BEYOND
T H E G O D D E S S
FOUNDER’S NOTE
CO-FOUNDERS BEYOND THE GODDESS
AIyana is a second generation Back to the lander. After cultivating cannabis 20+ years, she is now focusing on reinventing herself through her passions. Music, poetry, songwriting, and storytelling, preparing delicious healing food and inspiring this community through creative journalism and a heart centered lifestyle.
Daniel started working as a marijuana professional in 1998, operating from San Jose, California to Humboldt County. Since 2019, GW Smoke Break TV has been committed to producing culturally authentic content for the cannabis industry, empowering legacy operators in The Emerald Triangle and around the world.
DANIEL MONTERO
AIYANA GREGORI
Tableof Contents
Poem by Patricia Schumann. Mendocino County.
Article by Keri Elkins. Humboldt County.
Article by Trenton Simper. Washington.
Poem by Daniel Montero. San Jose, California.
Article by Aiyana Floreterna Gregori. Humboldt County.
IAmYou
Poem
& Art by Patrica Schumann
In the eye of my consciousness I am reduced to a single cell, a tiny cry, hoping to be heard. All around me, all of the cells that make up the body in which I reside are screaming out too, together those voices are finally heard.
I lift my head, I open my eyes and utter a phrase, "who are you?"
I ask who you are, because for the first time since the spark, that is this mind, I am is certain of my existence and who I am.
Stripped down, into nothing I am but a single cell, a tiny nano spark. There is no pain, there is no heat, there is no cold, there is no one, but there is an echo.
The echo of the individual cries becomes a recognizable sound.
Loud and resonating high. Our vibrational tone set in love, high pitched and fast. The answer to the question comes softly, "I am you."
HowGrowing MicrogreensLedto theGreatestSelf GrowthPeriodof MyLife.
Article By Kari Elkens Freshwater Family Farm
It was in 2020, while I was working at the Regional Center supporting individuals with developmental disabilities, that I quit my job and changed everything about my life. We had just found out the year previous that our oldest son was on the Autism Spectrum. This news was challenging for us to take. We felt as if we had a lot of catching up to do when it came to his health and his support. As a military family, we moved around frequently, and were unable to get him the help he needed until he was over 10 years old.
Intentional Growth means letting go of old beliefs and habits. As I sit here trying to figure out how my life got to this point, I think, “Sometimes life just sucks so bad, you have no option but to change.
Because of the pandemic it meant that we had much fewer resources than we might have otherwise had available to us to help him, and with my full-time job, and my son’s father, who is now retired from the military with a medical disability, everything was falling to me to be the breadwinner, the caretaker, the support person, and the anchor of the family. My job allowed me to go part time, but after a while they wanted everyone to come back full time. I decided during this time to quit my job and stay home with all 3 of my children, my oldest being the one on the spectrum, and 2 other children 2.5 years separated between them. Another son, and a daughter. These were challenging times; living on top of each other, learning over zoom, trying to get the children to do all of their homework, all while learning about my oldest son's disabilities.
It was at this time that we realized that neuro divergence runs in families and can be very hereditary in nature. This helped us to know ourselves better, and to understand some of the underlying struggles we have had as a family. As we began to learn that we have our own neuro-differences, and we have a lot of challenges to work through in order to parent a child with such extreme needs, things begin to grow increasingly heavy.
Because of this I sunk into a depression. As someone who considers myself a life long learner, I knew I needed to do something so I could be there for my family during this difficult time. I started watching videos on YouTube and learned about gardening and vertical gardening. Specifically this interested me because I have an ankle injury that causes me to not be able to get down on the ground very easily. When I saw MICROGREENS being grown for the first time I knew that it was something I had to try!
I built my first rack and began growing microgreens in my kitchen on the counter. I loved it so much that I began sharing with friends and family. Soon I was growing microgreens in the playhouse of our family home. Not long after that I was purchasing a giant 30 foot by 9 foot greenhouse to put on our property. Within 6 months, I had outgrown that greenhouse space and had to move to the farm location where I, along with family and volunteers, currently grow over $50,000 worth of microgreens for Humboldt County.
