The North Coast Resource Partnership (NCRP) is a long term, innovative and successful collaboration among Northern California Tribes, counties, and diverse stakeholders. The NCRP region covers over 19,000 square miles – 12% of the California landscape – and includes the Tribal lands and the counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Modoc, Siskiyou, Sonoma and Trinity.
Since 2004, the partnership has engaged in collaborative, integrated planning and project implementation, investing over $67 million in hundreds of projects that benefit the North Coast Region’s communities and watersheds. The NCRP places a strong emphasis on local autonomy, leadership by locally elected Tribal and county representatives, the enhancement of natural and working landscapes, and resolution of failing water and wastewater infrastructure. The partnership has a long term focus on addressing the needs of economically disadvantaged communities – including measurable improvements in clean drinking water, healthy ecosystems and communities.
In addition to local and Tribal governments, active partners and stakeholders include water and wastewater service providers, NGOs, watershed groups, resource conservation districts, private landowners, businesses, cities, special districts, federal, state and local agencies, environmental and agricultural groups.
Impacts and OutcomesThe NCRP believes in return on investment and the effective use of limited taxpayer dollars. Since its inception, the partnership has placed a strong emphasis on measurable, on-the-ground outcomes for communities and the region’s working and natural landscapes; impacts that flow to the North Coast region as well as to other parts of California and the nation. We document the benefits from NCRP projects, including outcomes to the health of our watersheds and salmon fisheries, enhancements to water quality and supply, local economic development, energy efficiency and climate change solutions.
The NCRP and its partners have made long term investments in the North Coast region of California. For over twelve years, these investments of time, resources, collaboration and money have resulted in significant dividends to North Coast communities and landscapes – in terms of quality of life, sustainable agriculture, resiliency of natural ecosystems, habitats and species, cultural vitality, public health and economic well-being. The NCRP has awarded over $65 M in project funding with over 87% ($53 M) of that funding contributing towards resolving issues related to safe, reliable drinking water and water quality issues in disadvantaged communities, while also achieving objectives related to climate change and ecosystem health. In addition, over 15% of the total IRWM project implementation funding has directly benefited North Coast Tribal communities.
The goals of the North Coast Resource Partnership are focused on achieving outcomes on the ground for North Coast communities and watersheds. The Partnership embraces a set of integrated goals related to water quality and supply, ecosystem function, economic vitality, collaboration, climate adaptation and energy independence, and the health and safety of our communities. Strategies used to attain these goals include using the best available data and science to inform decision making, relying on local knowledge and expertise, actively collaborating with diverse stakeholders, engaging in multi-objective, integrated planning and adaptive management, leveraging funding, accounting for benefits to economically disadvantaged communities, and ensuring project effectiveness by monitoring and economic valuation.
Objective 1 – Respect local autonomy and local knowledge in Plan and project development and implementation
Objective 2 – Provide an ongoing framework for inclusive, efficient intraregional cooperation and effective, accountable NCRP project implementation
Objective 3 – Integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge in collaboration with Tribes to incorporate these practices into North Coast Projects and Plans
Objective 4 – Ensure that economically disadvantaged communities are supported and that project implementation enhances the economic vitality of disadvantaged communities by improving built and natural infrastructure systems and promoting adequate housing
Objective 5 – Conserve and improve the economic benefits of North Coast Region working landscapes and natural areas
Objective 6 – Conserve, enhance, and restore watersheds and aquatic ecosystems, including functions, habitats, and elements that support biological diversity
Objective 7 – Enhance salmonid populations by conserving, enhancing, and restoring required habitats and watershed processes
Objective 8 – Ensure water supply reliability and quality for municipal, domestic, agricultural, Tribal, and recreational uses while minimizing impacts to sensitive resources
Objective 9 – Improve drinking water quality and water related infrastructure to protect public health, with a focus on economically disadvantaged communities
Objective 10 – Protect groundwater resources from over-drafting and contamination
Objective 11 – Address climate change effects, impacts, vulnerabilities, including droughts, fires, floods, and sea level rise. Develop adaptation strategies for local and regional sectors to improve air and water quality and promote public health
Objective 12 – Promote local energy independence, water/ energy use efficiency, GHG emission reduction, and jobs creation
Objective 13 – Improve flood protection, forest and community resiliency to reduce the public safety impacts associated with floods and wildfires
The North Coast Resource Partnership works collaboratively across a large and diverse region to achieve positive outcomes for communities as well as working and natural landscapes. The partnership is led by a Policy Review Panel comprised of elected officials from Tribes and counties, relies on scientific and technical review from staff and a Technical Peer Review Committee, and is informed by a broad and diverse stakeholder community. The partnership is committed to transparency and community engagement, to enhancing the health and vitality of economically disadvantaged communities, to achieving measurable, on-the-ground benefits for the region, and to working collaboratively with local, regional, state and federal partners. The NCRP acts as a nexus between statewide and local planning efforts.
The NCRP is a collaboration among Tribes, local, state and federal government, watershed groups, private landowners, business, and other partners in California’s North Coast. Since 2004, the NCRP and its partners have invested over $67 million in the region, and leveraged this funding with matching funds totaling over $110 million. This collaboration has voluntarily invested time and resources to meet together for over 13 years. This long term commitment to working together towards what is best for the region – not just the individual county or Tribe – has resulted in a diverse partnership that is respected for its fair, transparent, equitable and effective approach to strategic planning and project implementation.
The NCRP is by design a voluntary, non-regulatory, stakeholder-driven planning framework that emphasizes shared priorities, local knowledge and local autonomy. The NCRP is driven by a philosophy of inclusion, engagement and equity, and places a strong emphasis on local capacity building, and the effective and efficient expenditure of funds towards on the ground outcomes.
The NCRP is led by locally elected county and Tribal officials from the following North Coast counties: Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Modoc, Siskiyou, Sonoma and Trinity. This local, representative leadership approach ensures transparency and inclusion at the regional scale. Leadership, governance, policy and decision making is provided by the NCRP Policy Review Panel (PRP). The PRP consists of two representatives appointed by each County’s Board of Supervisors and three Tribal Representatives appointed by North Coast Tribes as outlined in the ‘Tribal Representation Process’ described in the NCRP Memorandum of Mutual Understandings. Scientific and technical review is provided by the Technical Peer Review Committee (TPRC), project staff, consultants, and the stakeholders within the North Coast Region. The TPRC is comprised of technical experts appointed by each County’s Board of Supervisors and Tribal representatives. The TPRC reviews and evaluates the development of NCRP Plans and proposed projects based on technical and selection criteria approved by the PRP.
The NCRP regularly develops science-based assessments and plans that fill data gaps in the region and reflect the shared goals, objectives, strategies and priorities for the North Coast Region. These planning documents are informed by the best available technical information and local knowledge, and include input from all interested stakeholders. These assessments and plans are intentionally aligned with the relevant goals and objectives of state and federal partner agencies, and guide the project evaluation, selection and project implementation process for the region. Once implemented, monitoring information from projects is incorporated back into the planning framework to ensure ongoing adaptive learning.
NCRP Policy Review Panel and Technical Peer Review Committee Meetings:
The NCRP meetings are held quarterly on the third Friday of the following months: January, April, July, and October.
2019 NCRP Meeting Dates & Location: