Shared Stewardship Produced Abundant Benefits on the Modoc National Forest

The Modoc National Forest and Modoc County Farm Bureau had a fruitful year of shared stewardship. 

Building upon a long history of partnership, and the deep ties Modoc County has to the Modoc National Forest, the Bureau and forest had many successes this year while collaborating on projects of mutual interest.

Through this partnership, temporary employees are promptly found and hired to meet critical needs on the forest, especially when vacancies or turnover impact the effective and efficient carry out work on the ground.

As a non-governmental organization composed of many long-term county residents, the Bureau is well positioned to facilitate temporary skill placement expediently and locally.

“The short-term employees bring vital workforce support and expertise to the Forest,” said Chris Bielecki, U.S. Forest Service engineer. “With the help of the Bureau, we had great success this past year and were able to hire over 40 temporary employees supporting nearly every program.”

The following short-term employees’ accomplishments are among the agreement’s 2021 achievements:

• A range specialist assisted with wild horse management activities using the Wild Horse Territory Plan, which was developed previously by the Bureau and Forest.
• Retired timber specialists helped to plan and lay out forest health and fuels projects.
• Archeology technicians significantly increased the number of surveys conducted, which are required before most projects can be implemented on the forest.
• Recreation staff made notable progress on campground maintenance and helped the forest meet the spike in visitor usage, with support from CARES Act funding.
• Equipment operators and engineering staff helped to make improvements to roads, signage, and drainage in support of a California Parks Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) grant. This work increased accessibility to the Modoc National Forest for recreation, timber and fuels management, and range management.
• Front desk support improved visitor experience by providing public information services.

The short-term employees gained on-the-job training and a foot-in-the-door to federal employment in return. The forest and the Bureau are working to provide opportunities for temporary hires to convert into seasonal or permanent positions. In 2021, two employees originally hired into short-term roles were converted into a permanent Hydrology Technician and Visitor Information Specialist.

The triumphs of this agreement build upon the forest and Bureau’s strong history of collaboration in caring for Modoc County’s public lands. 

“Through ongoing partnership, we are finding ways to get projects done in a timely fashion and strengthening the trust shared between us,” said Sean Curtis, Bureau representative and Modoc County Planning Director. “Meeting regularly for discussion helps us to better understand the challenges the Forest and local communities face.”

Through shared stewardship, this partnership is providing a bounty of benefits for the land, visitors, temporary employees, and local communities. As Curtis and Bielecki summarized, “we’re in this for the long run”.

 

About the Modoc County Farm Bureau

The Modoc County Farm Bureau is a voluntary membership organization whose purpose is to protect and promote agricultural interests in Modoc County and to find solutions to the problems of the farm, the farm home, and the rural community through the responsible stewardship of natural resources. An accessible, healthy, actively managed Modoc National Forest benefits Bureau members and kindles the lives of Modoc County residents and visitors.

About Shared Stewardship

In August 2020, the U.S. Forest Service and the state of California signed a Shared Stewardship memorandum of understanding that formalized existing agreements and partnerships with states, tribes, and other groups. Through Shared Stewardship, the Forest Service is coming together with partners to explore opportunities to improve forest health and resiliency across management jurisdictions.