Tribal and local groups restore creek habitat, use controlled fire and beaver‑dam analogues to help hitch

Daniela Santana, representing tribal restoration work in the Upper Lake area, described collaborative river‑restoration projects run by tribal partners, the Tribal Eco Restoration Alliance and local groups. Santana said projects include removal of invasive Himalayan blackberry from riparian corridors, native revegetation, community outreach and hands‑on education, and pilot installation and monitoring of beaver‑dam analogues to slow water, trap sediment and reduce erosion.

Santana described the Clover Creek restoration project (funded through a tribal wildlife grant from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and executed in partnership with Robinson/Big Valley and Lake County Water Resources) as an example: after invasive blackberry removal native plants returned the following season and tribal educators involved local students in replanting oak and riparian species. She also described a Scotts Creek stabilization project funded through BIL (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) funds to address bank scour and debris accumulation, and a Tule‑burn demonstration that showed how tule and other natives resprout and improve habitat after culturally appropriate burns.

Santana said tribal work faces obstacles including jurisdictional permitting on trust versus fee lands and limited agency staffing for permits, and urged continued cross‑agency collaboration and local partnership. “Everything is connected, and this is how the majority of the tribes approach all of their projects,” she said.

Ending: Santana and tribal partners invited further collaboration with county agencies, landowners and the Farm Bureau to expand process‑based restoration, cultural‑burn programs where appropriate, invasive plant control and joint monitoring.