rains Weekend. For information about volunteering with the
raise stream flows to healthy levels. Stewards, contact Matt Coleman at 707-962-0470.

Dine Out Night at the MacCallum House
Restaurant to Benefit the Land Trust
The Mendocino Land Trust invites you to gather
a group of friends on November 18, 2009 to enjoy a
wonderful evening in Mendocino and to experience
delightful food and wine at the MacCallum House
Restaurant, all while supporting the Mendocino Land
Trust. The MacCallum House Inn & Restaurant will
graciously be donating all profits from the evening to
the Mendocino Land Trust.
The MacCallum House Restaurant, located at
45020 Albion Street in Mendocino, will be serving
food from their regular menu. Dinner will be served
from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Please make your
reservations as soon as possible by calling 937-0289.
For additional information, contact Jenny Hall at the
at 962-0470 or jhall@mendocinolandtrust.org.
Interested in Learning More about Planned Giving?
If you are considering making a planned gift to
MLT and would like more information how a planned
gift can benefit both MLT and you, or if you have
already established a planned gift and would like to
join our Legacy Club, please contact Jenny Hall at
jhall@mendocinolandtrust.org or 707-962-0470.
MENDOCINO LAND TRUST
P.O. BOX 1094
MENDOCINO, CA 95460
PHONE: 707 962-0470
FAX: 707 962-0444
Email: info@mendocinolandtrust.org
www.mendocinolandtrust.org
Post Office: Return Service Requested
Quarterly Calendar of Land Trust Events
October-November, 2009. Big River Fall Bird Surveys
will take place from October to mid November, with
dates to be announced. Volunteers are needed for the
surveys. If you are interested in participating, please
contact Matt Coleman at 707-962-0470 or email
mcoleman@mendocinolandtrust.org.
October 21, 2009. Navarro Point Stewards Workday at
Navarro Point, 8:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. This is the last
Navarro Point Stewards workday of the 2009 season.
Contact Tamira Jones for more information or to
carpool at tjones@mendocinolandtrust.org.
November 18, 2009. Dine Out Night at the MacCallum
House Inn & Restaurant, 5:30-9:00 p.m. Benefiting the
Land Trust. See article to the left for more information.
For additional information on any Land Trust events,
please call the Land Trust Office at 707-962-0470 or
contact us at info@mendocinolandtrust.org.
Request for Donation of Items
The Land Trust is looking for the donation of the
below items. For more information, contact Jenny
Hall at 707-962-0470.
• 500 GB Clickfree Portable Backup Drive
• Tall, standing lamp
PRST STD
NON-PROFIT
POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT #3
FORT BRAGG, CA