The Watershed Research and Training Center

09/01/2026

🌲 Investing in Trinity County starts with investing in people.

The Watershed Center is proud to be the second-largest private employer in Trinity County. At the height of our 2025 field season, WRTC employed 180 people and contributed $4.32 million in payroll to the county.

Our team includes foresters, botanists, hydrologists, fuels crews, restoration specialists, and the many professionals who keep a mission-driven organization running: from finance and operations to communications, HR, and administration.

By creating meaningful, well-paying jobs, we’re helping local people build careers close to home while bringing new talent and ideas to Trinity County. Good jobs strengthen communities—and we’re proud to be part of that. 🌿

📸 credit: Aaron Joseph Martinez

08/27/2026

Say hello to the Western Pond Turtle! This water-loving California native turtle is fairly common in Trinity County.

They eat vegetation, insects, and sometimes even frogs and small fish! That said, many other creatures like to eat the Western Pond Turtle, and these reptiles will dive underwater to avoid predation by bullfrogs (which are invasive!), garter snakes, wading birds, and some large fish and mammals.

This species has a small home range centered around permanent or near-permanent water bodies. Have you seen a Western Pond Turtle recently?🐢

08/25/2026

One week until our first FREE Community Chipping Day in Hayfork!🪵

Thank you to everyone who has signed up so far - we are thrilled to be sending our crews to your properties to help transform your piles of hazardous fuel into wood chips and mulch. It's not too late to sign up! Call 530-628-4206 to register to get your pile chipped.

Our crews will be coming to these neighborhoods in Southern Trinity and everywhere in between during the first two weeks of September

Sept 1-3 | Hayfork, Wildwood, East Fork

Sept 7 | Hyampom, Indian Valley

Sept 8 | Trinity Pines, Peanut, Forest Glen

Sept 9 | Ruth, Mad River, South Fork Mt.

Sept 10 | Kettenpom, Zenia

Hyampom Volunteer Fire Department
Post Mountain Trinity Pines Community
Kettenpom Zenia Volunteer Fire Dept
Mad River Watch & News

08/18/2026

🔥Are YOU ready for fire season? Creating defensible space around your home through maintaining vegetation and other combustible materials will reduce the likelihood that a fire or wind-blown embers will ignite structures and spread fire.

Get your piles of hazardous material chipped during the first two weeks of September when WRTC Fuel Crews are coming to a Southern Trinity community near you!

Sign up for chipping by calling 530-628-4206 to schedule chipping service.

Check out a link to the FEMA Guide to Reducing Wildfire Risk Through Defensible Space in the comments.

Post Mountain Trinity Pines Community
Kettenpom Zenia Volunteer Fire Dept
Mad River Watch & News
Hyampom Volunteer Fire Department

08/13/2026

Using grant funds, the WRTC Fire Management Team was able to support two Hyampom Prescribed Burn Association members to attend six All Hands All Lands burn days hosted by the Mid Klamath Watershed Council in Happy Camp, Somes Bar, and Orleans during the first half of July.

PBA members gained valuable experience that they will bring back to their communities to share while adding capacity to the good work of our downstream neighbors.

Funding for this project is provided by the California Fire Foundation's grant program for preventing, preparing and/or responding to major events, including wildfires and other disasters.

📸 credit: Jenifer Mora (.mora)

08/11/2026

WRTC's Fuels Crews work hard to improve our community's fire safety. They deserve a big shoutout - often working in the heat to accomplish big projects with multiple benefits to the land and the people!

Check out this before and after video of a chipping project the crews completed on South Fork Road to remove a significant amount of fire hazardous material from a fuel break. The vegetation they removed also increases visibility on the windy road bordering the fuel break.

08/06/2026

Check out our new report on community-led beneficial fire in California!

WRTC Fire Management staff share a report highlighting the growth of community-led beneficial fire across California.

08/04/2026

You’ve got piles, we’ve got answers!

WRTC’s fall chipping will take place during the first two weeks of September this year - just in time to get rid of any lingering piles of hazardous material for fire season. So go ahead, make that pile and we’ll chip it for you!

Sign up by calling the Watershed Center’s Hayfork Office 530-628-4206.

Mad River Watch & News
Post Mountain Trinity Pines Community
Kettenpom Zenia Volunteer Fire Dept
Hyampom Volunteer Fire Department

07/23/2026

WRTC will be offering our free community chipping service during the first two weeks of September this year! As late summer digs in, make sure your defensible space is dialed and get rid of any lingering fire hazards through safe, free, and effective chipping.

See the attached flyers for dates and sign-up information and don't forget to report your hours of hard work invested in reducing fuel in your Firewise Community at firesafetrinity.org.

07/14/2026

The Watershed Center's Youth Conservation Crews are up to some awesome projects this summer!