My hope is that this business can be something that I can pass along to my son. A Business where I can teach job skills to people with kindness and compassion. Where people can get skills and education without feeling like they are doing something wrong. I want to be able to reach the community in a way that is authentic, inclusive and compassionate.
I feel so grateful for the challenges that have come my way. I would not have become the person I am today, with my passion and my vision and my drive. I'm proud of the business that I've created and I'm proud of my son and myself. The differences that we have within us are special and unique. I believe because of my differences, I'm able to be a business owner, to be a mother, to be an advocate, and to be a friend to those around me who are like-minded and need help and compassion. I love growing food for my community, but even more, I love growing community through food.
I'm thankful for the messy life I have. I'm thankful for the challenges, and I'm thankful that sometimes life sucks, because that’s what makes us change, and you have to change, otherwise, what are we doing here?
Eggs are $8 dozen delivered as an add on with either our 6oz or 9oz Sunny Sampler. Those sell for $2.50 per oz ($15 for 6oz or $22.50 for 9oz) Each Sunny Sampler includes Pea, Buckwheat, Sunflower, Red Acre Cabbage, Broccoli, Beet and sometimes Radish!! We are very proud of our product, and getting it delivered is the freshest option possible! We also sell our product at Eureka Natural Foods, Murphy’s Market locations, NCGA Farmers Market (Arcata, Eureka, Fortuna) and on the plates at Sushi Blue, Moonstone Grill, Shamus T-Bones, Pineapple Express, Frankie's Bagles and more. Microgreens are packed with nutrients. They have truly changed my life. We love our delivery clients!
America is gaining momentum and fast, driven by concerns about ourselves and our children's health, soil health, agriculture, cultivation and horticulture.
Many farmers, both small and large-scale, are adopting & integrating organic regenerative farming practices, like cover cropping, no-till farming, crop rotation, and rotational grazing. Major food corporations and agricultural investors are also backing regenerative initiatives. With Biologicals and organic fertilizers farmers are able to push and promote natural growth that in turn feeds our soils. Soil health is our health literally. There is more maximum yield potential in organic farming, working with nature not against her, we are able to achieve everything we need to survive and see a major change quickly in America.
It's up to us to educate and push the policies we all need in this century. It's definitely a century of change and adoption of new ways. The USDA has begun offering more grants and incentives for conservation and regenerative practices.
Companies and farms have already begun this education process Patrick The Soil King is one of the first I ever witnessed on youtube close to 10 years ago now. Over the years The Mendo Boyz and Patrick's brands have grown steadily, many other farms and brands have taken initiative and started their own brands bringing their own education to the masses, Emerald Triangle Organics, GWSBTV, CHA, Guru, Nubs
Through Social media and magazines such as Humbolt Love Culture I hope to bring much more to everyone. Currently Leaf Magazine and Humbolt Love Culture have the current and updated information on these subjects. Both leaders in the online and bookstore worlds, we are gaining momentum and moving across this wonderful nation.
It's very important for companies to adopt strategies teaching organic regenerative farming practices. Farms all across this nation are in desperate need of educational materials as we move into this New Organic Future of the Make America Health Plan.
Precision agriculture, AI-driven soil monitoring, and microbiome research are improving how farmers manage soil health and nutrient cycles, making regenerative practices more data-driven and scalable.
Drones and computer technology are taking over sprayers for ipm or any other foliar applications. Robots and drones look destined to replace farmers and laborers. Increased Soil information that's data driven up to date on your cell phone. It really is the future it's already here.
Despite its growth, regenerative farming still faces hurdles, including:
Transition costs and learning curves for farmers. Especially where Education is key. Nubs Ag Supply costs are cut & education is brought directly to each farm. Drastically helping the farmers transition and earn in such difficult times. Direct tax free commercial accts are another tool to save big in agriculture, cultivation, horticulture. I am hitting every point to ensure farmers can get what they need.
Skepticism from conventional agribusinesses. Along with the lack of education in our farming and rural communities that only know the way of conventional farming our government pushed on them. The need for more standardized certification systems. Better lab testing at state levels is an absolute must, Labs throughout the country need to be led by example and the west coast is prime to be that example.
