McKinleyville Community Forest
Interactive Trail Map Link (Note: Click the compass icon in the interactive map to enable loaction to appear)
Trail User Reporting Form (Form for reporting anything seen out in the Community Forest)
Interactive Trail Map
The McKinleyville Community Forest Project Overview
The 599-acre tract of the Community Forest is located along the eastern boundary of McKinleyville and lies south of Murray Road, extending to near Hunts Drive. The forest is within the watersheds of Widow White Creek and Mill Creek.
The property is within the McKinleyville Community Services District (MCSD) boundary.
The McKinleyville Community Forest consists of second-and third growth Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forest located near Humboldt Bay in north-coastal California. The forest also includes riparian areas along Widow White Creek and Mill Creek. Other conifer species found on the forest include grand fir (Abies grandis), western hemlock (Tsuga hetrophylla) and non-native Monterey pine (Pinus radiata).
The McKinleyville Community Forest will be managed for multiple purposes including public access, outdoor recreation, timber production, fish and wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration, education and research and soil and watershed conservation.
McKinleyville Community Forest Framework PlanBrief History of “How We Got Here...”
In 2013, the MCSD board adopted a five-year strategic plan that included for the first time an objective to create a community forest. The McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee, (McKMAC) a citizen group, voted unanimously at its Nov 18, 2015 meeting to create a community forest based on one of three potential land base options.
In 2015, responding to community interest, the McKinleyville Community Services District and The Trust for Public Land (TPL) created a partnership to aid in creation of the MCF. A presentation was later made about the proposal to the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, and the Board unanimously voted to support the concept. At a later meeting of the McKinleyville Community Services District, the MCSD Board voted approval and to consider sources of funding for the project. Beginning in 2016 and continuing through 2020, MCSD and TPL jointly applied for numerous grants to acquire what the McKMAC described as Option 2 for a community forest.
On Dec 9, 2020, the California Natural Resources Agency awarded a $3.8 million grant to TPL for the purpose of acquiring 599 acres of Green Diamond Resource Co. land and then conveying that land to the MCSD.
Current Status
In July of 2024, the first McKinleyville Community Forest Committee meeting was held. Shortly after, two Subcommittees were formed. The first Trails, Infrastructure, Cleanups, and Security (TICS) meeting took place in October of 2024. The second Subcommittee, the Forest Management Plan/ Funding/ Budget, had their first meeting in November of 2024. Since the Committee and Subcommittees formation, much progress has been made, including diligently working on creating a Forest Management Plan and a Trail Plan. Both documents are estimated to be completed by the first half of 2026 and will then be available to the public.
In June of 2025, the launching of the Humboldt Area Foundation, McKinleyville Community Forest Fund was announced and will help support stewardship, fire resilience projects, and building and maintaining trails throughout the McKinleyville Community Forest (MCF). This was achieved from the gracious support of Rick Littlefield at Eureka Natural Foods, a local business here in Humboldt, who kickstarted the fund. If you or someone you know may be interested in making a donation, please visit https://hafoundation.org/our-funds/mckinleyville-community-forest-fund/ . Any donation will help us in accomplishing our goals of restoration and building community.
MCSD is thrilled that in the short amount of time that we have had the forest, that we have created strong relationships with different groups throughout the community. Some of these we have had the opportunity to forge Memorandum of Understanding’s (MOU) with, including Humboldt Trails Council (HTC), Mountain Bike Tribal Trail Alliance (MBTTA), Redwood Coast Mountain Bike Association (RCMBA), Redwood Empire Endurance Riders (REER), and Wright Tree Service. The District also works closely with Green Diamond, California Conservation Corps (CCC), CALFIRE, Arcata Fire District, the Sheriff's office, and many other community groups.
There are multiple volunteer groups who have monthly workdays in the MCF, so if you want to get involved while also getting outdoors, consider coming to one of the volunteer trail days that we have! More information on trail days can be found by viewing the “McKinleyville Community Forest Volunteer Trail Workdays” tab on the right.
Please see the press release regarding the acquisition of the McKinleyville Community Forest on February 2, 2024 Lost Coast Outpost at the following link: LCO- "The Future McKinleyville Community Forest is Open For Business! CSD Closes Escrow on 599 Acres of Land Above Town"
Please see an article regarding the McKinleyville Community Forest in the February 29, 2024 edition of the North Coast Journal at the following link: NCJ - "A Really Cool Asset"
NEXT STEPS
In November of 2025, the McKinleyville Community Services District got the exciting news that we received an earmark from Congressman Huffman for $1 million dollars of funding for the McKinleyville Community Forest. The grant allocation is still pending, and once it is secured, MCSD will begin moving forward with the projects identified in partnership with the Committee and Subcommittees as having the greatest benefit for the forest. As these efforts move from planning into action, we’ll share updates along the way so everyone can see what’s ahead and how it will contribute to the continued success of the MCF.
We can’t wait for you all to follow along as we work to make the community forest a welcoming space where people of all ages can experience and appreciate the natural world around us. Meanwhile, go out and enjoy the forest!
Contacts:
MCSD: Patrick Kaspari: General Manger, pkaspari@mckinleyvillecsd.com, 707-839-3251
MCSD: Kirsten Messmer, Parks & Recreation Director, kirsten@mckinleyvillecsd.com, 707-839-9003
