SERCAL 2026 Fieldtrips

The glorious details for these fieldtrips are still being fleshed out, but here’s a taste to whet your appetite!

Humboldt Bay Estuary | Mattole Coastal Prairie to Estuary | Ocean Ranch and Table Bluff | Restoring Native Vegetation to Wadulh Dune System

Humboldt Bay Estuary Enhancement and Restoration

Visit completed, ongoing, and future estuary enhancement project sites around Humboldt Bay. These projects address sea level resiliency, invasive plant removal, restored tidal function and salt marsh, and improved fish and waterfowl habitat.

Led by: Ross Taylor, Ross Taylor and Associates; Kate Gazzo, North Coast Regional Land Trust; Mark Bowen, Thomas Gast and Associates Environmental Consultants; Michael McDowall, City of Arcata; Michael Love, Michael Love and Associates; Kristin Schmidt, Redwood Community Action Agency; Katy Gurin, California Trout; and Katie Marsolan, City of Eureka

8:30am departure from River Lodge in Fortuna — return at 4:00pm

Itinerary: McDaniel Slough and Janes Creek >> Wood Creek, including Felt Ranch phase >> Lunch Break at Freshwater Farm or Muni Golf Course patio >> Martin Slough, including muted tide gate >> Lower Elk River – two sites, east and west of Highway 101

Mattole Coastal Prairie to Estuary

The Mattole Restoration Council is one of North America’s oldest community-led watershed restoration organizations. Established in 1983, the Council’s primary mission is to understand, restore and conserve the ecosystems of the Mattole River watershed, with attention to threatened coho and Chinook salmon and steelhead. Established in 1980 by Mattole Watershed residents determined to improve and restore the remnant runs of native Mattole salmon, the Mattole Salmon Group was one of the first-citizen led watershed restoration organizations on the West Coast. 

Led by: Mattole Restoration Council and Mattole Salmon Group

Morning departure from River Lodge in Fortuna — return in afternoon.

Itinerary: Start at Mattole Native Plant Nursery, drive to view of Mattole Estuary in-stream and slough restoration, then drive up to the top of Kings Range overlooking the ocean to catch a possible glimpse of a super bloom post prairie restoration, invasive species management, prescribed burn, pile burn, and community wildfire defense projects.

Travel to the site is about an hour on windy roads, good to have AWD/4WD and full gas tanks.

Ocean Ranch and Table Bluff Ecological Reserve Fieldtrip

Tour Ocean Ranch Restoration Project and Table Bluff Ecological Reserve Coastal Prairie Restoration Project with California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Mattole Restoration Council, and the Wiyot Tribe.

Led by: Kelsey McDonald, James Ray, and Mike van Hattem, CDFW; Christina Cortez, Mattole Restoration Council; and Adam Canter, Wiyot Tribe Natural Resources Department

Morning departure from River Lodge in Fortuna — return in afternoon

Bring your binos (or hand lens if you are of the botanical persuasion) and sturdy closed-toe shoes for a walking tour of coastal restoration projects on CDFW's Ocean Ranch Unit of the Eel River Wildlife Area and Table Bluff Ecological Reserve. The Ocean Ranch Restoration Project included restoring full tidal influence, recontouring land behind failing levees, and installing large wood to improve habitat for juvenile salmonids and other estuarine species. Additionally, the Ocean Ranch Restoration Project encompasses 219 acres of coastal dunes invaded by European beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria) and 193 acres of salt marsh invaded by dense-flowered cordgrass (Spartina densiflora). Native dune mat and salt marsh communities support many rare plant species. Restoration of these highly invaded plant communities at the Ocean Ranch Unit consists of removal of invasive plants using Integrated Pest Management that includes application of herbicide, prescribed fire, mechanical grinding, and manual pulling, with passive recolonization by native species. While the initial dune treatment area has successfully achieved and maintained ~1 percent cover of invasive European beachgrass, and tidal restoration has been highly successful in providing habitat for salmonids and other wildlife, removal of dense-flowered cordgrass has encountered more challenges. See our success, areas of restoration in progress, and hear about lessons learned at Ocean Ranch.

After lunch, we will head up the hill to the adjacent Table Bluff Ecological Reserve, which supports a population of federally and state endangered western lily (Lilium occidentale) and native coastal prairie and scrub habitats with many species that are culturally significant to the Wiyot people. Western lily, the coastal prairie plant community, and the culturally significant plants found there thrive in early successional habitats that have been squeezed between extreme human disturbance from agriculture and development, and conifer encroachment in areas where disturbances have been suppressed. CDFW has partnered with the Wiyot Tribe and Mattole Restoration Council to implement recommendations for western lily recovery from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, conduct an experimental pilot project to test coastal prairie restoration techniques, restore the degraded pasture based on experimental results and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). Following the removal of encroaching native conifers from western lily habitat in 2023 and reinstating seasonal grazing, the reproductive population increased 324% from 98 pre-project in 2022 to 416 in 2025. We will discuss the ongoing habitat restoration to benefit western lily and tour the experimental pilot project area to determine the most successful methods and species to use in restoring culturally significant coastal prairie vegetation in degraded pasture.

Dress for variable weather, including wind, rain, and sun, and wear sturdy walking shoes or boots acceptable for sand, rocks, and mud. Bathrooms (pit toilets) are available at the nearby county park, and we can coordinate carpooling for bathroom breaks as needed. We will coordinate some 4wd carpooling between sites if requested.

Restoring Native Vegetation to Wadulh Dune System

The 200-ac Wadulh dune system in Humboldt Bay NWR was severely invaded by yellow bush lupine, European beachgrass, and invasive annual grasses. The goal is to restore underlying geomorphic processes and biodiversity, returning the site to an early successional environment. Techniques being used include heavy equipment, manual removal, herbicide application, a prescribed burn, and propane torch flaming. Sand fencing was installed to provide short-term stability for revegetation. 277,000 nursery grown plants were transported by helicopter and planted by crews. Inoculant collected from under native dune vegetation at the nearby Lanphere Dunes was placed in planting holes. Monitoring of morphodynamics, vegetation cover, and survival is ongoing. . 

Led by: Jillian Zimmerman, Nicole Matonak, and Andrea Pickart, USFWSMorning departure from River Lodge in Fortuna — return in afternoon.

Itinerary: We will tour the Wadulh dune restoration project on Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The 200-ac site was severely invaded by yellow bush lupine, European beachgrass, and invasive annual grasses. Yellow bush lupine enriches the soil and facilitates secondary invaders like ripgut brome, which increase in cover during periodic bush lupine die-backs. Yellow bush lupine is eventually replaced by coyote brush, creating a novel, semi-natural dune community. A deep (up to 6 in) layer of duff accumulates under lupine and coyote brush and must be removed before native perennial dune plants can establish. Heavy equipment was used to flip approximately 70 acres of dense lupine/coyote brush and beachgrass, burying it and capping it with clean sand. Additional areas with relict native plants were cleared by hand and small equipment. European beachgrass was sprayed with Imazapyr and then burned. Annual grasses that were not dozed were treated with hand pulling in areas with native plants, and propane torch flaming where dense. The large bare areas that were cleared of lupine and beachgrass were vulnerable to wind erosion so sand fencing was erected to allow for revegetation. A total of 277,000 nursery grown plants were flown by helicopter to the site and planted by crews. Whole-soil inoculant collected from under dune plants in the nearby Lanphere dunes was added to the planting holes to promote microbial establishment. The foredune complex was replanted with on-site harvested American dunegrass. Monitoring is annual, with drone-collected topographic surfaces, cross-shore topographic transects, and vegetation cover and survival data.

The drive from the River Lodge in Fortuna to the site is about 45 minutes each way. We will be walking 3+ miles, including hilly terrain and soft sand. In May the weather can be extremely windy. Rain is possible but not probable. Wear layers, including a waterproof layer if rain is predicted. Soft-soled shoes are best for the dunes but light boots are okay. The entire field trip with travel time to and from Fortuna will be 4-4.5 hours.