Land access issues for new farmers interested in regenerative methods. Permits regulations things are still in need of change and we are seeing massive cuts at the federal level right now.
The Future looks bright and is moving fast. The West Coast farming community is definitely the Backbone to American farming practices. These farmers are absolutely amazing and if I can say so myself it's a piece of Eden I've witnessed too. It is a wonderful thing we are all building together for the future of this planet and our children. Regenerative agriculture is moving from a niche movement to a mainstream practice, but its full adoption depends on continued research, education, policy support, and economic incentives. Nubs Ag Supply is all about the restoration of our ecosystems and sustainable Organic regenerative farming practices, a wonderful fact That a SoyBean based product such as Bio-Ag Biologicals Full Power can and will clean our soils of heavy metals, chemicals, pesticides and some plastics.
The Government says it could take decades to clean our farming Soils up. We can do it in 3 months. With Full Power in full production on your farm. Here at Nubs Ag Supply we are committed to the farmers and our sustainable food & medicine we grow in America Over the years to come from now, our children will live healthier fuller lives and more to each individual's full potential, the future is looking amazing
222
Poem by Daniel Montero
A portal to another dimension, Perhaps you have been here before. My imagination runs wild here,
Like the acrobatics of an airborne dolphin. This out of body experience, Is electrifying, exhilarating and exciting.
A brilliant kaleidoscope of possibilities
Like the sounds of an expansive, ancient rainforest. There is an ocean here,
But there is no body of water.
Galaxies as well, Constellations! But not in the shape of stars.
Incredible towering mountains And splendid, fertile valleys. But there is not a rock, nor soil in sight.
I’ve dreamed of arriving here, Never sure if it was possible for me,
But I am here now, in this out of body experience, In a grove of orange Monarch butterflies. I sense that Mother Nature is happy that I’m here, Where are the words to describe how I feel?
I feel flooded, like a life giving torrent Of Spring rain in the Atacama desert.
I feel synchronicity and fortune
Like a soaring bird that survived a harsh winter migration. I feel profound joy,
Like a new mother holding her baby for the first time.
The most interesting detail, Is that combinations of numbers brought me here Numbers that speak to me spiritually, That guide me and give me purpose, To find what is meant for eternity.
YouWillRemember
How the heart gasped
As if it had been held underwater too long.
The tears rolled down my face against my better efforts
And an audible grief exited my mouth from a place in my cavernous chest that had been carefully lidded by willful suppression.
I could not control the noise. She wanted to be heard. Demanded. She just wants to be heard.
Please, let me go, she asks. Let me speak. Let me breathe. Let me out.
Poem & Art by Cara Joy Tesnow
I cannot stay locked away behind your guarded walls, no matter how beautifully decorated by your noble cause
in the name of “true” healing. When did you forget? That I am your greatest gift?
That the day the tears were suddenly dammed, was the day you lost your sense of home?
That day you felt unable to feel. That was the day of death.
I am always here to be reborn. Whether you give way to my voice readily or if I come in a rush of beating wings rising from your throat.
I will come again. And you will remember.
ArtistSpotlight: MorgenMaier
ARTICLE BY AIYANA FLORETERNA GREGORI
ART BY MORGEN MAIER
A highly sensitive child, Morgen Maier found inspiration and comfort exploring creativity and art. Born in Southeast Virginia with a military dad, her family moved often, living in Tennessee and Georgia before age five, then Ohio for grades 1-8 and Oklahoma for high school. At 18, she moved to Boulder to attend the University of Colorado, staying until she relocated to California for work 10 years later. Although an art school graduate, her creative nature and permeability to the natural world inspire her most.
Her business name, “Earthen Furrow,” describes a little fold of earth, from where she sees the world through her mesmerizing perspective. Morgen’s parents pushed her toward a practical career. She began college in health care and switched to fine arts. Being from a hard working background, they supported her, but with some hesitation.
Her grandmother, from a lineage of wild, creative women, said, “Oh, don’t listen to what they say. Just make sure you keep making art and never lose that.” Not having had the circumstances to pursue her own artistic talents, she encouraged Morgan to go for it.
