Friends of the Eel River

Friends of the Eel River works for the recovery of the Wild and Scenic Eel River, its fisheries, and communities.

In 1994 a small group of dedicated Eel River enthusiasts came together to advocate for the river and its fish. Our first action was to intervene in proceedings of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). This was the start of Friends of the Eel River and our journey to save the Eel River’s struggling salmon and steelhead.

This is truly a critical time for the Eel River. We have the opportunity to remove the two dams and out of basin diversion on the upper mainstem Eel. And we have some truly remarkable native fish populations with potential for recovery. Despite the stressors and uncertainties of climate change, scientists generally agree that the Eel River holds perhaps the West’s greatest promise for salmonid recovery.

Friends of the Eel River Staff

Alicia Hamann

Alicia Hamann

Executive Director

Alicia Hamann grew up in the Pacific Northwest. She was fortunate to spend her youth exploring the mountains, forests, and rivers of the greater Portland area. Alicia moved to California in 2006 and earned a BA in Anthropology with a minor in Business Administration from Humboldt State University. She was drawn to Humboldt County by the vast wilderness and unique communities. After serving as Administrative Director for Friends of the Eel River from 2013 – 2019, Alicia now serves as Executive Director. Alicia also has experience volunteering as a board member for several local organizations including SCRAP Humboldt, Big Brother Big Sisters of the North Coast, the Northcoast Environmental Center, and the Same Old People.

Scott Greacen

Scott Greacen

Conservation Director

Scott Greacen joined Friends of the Eel River as our North Coast Director in 2010 and served as Executive Director from 2012 to 2017. He worked at EPIC (the Environmental Protection Information Center) from 2003 to 2010, ultimately serving as Executive Director. Scott is a member of the California bar and a cum laude graduate of Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, OR. His undergraduate degree is from Reed College, another Portland school with a disproportionate number of alumni active in environmental advocacy.

Kanan Beissert

Kanan Beissert

Administrative Manager

Kanan Beissert was born and raised in Los Angeles County, where a continuous drought taught him the importance of preserving our planet’s most precious resource: water. Attending Environmental Charter High School sparked his passion for the natural world, and in 2018 he moved to Arcata to attend Humboldt State University. He was part of the first graduating class of Cal Poly Humboldt, earning a degree in Environmental Science & Management with an emphasis in Education & Interpretation in 2022. In his free time, Kanan loves to draw, take his dog hiking, and sprawl out on the shore of the Eel River.

Friends of the Eel River Board of Directors

Elaine Astrue

Board Member

Years served: 2019 – present

Elaine is a former technical writer in Silicon Valley, now retired and working part time as a bicycle and alternative transportation advocate. Elaine has experience in fundraising, community organizing, and organizational management.

Mike Belchick

Board Member, President

Years served: 2016 – present

Mike is a Senior Biologist with the Yurok Tribe Department of Fisheries. Mike has extensive experience working with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, most recently on Klamath Dams removal, as well as in fisheries biology, advocacy, Tribal relations and messaging.

Virginia Graziani

Board Member, Vice President

Years served: 2019 – present

Virginia is a former Board Member of the Redway California Community Services District from 1995 – 2011, and former Reporter for Redwood Times with a special interest in water issues and local government.

Drevet Hunt

Board Member

Years served: 2018 – present

Drevet is the Legal Director for California Coastkeeper Alliance. He has significant legal expertise relevant to both organizational management and environmental protection.

Mark Lovelace

Board Member, Treasurer

Years served: 2018 – present

Mark is the President for LPG Consulting, working with local governments to address regulatory challenges presented by the newly legalized cannabis industry. He is also a former Humboldt County Supervisor and his experience is extremely helpful in navigating the political landscape from an inside perspective.

Derek Shaw

Board Member

Years served: 2019 – present

Derek is a Philosophy PhD. and Lecturer at Cal Poly Humboldt. He has broad experience in environmental consulting and monitoring.

ca supreme court smaller

Some of our staff and allies after a great day defending the Eel River at the California Supreme Court

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Stronger Together

At Friends of the Eel River we are working to protect and recover the Wild and Scenic Eel River, its fisheries, and communities. To achieve this objective, we must approach our work with systemic equity. Because diversity is a core value for our organization, we strive to make our work inclusive by addressing the roots of white supremacy culture. This involves promoting diverse perspectives, fostering an inclusive environment among our leadership team, and increasing equity in activism by improving access to resources and information.

Specific Goals

  • Improve diverse representation among our Board of Directors
  • Work closely with Indigenous allies and support their projects
  • Accept funding only from institutional sources with strong Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion values
  • Invest in socially responsible banking and financial institutions
  • Use our communication platforms to create space for perspectives that have been historically underrepresented

Resources

Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture
From Dismantling Racism: A Workbook for Social Change Groups, by Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun, ChangeWork, 2001

Kimberle Crenshaw’s Ted TalkThe Urgency of Intersectionality
October 2016

I’m a black climate expert. Racism derails our efforts to save the planet.
Published June 3, 2020, by Dr. Ayana Johnson in the Washington Post.

