About Northern Mendocino Ecosystem Recovery Alliance
Our Mission, Work, and Story
Our Mission
The Northern Mendocino Ecosystem Recovery Alliance (NM-ERA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2021. Our mission is to foster wildfire resilience and responsible land care in our communities by acquiring and administering grants for projects that train and employ local workers and contractors to do the real work of restoring our forests, grasslands, and economy.
What We Are Doing
We are working to establish programs that train local people to do land restoration work, educate the public on issues and opportunities in land restoration and wildfire resilience, and research and develop methods to use forest products in sustainable ways while addressing the climate crisis and the much-needed ecological restoration of our region.
We have developed a partnership with Families and Friends United By AIDS (FAFUBA). They have offered us the use of their facility, Tan Oak Park, as our base of operations to begin the work of repurposing the property as a Forest Community Resilience Training Center and resource hub. As their need for an AIDS hospice and respite center winds down, they are planning on donating Tan Oak Park to NM-ERA in the coming years, with the shared goal of keeping the park as a community resource hub and gathering place.
We are building relationships and have current and future collaboration plans with multiple community organizations such as Families and Friends United by AIDS, Eel River Recovery Project, Trees Foundation, North Coast Resource Partnership, Redwood Forest Friends Inc., Forest Reciprocity Group, The Red Way, Leggett Valley Fire Department, Bell Springs Volunteer Fire Department, Mendocino County Fire Safe Council, Southern Humboldt Firesafe Council, Westport Fire Safe Council, and Elkridge Landscaping.
Our Committees
Workforce Committee
- Help establish and maintain a local workforce for land care projects.
- Advocate for hiring the local workforce on all projects.
- Act as an intermediary between grant agencies, contractors, and workers.
Our Workforce Committee organized a forest health hand crew that assisted with implementation of a CALFIRE Climate Change Initiative grant administered by the Mendocino County Resource Conservation District (MCRCD) on the Usal Forest owned by Redwood Forest Foundation Inc. (RFFI).
We helped establish a local forest health crew and supported Elkridge Landscaping in meeting requirements to bid on CALFIRE contract work. Our crew then joined Elkridge Landscaping on the shaded fuel break along Highway 1, in partnership with RFFI on the Usal forest health project. Elkridge now has two fully trained 5‑person crews and 2 alternates, conducting roadside fuel reduction and defensible space work in the Westport area and on Dos Rios Road outside Laytonville, and will begin working as Eel River Recovery Project subcontractors on the Ten Mile Creek forest health project, with plans to add a coastal-based crew hiring from the North Coast.
Events Committee
Planning and hosting educational events and workshops, as well as community fundraising events.
Grants Committee
- Find, apply for, and administer grants.
- Serve as a fiscal sponsor for local projects.
Our Grants Committee applied for and won a Rose Foundation grant in August 2022, a Technical Assistance Grant from the North Coast Resource Partnership in February 2023, and a Community Foundation Field of Interest Grant in November 2023.
Education Committee
- Inspire local schools and tribes to establish programs to train people to work on land restoration projects.
- Educate the public on Fire Safe practices and watershed restoration.
Outreach Committee
- Encourage, train for, and implement Fire Safe and forest health projects.
- Address climate change, carbon sequestering, and energy use in our region.
- Encourage and implement prescribed fire and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) practices.
Our Board of Directors
- Will Emerson – Chair
- Jessica Martinelli – Vice Chair
- Jessica Roemer – Secretary
- Cheyenne Clarke – Treasurer
- Colin Gillespie
- Vincent Brown
- Dorje Bond
Our History
January 6, 2022
First meeting of the board of directors
We elected our officers, adopted and approved our bylaws, and approved a motion to apply for Trees Foundation to become our fiscal sponsor. We created five advisory committees: Grants, Education, Workforce, Outreach, and Adaptive Strategies.
April 3, 2022
Forest Health and Fire Resilience Workshop at Tan Oak Park
This event included a ceremony led by Wailaki Elder Ron Lincoln Sr., whose blessing served as an ancestral omen for the important work of NM-ERA. Participants explored creative ways to utilize forest material, such as hügelkultur, biochar, fir pole harvest, and mushroom logs, and gained insights into the interconnectedness of forest health and fire resilience.
April 10, 2022
Thinning & Skinning
This event focused on the process of selecting, felling, and peeling poles for various applications. Participants learned about uses of poles in furniture, tipi poles, and frame building, emphasizing responsible forest management for long-term sustainability.
April 23, 2022
A Buddhist Perspective & Mushroom Culture Workshop at Gomde 78 Monastery
Fungaia Farm presented a mushroom log demonstration and workshop, highlighting the interconnectedness between the forest and the community. This event deepened understanding of how human actions in the forest can positively impact ecosystem regeneration.
May 14, 2022
Planning for Fire: Community Organizing Event at Woodman
NM-ERA facilitated a community discussion on defensible space and shaded fuel breaks. The focus was on community organizing and the role individuals can play in fire prevention and forest health, emphasizing collective action and building a forest health workforce for a regenerative future.
Image Placeholder: Community Organizing
Image Placeholder: Forest Management
June 11, 2022
Forest Health Management at Lower Ten Mile Creek
Participants witnessed the power of collaboration and the difference between managed and unmanaged forests. The event showcased the importance of Forest Health Management Plans for setting goals, implementing strategies, and securing financial assistance, and highlighted the strength of working as a neighborhood team.
June 18, 2022
Forest Health Best Practices at Harwood Hall
We brought together multiple organizations dedicated to regeneration and prompted discussions about what constitutes forest health and how to ensure that restoration efforts have a positive impact. Participants deepened their understanding of forest health and continued working toward ecologically sound practices.
Image Placeholder: Harwood Hall Meeting
Image Placeholder: 501(c)(3) Paperwork
July 18, 2022
Articles of Incorporation and 501(c)(3) Status
We filed our articles of incorporation with the California Secretary of State and received our 501(c)(3) status from the IRS.
February 11, 2023
Regional Regenerative Meeting at Burkey Hall
A community luncheon and call to action. We held discussions about the work that needs doing, how we plan to get it done, and invited community members to join our advisory committees.
Image Placeholder: Regional Meeting
Image Placeholder: Community Workday
April 29, 2023
Forest Health Community Workday at Tan Oak Park
This workday included a chainsaw safety class, biochar demonstration, pole‑peeling workshop, and a fuel reduction demonstration. It was our largest crowd to date, with close to 80 community members cycling through the different stations.
August 20–27, 2023
Intensive Natural Building Workshop at Tan Oak Park
A weeklong hands-on natural building workshop taught by Michael Smith and Colin Gillespie. The theme was “build a tiny house and furnish it too.” John Cunan and Vincent Brown taught furniture building, and ninety percent of the materials were sourced locally from fuel reduction projects and land.
Image Placeholder: Building Workshop
Image Placeholder: Skill Sharing
October 6–9, 2023
Regenerative Uprising Skill Sharing Workshop at Tan Oak Park
Workshops included herbal first aid, fermentation, mushroom gathering, friction fire, archery, spoon carving, basket making, power of root medicine, earthen plaster, woodworking with small-diameter poles, fiber arts, ceramics, and plant dyes. Stories of regeneration were shared by Ron and Jackie Lincoln.