Morgen’s inspirations include her grandmother, Andy Goldsworthy, and the natural color palette of the earth. She’s also enchanted by artists who gather pigments from nature, grinding them to use on-site, such as clay, berries, and leaves.
In college, she studied Andy Goldsworthy’s ‘earth art’ extensively. He was creating breathtaking temporary art outside, with leaves, wood, and rock sculptures. The impermanence of his natural palette, and the focus on process rather than the then finished product, moved Morgen.
“He found colors and shapes in nature that you wouldn’t have noticed before arranging. He allowed the ocean or wind and time to wash or blow away his sculptures, returning them to their natural places...he only kept a photograph.” Describes Morgen
Later she worked at a children’s art studio with early elementary aged kids where they. valued process over product. Some kids had 10 paintings, others one, sparking frequent discussions with parents about prioritizing the process.
After a decade in Boulder, and recently graduated, she had lived in Gunnison, Colorado nearly 10,000 ft above sea level. Morgen then moved to Humboldt County for work. She later applied to John F. Kennedy University in Berkeley and began a master’s program combining art therapy and studio art. Sitting in a circle outside, they created an eight-foot earth mandala daily and built mandalas at an oncology hospital, incorporating Native American rituals for the patient’s release. They spent two weeks in the Costa Rican jungle, wandering to gather materials and build earth mandalas. The jungle was a gold mine of plant species. She learned to use banana peels and other plants as dye, then wove them into bags before having to leave the program. Months later, when she was ready to return , the program had already ended. One of Morgen’s biggest regrets is not finishing her master’s program. Swearing never to stop inspiring creativity, she hopes to open a children’s art studio where kids can express themselves freely.
Still working in Humboldt, met her 12 year partner and father of her children, Alex, who lived in Trinity County. Morgan found echoes of the Colorado mountains she missed so much in the spectacular Trinity Peaks. They fell in love among the high mountain lakes and lived off grid for nearly 10 years. The cycles of nature, farming, and the seasons fueled her art tremendously. After the birth of her first child, she became more sensitive to the vibrations in nature around. She now paints in her bedroom in brief spurts of free time. Adaptation to life with two kids is the key at this point.
Morgen’s piece “As the Crow Flies” was created in Trinity. Amidst friends’ pregnancies and newborns, she felt a maternal urge. Meeting a man who could be a potential father, she experienced a sense of renewal, reminiscent of the vibrant energy of spring enveloping her. It is trusting the path of being, such as the sunrise, flowers blooming especially when life feels crazy. Sprouts will still sprout, and crows will eat from the compost. In this image the Mama’s belly radiates sacred energy, connecting new life to the world. The life flower expands, blooming into blossoms and the heavens. All life is interconnected.
“Ode to Bumble Bees” was born of her captivation with the golden spiral, sacred geometry, and vibrations. Bees hold a sacred status; their absence would render our presence impossible—a fact many overlook. This painting, a plea for honeybees, is aimed to increase awareness and concern. At the North Country Fair, people connect deeply with my piece and share fascinating stories about bees. My daughter is astounded by the work it takes bees to make their honey. They teach us not to take these things for granted anymore.
“Deep Waters” shimmered into existence, after becoming a mother. Her first painting of a river represented her life’s flow. With a traumatic pregnancy ending in an unplanned breech birth, breaking her open in a whole new way. The depths of the river, the roots and energy moving up into the mountains and the moon represented emergence from a dark, murky state. She escaped a dark period in her life; bursting forth into early spring mountains retaining snow. Coincidentally, a Mendocino mom with a comparable postpartum experience chose this art piece for her wall. Morgen had been submitting her art to the ‘We Moon’ Calendar for several years, and it was “Deep Waters” they finally accepted. This piece has so much of her personal experience in it, her postpartum, and her tears.
“It has such a special meaning for me,” explains Morgen. “After being published in ‘We Moon’, women from all over the country were emailing me about it.”