Building an Anti-Racist Environmental Movement Must Start With Us
Published June 26, 2020 by the League of Conservation Voters

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources from EDUCAUSE

    Indigenous Peoples of the Eel River Watershed

    The Eel RIver is the ancestral and current home to a diversity of native people, including Wiyot, Lasik, Neonatal, Wailaki, Sinkyone, Cahto, Yuki, and others. Native people in the Eel were subject to brutal treatment and their populations decimated in the 19th and early 20th centuries, yet today many people are working hard toward cultural revitalization. There are several federally recognized Tribes, including the Round Valley Indian Tribes, which is a product of forced relocation of at least seven different groups of native people in part by way of the deadly Nome Cult Walk. Below is a list of recognized Tribal Nations:

    Wiyot Tribe

    Bear River Band Rancheria

    Cahto Tribe of Laytonville Rancheria

    Round Valley Indian Tribes

      Friends of the Eel River

      2023 Annual Report

      Advancing Eel River Dam Removal

      In 2023 we made significant progress on advancing the most ecologically beneficial options for swift removal of PG&E’s two dams on the Eel River. We advocated for American Rivers to list the Eel as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® and used the listing to amplify our message that dam removal is an incredible restoration opportunity. Along with several key partners, we continued our Endangered Species Act litigation against both PG&E and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. These lawsuits have proven to be effective leverage in pushing both the utility and the agency to better manage the Potter Valley Project in an attempt to reduce adverse impacts on Eel River fisheries.

      PG&E finally began taking dam safety at the Potter Valley Project seriously in March of 2023. Friends of the Eel River has long advocated for taking a closer look at the classified documents that conceal serious dam safety liability at the project. When PG&E received a comprehensive engineering analysis, ordered by the State Division of Safety of Dams, they immediately announced changes to the way Scott Dam is managed to limit the risk of dam failure.

      In the spring we facilitated a popular presentation session at the annual Salmonid Restoration Federation conference called The Eel River: A River of Opportunities with Implications Beyond Its Basin. The session highlighted work that conservation groups and Tribes are doing to recover the Eel River, and why research and restoration done in the Eel impacts salmonid recovery across the state of California.

      We led monthly meetings of our Free the Eel coalition, which includes a wide variety of regional and state-wide conservation organizations, Tribes, local municipalities, and fishing industry representatives. Our new website was launched in 2022 and continues to serve as an excellent resource for sharing the latest studies on all things dam removal. Our coalition solicited over 650 comments on PG&E’s initial draft license surrender application in the fall of 2023.

      Addressing Impacts of Cannabis Cultivation

      In the fall of 2023 we completed our grant program facilitated by Humboldt County with a total award of nearly $1.5 million, over a period of three years, to fund sediment reduction projects in high-priority watersheds. Roughly half of the grant funds were awarded to individuals and road associations; the remaining was awarded to the County public works department to complete previously identified priority projects. The grant program was established as part of a settlement agreement reached in 2019 over our lawsuit challenging the County’s inadequate environmental regulations for cannabis cultivation.

      Protecting the Public Trust and Groundwater

      Our public trust lawsuit against Humboldt County, filed in 2022, continued throughout 2023. We amassed evidence from highly qualified experts supporting the undesirable impacts of unregulated groundwater pumping on surface flows in the Lower Eel River. In the fall of 2023 we had a demurrer hearing in court. The County attempted to argue that our case was without merit, but (spoiler!) the judge ruled in our favor in early 2024, and our case proceeds.

      Leading the Great Redwood Trail Friends Coalition

      After successfully fighting off attempts of coal industry representatives from Utah to take over the Northwestern Pacific Rail right of way in 2022 we transitioned our “No Coal In Humboldt” coalition back into the “Great Redwood Trail Friends”. We facilitated a monthly meeting of the GRT Friends coalition, built a new website, and began addressing local trail issues.

      We connected with the newly formed Kinest’e coalition, made up primarily of Wailaki people as well as other Indigenous communities, who are concerned about trail impacts on cultural sites. We participated in the Great Redwood Trail Agency’s Master Planning process, providing information about likely toxic sites that should be tested and remediated. And we launched a campaign to protect one of the few remaining public access points to the Van Duzen River and the future Great Redwood Trail.

      In partnership with KEET-TV, we also hosted a family-friendly community event about the rail-trail project which included several presentations, fun and informational booths from community organizations, and the first formal opportunity for the Kinest’e coalition members to talk with Senator McGuire’s staff about their concerns. The trail is a wonderful opportunity to remediate past harms of the century-old railroad, give the next generation avenues to connect with the river, and hopefully open the door to Indigenous access to sacred sites long locked away on private property.

      Keeping Water Where It Belongs in the River

      In 2023 we launched a new program addressing water quantity and quality, primarily by engaging in the appropriative water rights application process. We issued protests on four water rights applications in the Eel, identifying some egregious misuse of water and helping to improve some well-intentioned projects. So far one protest has been resolved, resulting in a 12-acre-foot reduction of total water diverted. In this program we have also begun evaluating options for seeking designations for subterranean streams and a fully appropriated status for the Eel.

      Annual Report Graphic 2024

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      Contact Us

      Membership forms and other printed material may be mailed to:

      Friends of the Eel River
      PO Box 4945
      Arcata, CA 95518

      Email: foer(at)eelriver.org

      Phone: (707) 798-6345

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