NMERA Awarded $5,500 Grant for Eel River Youth Stewards: Source to Sea Project
The Northern Mendocino Ecosystem Recovery Alliance (NMERA) is honored to announce it has been awarded a $5,500.00 grant from the Community Foundation of Mendocino County. This award, from the 2025 Fund for the Environment, is designated to support the Eel River Youth Stewards (ERYS): Source to Sea Project.
The ERYS project is a collaborative, watershed-wide effort that grew out of the 1st Annual Eel River Expo in April 2025. Its mission is to connect youth from all communities along the Eel River with their home watershed through hands-on experience, cultural education, and skills training.
Inspired by the “Paddling Tribal Waters” project on the Klamath River, the long-term vision for ERYS is to prepare local youth for an extended “source to sea” paddle. This event is hopefully timed to coincide with the removal of the Eel River dams, anticipated around 2030.
Project Activities Grant funds will be used to purchase essential items like safety equipment, gear, youth travel expenses, and food for participants. Proposed activities include:
- A “River & Wellness Community Celebration” day to engage the community.
- A series of one to two-day flat-water floats where youth will learn basic paddle skills, water safety, river ecology, and cultural history from professionals and cultural leaders.
- A multi-day boating skills intensive on the Eel River for the most interested youth, funding dependent.
A Key Distinction: ERYS vs. GRT NMERA wishes to clarify the focus of this project. As outlined by NMERA board member Vincent Brown in a recent letter, the ERYS project is “separate” and “distinctly different” from the Great Redwood Trail (GRT). While the GRT remains a debated topic, the ERYS project is singularly focused on youth education, stewardship, and river engagement.
A Community Effort This project would not be possible without its many partners, including Andrew Barnett (Rotary) , Weston Boyles (Rios to Rivers) , Stephanie Stephano Davis (Round Valley Superintendent of Schools) , Amy Torrones (SoHum Family Resource Center), and many others dedicated to the health of the Eel River and its communities.
NMERA is grateful to the Community Foundation of Mendocino County for their generous support as we work to launch this important initiative.