Policy
Regularly assess overall 5C Program efforts and identify ways to enhance the Program’s effectiveness. Provide non-regulatory incentive models, trainings, and support to improve specific County policies where possible to improve salmonid habitat and water quality.  This includes providing county staff with regular training in these approaches.

Work with regulatory agencies to consider non-regulatory alternatives, where practical or feasible, to proposed rules or standards that relate to natural resources, including water quality and salmonids, and may affect discretionary land use development or land use processes. Work with regulatory agencies to achieve stability in mandated rules or standards.

Fish Passage Improvement
Work to identify barriers to fish migration (Inventory) and develop projects to improve passage. 65 projects have been completed between 1998-2013; allowing access to 146 miles of habitat at a cost of over 15 million. The 5C has also sponsored fish passage design trainings and DVDs.

Water Quality
5C is engaged in a variety of water quality efforts, including:

1. Work with Counties to develop and recommend management practices to reduce sediment and other pollutants from County routine maintenance activities. For additional information about road related sedimentation, view this short video.
2. Work with individual counties in the modification of County road designs to provide for reduced maintenance and to minimize adverse effects to water quality while maintaining County road standards for safety: LITH Road Standards.
3. Inventory county roads for sediment sources. To date, 2,455 miles of road have been inventoried for potential sediment delivery to streams & rivers via the Direct Inventory of Roads and Treatment (DIRT).
4. Develop projects to improve drainage on county roads and reduce potential sediment delivery to streams. 17 projects that have treated or prevented ~72,181 yds of sediment delivery to streams & river have been completed to date.
5. More information is also available on our Roads Training Program and Resources page.

Land Use Planning
Develop model conservation standards and incentive based tools and approaches for discretionary land use projects to facilitate protection of salmonids and water quality.

Work with landowners, surveyors, and County planners to develop model land use projects that demonstrate methods to minimize development impacts and promote natural resource management while protecting salmonids and water quality and meeting other regulatory and community needs for housing and ecomonic stability. This includes Stormwater Management techniques.

Habitat
Identify and recommend opportunities for conservation and restoration of riparian and aquatic habitats that would benefit salmonids and/or water quality. This includes important habitat types not specifically targeted in other Elements such as estuaries, wetlands, or urban stream segments that may not directly support fish habitat but that affect water quality or quantity in adjacent salmonid streams. The 5C has designed and facilitated various specific habitat projects including the construction of 4.5 acres of wetlands, bio-engineered streambanks, and large wood placement and monitoring.

Water Quantity
Work with individual counties to develop techniques and incentives to reduce the conflicts between water uses. Disseminate water conservation information. Assist local organizations and agencies with workshops and dissemination of technical information on non-regulatory methods to reduce impacts to water quality and quantity and reduce or prevent water pollution.

The 5C Program may work collaboratively on agricultural water conservation within many portions of the Program region with interested landowners and entities such as NRCS and/or grantors.  However, given the current efforts to satisfactorily address surface water flow and the complexities of those issues in the Scott and Shasta River valleys, the 5C Program will not address agricultural water quantity in Siskiyou County.

Outreach & Collaboration
5C strives to improve communication, education and collaboration through these efforts:

1. Develop and implement educational outreach efforts to the public including community events, urban stream programs, and other venues in which to present conservation strategies.
2. Coordinate with the public, agencies, and other conservation efforts to facilitate conservation strategies and implement County approved projects. Coordinate with these parties on priority non-County projects with similar conservation goals as staff time and grant resources allow.
3. Participate in local, state, or federal forums or recovery processes, to the extent practical and feasible.

Program Management & Monitoring
Implement monitoring and reporting to determine strategy effectiveness, measure outcomes, perform adaptive management of projects, and modify 5C conservation Elements or strategies as needed to ensure achievement of 5C goals. Also, track conditions and factors within the 5C region – in GIS format where feasible – in order to facilitate the development and prioritization of broader conservation efforts that encompass multiple strategies.