Collaborative environmental stewardship in the Van Duzen River watershed, Humboldt County, California

This project is a case study of the Mid Van Duzen River watershed focusing on processes of collaboration and stakeholder involvement affecting watershed management and environmental stewardship practices. Through theory drawn from fields of alternative dispute resolution, range management, sociology natural resource planning and management, and public policy, this project provides an in-depth understanding of identity, stewardship, and social capital issues in collaborative approaches to watershed management. The goal of this project is to be able to provide a concise picture of the land stewardship activities and sediment load reduction progress of the Yager/Van Duzen Environmental Stewards (YES), a small non-profit watershed group of local private landowners, highlighting the group's voluntary efforts in addressing regulatory challenges while striving to maintain their ranching culture and economic livelihood. The primary outcome of this project is a case study and multi-page printed publication for YES to be used as an outreach tool demonstrating the social, economic and environmental benefits of voluntary collaborative efforts of both non-governmental stakeholder groups and governmental agencies in addressing environmental and regulatory challenges in watershed management.