We are a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation
Our mission is to promote the benefits of good land stewardship through education and restoration activities that result in healthy forests, resilient watersheds, and prosperous communities.
In early 2019, Plumas Corp Board of Directors, Executive Director, and Plumas County Fire Safe Coordinator developed the following strategy to begin to address forest and watershed health issues in the Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascade regions.
Plumas Corp Staff
Jim Wilcox
Executive Director
Jim Wilcox
Executive Director
Jim Wilcox has 30 years of direct experience in all phases of watershed analysis and geomorphic restoration. He is currently a watershed restoration specialist with Plumas Corporation where he serves as senior geomorphic restoration project manager. Jim is responsible for design specifications and construction supervision. He has been responsible for the implementation and effectiveness monitoring of over 45 restoration projects in the Feather River as well as other Sierra Nevada and Cascade watersheds encompassing more than 51 miles of stream channel and 4,500+ acres of associated riparian areas in a wide variety of channel types and settings. He has been a guest lecturer at numerous short course seminars and co-instructor of the ‘Geomorphic Restoration and Watershed Assessment’ course through San Francisco State University as well as presentations at numerous fisheries, ecological and restoration society conferences. In 2010, Jim received the National Wetlands Award for Conservation and Restoration.
Gia Martynn
Chief Administrative Officer
Gia Martynn
Chief Administrative Officer
Gia has been with Plumas Corporation since 2005, and served as the Watershed Coordinator for the Feather River Coordinated Resource Management partnership through 2013. As Watershed Coordinator and CAO she manages all project grants, oversees the watershed education and outreach program, and assists with the organization’s monitoring program. Gia worked for the U.S. Forest Service on the Sequoia National Forest from 1990-1997, serving as the Forest Spotted Owl Coordinator, Assistant District Wildlife Biologist, District Range Manager, and Forest Air Quality Coordinator. She took a hiatus from her career for eight years to be home with her two children and volunteered for various civic and educational organizations. Gia has a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Management from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.
Scott Corey
Administrative Assistant
Scott Corey
Administrative Assistant
Scott joined Plumas Corporation in 2021.
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Teresa Arrate
Project Manager
Teresa Arrate
Project Manager
Kendal Hiemke
Project Manager
Kendal Hiemke
Project Manager
Jeanie Hinds
Project Manager
Jeanie Hinds
Project Manager
Jeanie joined Plumas Corp in 2016 as an intern and was hired as a permanent part-time employee in 2017. A UC Davis alumni, she has a B.S. in Evolution and Ecology, and completed some graduate work in Environmental Systems at UC Merced. She has an extensive background in water resources management, environmental planning, and ecological research. Working both in the public and private sector, including two water districts, she has conducted surface and groundwater monitoring, and developed a Groundwater Management Plan for the Turlock Basin. Her work with Plumas Corp includes project planning, grant writing, and monitoring.
Leslie Mink
Project Manager
Leslie Mink
Project Manager
Leslie has 24 years experience working in aquatic/riparian monitoring and restoration. She has worked for Plumas Corporation for 13 years. Prior to that, she built and managed aquaculture ponds in the early eighties as a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa, then designed and constructed habitat improvement projects as the Fisheries Biologist for the Plumas National Forest. With Plumas Corporation, she has written and administered grants, implemented project and watershed monitoring, and now primarily manages project implementation, while also acting as the stormwater manager. Leslie has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and a Master of Science degree in Zoology from the University of Maine.
Terri Rust
Project Manager
Terri Rust
Project Manager
Terri worked as a seasonal Project Manager for Plumas Corporation back in 2010 assisting with restoration project designs and monitoring. In 2018 she took a permanent position continuing as a project manager and coordinating the Sierra Hydrology Monitoring Program. Terri moved to Plumas County in 2008 and has been involved with natural resources and watershed health as an instructor at Feather River College, independent contractor for Feather River Land Trust, project manager for the Feather River Resource Conservation District, and an employee for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Prior to moving to the Sierras, Terri spent 18 years sampling the world’s oceans and managing a research lab at the University of Hawaii. She has a B.S. in Geology from Duke University and a M.S. in Chemical Oceanography from the University of Hawaii.
Plumas Fire Safe Staff
Plumas County Fire Safe Council is a program of Plumas Corp. We’ve served as the fiscal agent for Plumas Fire Safe since 2002. All project contracting and staff support is provided through us.
Board of Directors
Terry Benoit
Benoit joined the Plumas Corp Board as a Director in October 2018. He was a former employee, working as a Project Manager for 14 years (2002-2015). Prior to coming to Plumas Corp Terry worked for over thirty years as a Hydrologist, and served as the Forest Service lead restoration technical advisor to the Feather River Coordinated Resource Management group from 1986 to 2002. Terry’s expertise and career experiences have helped him develop the art associated with wildland hydrology and its application, especially in the area of watershed management, road and mine-site assessments and rehabilitation, and stream and meadow restoration.
