About Us

About Us

ERWIG is an incorporated non-profit, charitable class corporation, comprised of Eel River interest groups. We are committed to improving the habitat for native salmon and steelhead stocks. Our primary goals are to provide organizational and technical assistance to landowners and managers, to develop local watershed action plans, and to implement specific projects which will benefit salmonids.

Since its inception in 1997, ERWIG has been led by two Watershed Coordinators, Ruth Goodfield and Bill Matson.

Ruth Goodfield
			Ruth Goodfield received her B.S. in watershed restoration and planning from Humboldt State University in 1993, and worked with the Department of Fish & Game (DFG), Inland Fisheries Division Eel River Basin Planning Project for seven years. She was a key participant in the development of the Eel River Restoration Act Plan, (Downie et al. 1997, final draft), and has worked extensively with South Fork Eel restoration efforts for over fifteen years.

Bill Matson
			Bill Matson received both a B.S. in Fisheries Biology and a Masters degree in Psychology from Humboldt State University. He worked at Eureka high school for 18 years as a science teacher, counselor, and assistant principal before returning to his roots as a full time commercial fisherman. With the crash of North Coast salmon stocks in the mid 90’s, Bill participated in the Salmon Disaster Relief Restoration Program; a federal program which retrained displaced fisherman in the field of watershed restoration. He was a key participant in the formation of the Cummings Creek Watershed Advisory Council in 1996 and joined ERWIG shortly after. Bill has been a watershed coordinator at ERWIG for 9 years, working primarily in the VanDuzen Watershed.


Why does the community need ERWIG? Unstable geology, combined with human-caused, and natural events have created a growing demand for environmental restoration on the North Coast. However, a vital link was missing between private landowners who would like to address areas of concern on their property and organizations with the resources, funding, and technical abilities to make the work happen. That’s where ERWIG comes in. We take a moderate, open-minded approach to restoration, allowing us to work with individuals and organizations from all industries and walks of life. The focus of our work is keeping salmonid populations and their habitat healthy and thriving. With open communication between private landowners, restoration groups, government organizations, and prominent industries, we can make a positive impact on our streams and the amazing native fisheries that depend on them. How does ERWIG accomplish its goals? ERWIG receives support from various grant programs. The most important is the Department of Fish and Game’s SB-271 fund. This fund provides for two watershed coordinators, who work with landowners and managers to develop broad community awareness and support for salmon and steelhead restoration through community meetings, workshops, public outreach, educational programs, and personal contacts. These contacts lead to collaboration among ERWIG, landowners, and resource agencies to evaluate habitat, identify improvement opportunities, obtain necessary permits, apply for funding, implement project construction, and administer project funds. In this way, ERWIG provides a vital link between landowners and resource agencies like the Department of Fish and Game and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To contact us: Phone: 707-725-4317 Fax: 707-725-1086 Email: info@ERWIG.org
ERWIG's work and publications are made possible by funding from the CA Department of Fish and Game SB 271 Fisheries Restoration Grant.