‘Garden Gulch’ number two taps into the earth’s rhythm, showcasing seeds’ potential and cycles. It speaks of the tremendous potential a tiny seed has. The painting shows their immense creative potential.
“The rainbow cell around the seed shows life, then it’s sprouting, and blooming powered from the roots to the sun, those leaves then die and return to the earth, dropping more seeds. It is miraculous that a seed the size of a pencil tip can create hundreds of flowers all year to put into bouquets, and hundreds of pounds of food for her family to eat.”
‘Garden Gulch’ is honoring and showing the underground view. Energy vibrating through layers of soil and rock. Plant death fuels rebirth, mirroring chamomile and calendula’s cycle. They bloom and die, seeds return to the earth and give us this wild gift. It is about life, and how it is all interconnected.
‘Calling in Snow’ depicts the sun rising over mountains, painted “like cells,” and people perceive it as resembling fecundation, a theme that recurs throughout her art. The layers show the energetic potential. This painting is a prayer for snow. Numerous women visiting her booth, the mountains resembling lactating breasts. She breastfed both kids for three years. Trinity experienced a terrible drought, leading to wildfires. This is a prayer for replenishment of the waters. This piece shows that Nature and life are inseparable.
“These themes often make it into my work, lactating breasts, sperm fertilizing an egg, or dividing cells. Sometimes I don’t even notice until a client tells me.”
The ‘Golden hearted Bower Bird’ was inspired by the fascinating courtship practices of these birds. The moment she learned about the Bower Birds, she wanted to create a painting in their honor. Males build bowers with twigs, grass, and anything blue, including trash, dedicating time to create a tunnel with open ends so the female never feels trapped. Morgen delights in this behavior. Young birds, appearing female, spend their first years perfecting courtship displays. The males take turns courting each other, so once they’re grown, they know how to do it. Learning about these captivating courtship practices amidst today’s darkness was a moment of true beauty for her.Though she believes Mama Earth will prevail, she is heartbroken by the destruction. She asks herself, how can a bird with a brain the size of a pea bring so much heartfelt beauty when we continue destroying it? The mandala on its chest, as well as other sacred geometry, symbolizes that heartfelt energy.
Inspired by Mary Oliver’s deep appreciation of the natural world, writing poems about one blade of grass, a ladybug, the wind in the trees, can be prayerful. When feeling overstimulated, she and her kids go outside barefoot, walk, eat in the grass, and regulate their nervous systems within 15 minutes. We all feel this energetic force.
‘To Begin Again’ is a recent painting. Every sunrise offers a fresh start. Inspired by the open, green, rolling hills of Mendocino. We all feel the changes on earth, astrologers too, have been talking about this change. It has felt like things are getting worse before they get better for many years. It pains her to see how divided people are, with intense energy. Conversations reveal that many have undergone massive changes since COVID, unleashing a major energetic upheaval. It’s frightening when fear-based decisions make things worse. She avoids such choices, believing the collective transformation is sound energetically and politically. There’s a split timeline, with friends divided on the outcome, half think we’re going into the dark ages and the other half the golden ages. Witnessing such contrasting interpretations from the same perception is astounding. Stepping back, the painting becomes a prayer, like the sunrise, offering a path to new beginnings and positive choices. It invites reflection, empathy, and openness to different perspectives. We won’t get anywhere divided, It’s time for a reset, much like the stunning sunrise. It reminds us that things will be okay, despite the chaos in the world.The warmth of the sun on our skin, the sun’s daily rebirth illustrates the unity of endings and beginnings. Seeds fall onto the soil; we compost dead branches; and winter’s dead branches were actually in dormancy to regrow next year. Most living beings must lie dormant before their next rebirth, for it is often darkest just before dawn. This painting, like a prayer, symbolizes transformation.
Morgen’s art encourages closer examination of ordinary things, revealing their immense significance. It is a call for connection and reverence, to feel comforted by these seasonal cycles around us. People at the North Country Fair often enter her booth and they feel comforted and warm. This is perfect for her. It is what she strives for, for people to come in and crouch between the paintings of the earth colors and the breast mountains and recharge before returning to the fair.
