Think of this outing with Ecotrust Forest Management to the Scott River Headwaters near Yreka as “Get Proximate” for the environment. What better way to connect us to why we are doing the work we do for the environment than spending an afternoon in a sustainable forest and understanding how they do this work and its importance?
Ecotrust is in the process of restoring this property that was formerly logged unsustainably. Besides becoming a deep carbon sink, there are a wide variety of ecological benefits, including to water systems, wildlife habitat, and fire resiliency. Ecotrust suggests a hike with at least 4 stops– one at an overlook to get a sense of the geology/ecology (it’s at the junction of two plates so different soils/species), another to see previous practices, next to at an Aspen meadow to see restoration in that context, and finally a walk into the adjacent wilderness for comparison. We would likely have an early dinner with their non-profit partners–a local tribal council, a watershed management group, and possibly others. There are many other things to talk about (e.g., they are looking to re-introduce otters, the effects of letting cattle graze on public wilderness, etc…).
Besides all these wonderful ecological benefits, Ecotrust is targeting 10% returns and is on the Impact Assets platform (some of you may have seen them present at the recent impact funds event), so is a possible investment for SV2 if we decide to expand beyond looking at individual companies to make an investment in an impact fund as is being contemplated.
The forest is about a 5-6 hour drive from SV2, so likely an overnight trip leaving on June 2 (although flying into Fort Jones is also a possibility to make it a day trip) and returning late on June 3.
RSVP by emailing SV2 Partner Tony Stayner, or contact Tony with questions.