Lynn Campbell
Lynn has worked since the 1970’s as an advocate for watershed health. With a degree in Biology and Education from UCSC she worked as a park ranger for CA State and National Parks, as a science teacher, and co-founded the Nevada County Science Center and the Nevada County (Bear Yuba) Land Trust. In 2008 she was hired by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC), a CA state agency. At the time, Lynn was one of just two Area Representatives charged with building partnerships and bringing state funding to projects that increase the environmental, social, and economic well-being in the Sierra Nevada. She retired at the end of 2020 having worked to develop partnerships, connect communities in the Sierra Nevada, and communicate local needs back to state leaders. She was happy to work with area partners- bringing SNC funding to projects in the Feather River watershed that helped increase resiliency for the region’s forests, conserved habitat, and offered assistance to rural landowners. She helped to design and fund projects throughout the SNC region that improve water quality and natural water storage in high elevation meadows. Lynn is an avid hiker and cold lake swimmer she can be found playing in the mountains whenever possible.
John Kolb
John has been involved with Plumas Corporation for over 30 years, having served as Plumas County’s representative to the Feather River Coordinated Resource Management group before being invited to take a seat on the Plumas Corporation Board of Directors. John came to Plumas County in 1976 and worked as engineering staff for the Plumas County Road Department/Public Works Department for 37 years. He is a founding member of the Plumas County Search & Rescue Team and has served as the President of the Quincy Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the Quincy Streetscape Committee and Chair of the Plumas County Employees Association. Along with his duties on the Plumas Corporation Board, John has also served as a Director on the East Quincy Community Service District (CSD) and the American Valley CSD Boards. John lives with his wife Carol in East Quincy. They have two daughters and four grandchildren. John’s hobbies include golf, hiking, bowling, fishing. kayaking, canoeing and camping.
Donna Lindquist
Donna recently joined the Board in 2020. Her background is in biology and watershed science with a MS degree from Cal-Berkeley. She worked at PG&E for 18 years in the R&D Department focused on Hydro Generation projects before joining the CRM staff in 2000 to assist with restoration projects. She was one of the CRM founders and in 1985 was the project manager for the first CRM Project in Red Clover Valley. Donna later worked at Grizzly Ranch on environmental permitting and is the Executive Director for their Conservancy. She also provided professional consulting services to several entities, and served on the Plumas NF RAC committee. Recently she obtained her real estate license and works with her husband, Bob, in the Portola/Graeagle area. She enjoys all outdoor activities and spending time with her kids and grandkids and looks forward to working with the Plumas Corporation Board.
Michael Jackson
An environmental attorney with extensive experience in water law, Jackson brings a depth and breadth of national, regional, and local understanding of natural resource policies and legislation that are very pertinent to the work of Plumas Corporation. Having worked in environmental law for over 27 years, Jackson has a large network of influential contacts. Jackson serves as the Board’s Secretary/Treasurer.
John Sheehan
Sheehan has been a Board Director since 2015 and was previously Plumas Corporation’s Executive Director from 1992 until his retirement in 2011. He has been an elected Trustee at Feather River Community College since 1995 and served as the Chair from 2014-2017. Other board memberships include Plumas Ski Club and Rural Community Assistance Corporation, a non-profit Community Development Finance Institution with rural housing, community development and infrastructure programs in 12 western states. Sheehan has a BA (English) from Villanova University and an MS (Community Development) from University of Louisville.
History
Originally chartered in 1983 as a private, non-profit, public benefit organization.
Our 1983 mission was to “promote the orderly and beneficial expansion of the economic base of Plumas County for the common good and general welfare of the residents”. Now, the primary mission of Plumas Corporation has evolved from a focus on traditional economic development to watershed restoration and health as a key element of a prosperous community.
In 1992, the organization contracted with Plumas County to carry out tourism and promotional activities, as part of their economic development program. In addition, Plumas Corporation was asked to provide fiscal sponsorship for the activities of the Feather River Coordinated Resources Management group (FRCRM), the Quincy Library Group (QLG), and the Plumas County Fire Safe Council (PCFSC). Budget constraints in 2011 led Plumas County to terminate their tourism contract, resulting in the Corporation being unable to sustain its traditional economic development program. The Corporation downsized to focus on the FRCRM and PCFSC programs.
As the FRCRM’s implementation partner for 28 years, Plumas Corporation provided leadership in funding, management, and implementation of over 100 watershed projects, including on-the-ground erosion control and water quality projects, assessments/plans, monitoring, and education. In 2012, the FRCRM began to transition away from project implementation, and in 2014, the partners restructured into a technical review and advisory roundtable. The FRCRM created a legacy of watershed stewardship that is commensurate with national, regional, and state-wide watershed management goals and strategies outlined in the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Sierra Nevada Meadow Restoration Business Plan, the Upper Feather River Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP), and California’s Water Action Plan. With the FRCRM’s new focus, Plumas Corporation’s project base now encompasses all of the Sierra Nevada, and is available to provide watershed restoration services throughout the western United States.