In 2025, Morgen wants to revisit her fascination with the golden spiral. Her neighbor has filled his house with mathematical puzzles, such as three-dimensional ones, and tiled his floor with the golden spiral. This is also a great source of inspiration at the origins of her painting. She looks forward to the freedom to paint she will have once her youngest son starts school. Getting her art into galleries outside of Humboldt is also a goal so she can sell them. Her husband frames them all with home-milled redwood or cedar, and she can ship them anywhere. Many mistake these high-quality prints for originals. You can always find her booth at the North County Fair in Arcata, in our amazing supportive community! Morgen’s life’s purpose connects with those seeking her help. Her website is www.earthenfurrowstudio.org. You can find her on Instagram at @earthen_furrow.org.
Spring Perserverance
Poem & Photography by Aiyana Floreterna Gregori
Metamorphasis
Poem & Photography by Aiyana Floreterna Gregori
TheLand BeforeTime
Poem
& Photography by Daniel Montero
Crashing waves, Lavender skies, A soaring bird Astonish me. They all bring Epiphanies Trumpets from the other side.
I am reincarnated, My soul conceived, In the land before time. Like sand, My memories, Escape me. But there are some, That I remember, That I treasure.
My existence, Akin to the ocean, Ever present
Pre-destined,
Like ancient bonds of love.
My purpose, Driven by this bond, Driven by a song, Completes the circle And gives birth to, A celestial Dawn.
-Agate Beach Trinidad, Humboldt County. April 27, 2024
TheDelta TheDelta
RestorationProject RestorationProject
Article by Aiyana Floreterna & Gil Gregori
What is Erosion?
What is erosion but the swift disappearance of bare dirt when stripped of nature’s protective cover? We may not realize that the forests we walk through have experienced logging two or three times. Each has caused large amounts of topsoil, sand, and gravel to enter and clog the waterways. We are used to seeing our rivers full of gravel without realizing how much resulted from erosion because of our harmful practices of road building, logging, grazing, etc.
In truth, this wasn’t the case before “modern civilization” arrived, building roads, installing unprotected culverts, clear-cutting forests, mining and overgrazing. People used creek beds as roads to drag the logs out. With modern agriculture, soil remains bare after harvest. The effects of widespread heavy logging between the late 1800s to the 1980s in Northern California—and the entire Pacific Northwest was devastating. This, accompanied by thousands of miles of “in sloped” roads, unprotected culverts, modern agriculture, overgrazing and mining has caused tens of thousands of yards of topsoil and sub layers to be washed away.
Mattole Canyon Creek Delta Aerial View
Locally, rivers that once boasted deep swimming holes and thundering salmon runs became shallow and wide, their multiple channels choked with sand, gravel, and silt. Deep, clear pools became a distant memory. Most of the fertilized eggs suffocated as sand clogged their ideal spawning habitat, endangering the salmon. Any miraculously surviving hatchlings often were stuck in stagnant pools and easy prey to predators.
Is Your Road In-sloped or Out-sloped?
Truthfully, erosion is always happening. When you make a trail or road, it can create erosion. Most roads have an in-sloped surface and an inside ditch to catch water and guide it towards a culvert under the road. The water often falls on bare soil, digging giant holes and eroding.
All of this soil ends up in the river, eventually washed to the ocean to make the river healthy again. The correct way to build a road when possible is to out-slope it so the rain hits the hillside above and flows over the road. Then it flows down the hill through the trees and grass, instead of getting caught in an inside ditch to a culvert. This way, it does not gather mass energy and speed, which causes destruction and it meanders down through trees and grass.
Gil bought an old ranch that had abundant erosion, in sloped roads and unprotected culverts. An unprotected culvert completely blew out this area.
“What we did was to get 30 yards of good sized rock (300-600 lbs each) and make a ladder (check dam). The first step is to slough off the rough edges from the erosion to round it out and reduce the cut by filling it a little. We placed rocks across the cut or ravine to ensure water flow. To prevent erosion, we placed the rocks high on the sides and kept them low in the center to ensure a clear passage for water. Water will flow through, slowing down and preventing the down-cutting and eventually filling the ravine with soil. Humboldt County Supervisor Steve Madrone, Merlin and Gil, helped to make this check dam.”
