With Bella Vista's support, several organizations -- California Trout, McCloud Watershed Council, The River Exchange, and Pacific Forest Trust -- are working on a coordinated, basin-wide restoration effort in the Upper McCloud River Watershed. While each of these organizations has its own mission and objectives, each is working in a complementary fashion with the other organizations to push forward a shared vision for the Upper McCloud Watershed.

California Trout is continuing its Protecting Mt. Shasta's Water Resources Campaign, which in direct partnership with the McCloud Watershed Council (also a Bella Vista grantee), challenges the Nestle Waters North America Corporation's proposed water bottling plant at the headwaters of the McCloud River. A recent success in this campaign came in August 2008 when Nestle Waters announced that it would cancel its original water bottling plant contract with the town of McCloud and begin negotiations for a new contract based on a scaled down proposal for the plant. The Protecting Mt. Shasta's Water Resources Campaign also seeks to provide information on the spring and groundwater resources on Mt. Shasta to inform future decision making. Specific activities in the next year include completing a report on the valuation of Mt. Shasta's water resources and an analysis of the economic leakage in the town of McCloud by quantifying the amount of goods and services that are being imported but could be produced locally.

The River Exchange is focusing its efforts on Squaw Valley Creek, one of the largest tributaries of the McCloud River, which drains the western edge of the watershed. In the past, local springs were plugged to dry out meadows and wetlands for use as grazing pastures and logging roads. Next year, the River Exchange will locate these capped springs and, where appropriate and acceptable to the landowner, return them to a free-flowing state. Also, the River Exchange will design and implement a landowner outreach program that will reduce toxic run-off of pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides into Squaw Valley Creek.

On the forestry side, Pacific Forest Trust (PFT) is pursuing working forest conservation easements and carbon emissions reduction projects in the McCloud and other areas in the Klamath-Cascade and Sierra. PFT plans to use its innovative approach of diversifying income to forestland owners, who will be able to receive income from conservation easements, from sustainable forestry, and from carbon emissions reductions. This will help keep the forestlands economically profitable while protecting the environmental benefits of working forests, such as habitat for fish and wildlife, biodiversity, and high water quality.

Bella Vista Foundation: Ecosystem Restoration Strategies and Guidelines