The Capay Valley-based Cache Creek Watershed Stakeholders Group holds regularly scheduled, public meetings, on the second Thursday evening, from 6-8pm, every other month. Additional events or meetings will also be posted below and  on our website Calendar pages.

Contact Information: Tanya Meyer, Yolo County RCD, (530) 662-2037 ext.114. Chairperson: Lisa Stallings (Brooks, CA); Co-chair: Tim Gardes (Guinda, CA).

Additionally, the Stakeholders Group often posts information on the Capay Valley Community website.  The Stakeholders Group is currently collaborating with several local groups on the Will Baker Native Plant Garden, a community-based project whose goal is to create and tend an educational garden at Nichols Park in Guinda, in the Capay Valley. For more information on that project, link to Native Plant Garden.

Cache Creek Watershed Stakeholders Group Calendar 2007

• Sunday,  February 4th, 1PM   Garden Planning Meeting on-site at the Will S. Baker Garden, Guinda.

• Sunday, February 25th   Almond Festival.  The CCWSG will have a table in Esparto and one in Guinda.  We'll be tabling to sell items to fundraise for the Will Baker Native Plant Garden, as well as educating people about the Garden.  If you are interesting in helping, please contact Tanya Meyer at (530) 662-2037 X114.

• Thursday, March 8th     Next CCWSG meeting, 6-8PM Guinda Grange.  The main topic for this meeting will be a Monitoring Workshop to learn how to monitor on your farm.  Landowners will receive tools to learn how to monitor wildife, plants, water, soils and birds.

• Sunday, May 13th : Mother’s Day Garden tour in the Capay Valley.  This is a fundraiser for the Native Plant Garden.  The tour will cost $10.00 per person and attendees will tour gardens throughout the Valley.

• Saturday, May 19th  Watershed Celebration, Cowboy Camp.  The Yolo County RCD recently received a grant from the Rumsey Community Fund to hold  a watershed celebration and educational event, as part of Watershed Awareness Month.   Schools and others will be invited from Yolo, Lake, and Colusa Counties.   If you are interested in helping to plan or volunteer at this event, please contact Tanya Meyer or Lisa Stallings.

Cache Creek Watershed Stakeholders Group Charter

Area of Focus: 
Capay Valley - the reach of Cache Creek from Camp Haswell downstream to Capay Dam.

Vision
A healthy Cache Creek watershed with balanced uses of the natural environment for human benefit and conservation of local resources.

Mission
To enhance and protect watershed resources by bringing together all interested parties in a collaborative process that promotes watershed stewardship through community outreach and cooperative planning and implementation of projects, while respecting public and private property rights.

Non-profit status
The group does not have 501 (c)3 status.

Membership
The group is open to anyone who feels they have a stake in the health of the Cache Creek watershed. There are no fees associated with membership.

Issues of Concern
Current issues of concern to the group include: Streambank erosion along Cache Creek and tributaries; eradication and/or management of invasive plants such as Tamarisk, Arundo, and Yellow Starthistle throughout Capay Valley; the effects of mercury in Cache Creek on wildlife and humans; the current permitting system functioning as a hindrance to watershed restoration and management activities.

Identified Goals
Improve bank stability along Cache Creek and its tributaries. Manage invasive riparian plants and restore indigenous riparian plant communities. Monitor and address the movement of mercury in Cache Creek. Since 1996 the group has been engaged in a collaborative process to identify and work towards the accomplishment of the goals above through the following objectives: 1) Develop the Capay Valley Conservation and Restoration Manual, an easy-to-use collection of conservation and restoration practices and project planning guidance for landowners. 2) Conduct a watershed assessment and develop a watershed stewardship action plan. The plan will provide a comprehensive approach to improving watershed health through a better understanding of the watershed and prioritized implementation of conservation and restoration activities. 3) Work with the appropriate agencies to develop an area-wide permit program to allow for the timely implementation of projects defined in the watershed stewardship action plan under a single permit package.

For additional information, please refer to our Capay Valley Watershed Coordination page.