“This in an inside ditch (see photo).”When I first bought the farm this tree was ittybitty, and falling into the inside ditch, which was 3-4 feet deep, and more of a gully. Not knowing any better, I got many truckloads of rock from the river and filled up the gully. Several weeks later, Bruce Watering Tree told me of a local man that was going to do a one-day seminar on erosion. (Turned out to be Bill Eastwood). Bill took us to a gully similar to the one on my farm and he said, “Now what you don’t want to do is to fill it up with rock because the water will just go around the sides and cause more damage.” I came home and took all the rock out of the gully and arranged it as a series of check dams as far as I needed. This filled the gully with sediment and stopped it from down-cutting. Most people think they don’t have any erosion on their land, but if you live with roads, you most likely have erosion.
As a child, I learned about the resilience of willow trees during a walk in the creek delta after a storm. My dad told me that one day, we found some willows torn out by the storm and brought them home to plant. However, we got distracted and left the trees at the beginning of our driveway. “Three days later, we saw them and Aiyana suggested planting them. I said no because they had been there for three days and I believed they would not survive. Aiyana insisted we plant them so I gave in and planted them in a group and now they’re well established and I take cuttings. “
The Mattole Canyon Creek
From the headwaters of the Mattole Canyon Creek, the water flows downhill to its confluence with the Mattole River. Along the way, whenever it loses 10% of its energy (when the stream gradient decreases), it deposits 60% of its bed-load. The water, brown with sand and rock, slows down and deposits the material it carries, filling the channel. Afterwards, it moves in the direction that requires the least effort, either left or right. It moves to one side as far as it can go, then to the other, slowly, over a few weeks or months, depositing gravel and sand all the while. You can see many mini channel trails in this photo. The difference in height between the channel or deepest area of the creek and the outer banks might have been two feet. Ideally, there would be a primary channel with one or two overflow channels. Deeper channels allow the center to maintain speed and dig down, depositing the bed-load along the sides rather than across a wide but shallow area with ten different mini channels like the photo. This is an example of an unhealthy creek or river.
Mattole Canyon Creek Delta. Ettersburg, Humboldt County
Salmon Habitat and unhealthy Rivers
.
The salmon spawn in the same river or creek they were born in. After leaving the creek or river, they swim around the ocean for three to four years until maturity, when they return home to spawn again. A deeper channel allows them to swim to their birthplace. If clogged with silt, they cannot find an ideal place. They will then lay their eggs where they can. Salmon successfully spawn in deep clear pools of cold water with pea-sized gravel at the bottom. Sand or silt will suffocate the eggs. Salmon enter systemic shock in waters over 70 degrees, such as wide clogged channels with no alders or willows shading them. The few that do hatch are in danger of systemic shock, being landlocked in stagnant pools, or more accessible to predators.
First Attempts at Restoration and Planting Willows
When Gil first saw the creek he realized something was wrong but did not know what. He walked five miles up the creek, and saw almost continual slides on both sides all the way up. He contacted the California Department of Fish and Game and urged them to visit Mattole Canyon Creek to evaluate the damage he witnessed and take necessary corrective measures.
Fish and Game said they could not consider attempting any restoration for at least 50 to 100 years. That was unacceptable to Gil. He started looking in different directions for help in restoring the creek. Most of the help he received was from Randy Stemler of the Mattole Restoration Council, who obtained a lot of their information from old records of the work of the Conservation Corps during the 1930s. At the time, a lot of restoration was done with large boulders, which were very expensive. Gil tried using willow slips, for stabilizing the banks which required finding, cutting and transporting them, which he could do himself. He decided rather than planting the willows at a right angle to the flow of the creek which was the standard procedure where the willows would take the full brunt of the water flow he planted them parallel with the creek flow so they might have a chance of not being ripped out in high water from winter storms.
