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Yuba Water Agency has announced their Watershed Resilience Program received the 2021 Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters Award in the category of Recreational, Environmental & Historical Enhancement from the National Hydropower Association.
The category of Recreational, Environmental & Historical Enhancement recognizes hydropower projects that provide enhanced recreational opportunities for the general public, offer measurable benefits that mitigate, conserve, preserve, or enhance the natural resources, or conserve historical aspects of hydropower facilities and their integration with the surrounding community.
Leveraging Forest Resilience Bonds, Yuba Water Agency partnered with local agencies to establish the Watershed Resilience Program to aid in reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire as a result of overly- dense forests that are more susceptible to high-severity wildfire, insects, disease and drought. The changing climate mixed with an unsustainable forest management history has increased the number and severity of wildfires endangering forests and headwaters vital to California’s waterways, water agencies, and communities.
”We are honored to receive this award and grateful for the recognition of our Watershed Resilience Program,” said Willie Whittlesey, general manager of Yuba Water Agency. “As a forester by trade, I’m extremely passionate about the topic, and Yuba Water is committed to growing the incredible collaboration taking place to increase the pace and scale of these efforts and to reduce the risk of a catastrophic wildfire in the Yuba River watershed. This critical work will make our forest more resilient and ensure that our communities and our facilities are protected from the threat of a megafire.”
The financing strategy provides up-front implementation funding and eliminates the long delay in payments associated with grants. This approach is facilitating an unprecedented pace of implementation of forest health thinning treatments at a faster pace than would usually be seen.