In the beginning, he would go out in the rain and cut three-foot willow slips from the few willows we had. He would then sit on a bucket and sharpen the end with a knife. Then he would get a good glove and push the willows into the mud where the gravel met the soil. He planted them about 6 inches apart, planting four or five willows out from the edge of the flow of the water. When the winter water rose and flowed against these willow slips, it dug on the water side, passed through the Willows, slowed down and dropped its bed load. So it was digging a channel on one side and dropping soil on the other, deepening the channel while building a sturdy bank. All the time, the water ran through it.
My sister and I helped him push willows into the mud until he told us there was no more mud. He was going to have to use a backhoe from then on. The second year, Gil moved a few feet towards the center of the creek to plant another row. The MRC advised Gil to shorten the willows and leave just three buds on each branch. This would help the trees conserve energy to promote branch and root growth simultaneously. He did so, but every ten feet, he left one long just to see what would happen. When the short willows became covered in sediment, they died, but the long ones only partially covered survived, dying back from the top down only as far as they needed to remain alive. From then on, we never cut the willows short again.
Aiyana, Gil & Mariah Gregori On The Delta
“We didn’t have enough willows to continue working. Michael Lyon and I went out to the mouth of the Mattole River in Petrolia, with the truck full of wet sand and cut around 1000 willows. To plant them, Michael Etter was running the backhoe, he dug a 2-3 foot ditch down to water, then we’d place the willows and Michael would backfill.”
“While near the edges of the creek, we worked in the winter. Soon we were too close to the water and worked in late fall while it was still dry. We had to dig much deeper, as far as the machine would go, sometimes 12 feet deep, 8 ft wide, with 20-foot willow branches. Now we have so many willows I donate cuttings to other people’s projects and get to write them off on my income taxes. I like that a lot, less money for the politicians to steal.”
Gil Gregori & Michael Etter
Creeks naturally have rock armoring where the high-water marks would be. When they become clogged through erosion as we explained, the original channel fills with sediment higher than it should be, (in this case 20-30 ft higher) the high water mark is falling on dirt and soil, rather than the ideal rock armoring, which is even more exposed to erosion.
“When we were doing this work, I hired a hydrologist. He took us out to Bull Creek (from near Founders Grove to Honeydew through the redwoods) He stopped at a bridge and asked, “Do you see where it looks like the river is going over a log? That is not a log, it is the railing of a bridge”. I asked him, “what do you mean it’s the railing of a bridge?” He said, “It’s the railing of a bridge that is buried, because there was so much material that the old bridge was simply buried, and there is another one underneath that one also buried,” the hydrologist explained. So you can see, we are talking about very serious level erosion. "
It was totally different before the settlers came and with them, destructive logging and road building came. The Mattole River had swimming holes 30 feet deep in it, where now we consider 6 to 8 deep. The Salmon would wake people up at night thundering up the river and they could flip them out with a shovel. In summary, our destruction of the Salmon Habitat and filling in the riverbeds has endangered the Salmon.
In the early 80s, there was only about 8 feet of clearance underneath this bridge. Now he thinks it is 16 to 18 feet. Over the past 40 years, with help from the willow plantings, the creek has continued digging the channel. The entire delta was a vast expanse of rock, with no primary channel, with shallow water-flow stretching across the entire delta in winter storms. There were maybe three black cottonwoods growing. After planting a few years of willows, Gil found the cottonwoods were just as good as the willows. Gil planted one every ten feet or so. Now the birds come sit on the branches and poop out tree seeds all over the delta.
By planting tens of thousands of willows along Mattole Canyon Creek, it created a process of scouring the channel and depositing silt along the sides. Slowly, the entire length of the creek through the Delta helps to restore and create a primary channel for the fish to return once again to Mattole Canyon Creek to spawn. Along the creek now, the willow plantings have acted as a nursery for Madrone, Oak, and Fir trees. Gil had also planted hundreds of redwoods in the shade of the willows and many of them have now grown to over 80 ft., the entire area has grown to provide a rich area for wildlife.
Gil feels like he can see the positive results of the work from the last 40 years. He appreciates the help he had from his wife Robie, his children, great machine operators like Michael Etter and George Mullins and incredible restorationists like Randy Stemler.
CULTIVATING A REGENERATIVE NEW WORLD.