Rivers, Restoration, and Regional Renewal: How SYRCL Fuels a Restoration Economy in the Yuba Watershed 

At SYRCL, our river, meadow, aspen, and forest restoration projects do more than bring healing to the watershed; they actively drive local economies, create meaningful jobs, and reaffirm the connection between ecological health and community well-being.  

This is known as the Restoration Economy, an economic model built on repairing what was once harmed. 

What Is the Restoration Economy? 

• Restoration Economy is a term denoting economic activity that repairs damaged ecosystems and infrastructure, from poor water quality to decimated fish habitat, degraded meadows to fuel-choked forests, and leverages this work to drive local economic development. 

• Restoration jobs range from field crews implementing forest treatments removing invasive species and planting native ones, to engineers designing resilient systems, to heavy machine operators removing tons of cobble and sediment, to scientists monitoring the effectiveness of the projects. 

• Restoration projects support good paying, sustainable employment, offer training opportunities for future careers, and generate economic multipliers in rural communities. 

Economic Impact: Restoration Works 

• Since 2020, SYRCL has contributed over $23 million to the local economy by hiring local subcontractors for restoration projects across the Yuba River watershed. 

• According to a 2024 Forbes article, the restoration economy has the potential to become a multi-trillion-dollar global industry, offering profound economic returns alongside environmental benefits. Landscape restoration — spanning forests, wetlands, and degraded farmland — can generate millions of jobs, especially in rural and underinvested areas. The article emphasizes that these efforts yield both short-term employment (in planning, labor, and logistics) and long-term resilience, including improved agricultural productivity, water security, and climate mitigation — making restoration not just an ecological imperative, but a smart economic investment. 

The Triple-Bottom-Line of Restoration 

1. Environmental: SYRCL’s work to restore healthy river systems, meadows, and forests drives biodiversity, helps contribute to clean, drinkable water for 80% of California, mitigates the damaging effects of climate change and landscape alterations, decreases the dangers of catastrophic wildfires, and builds a community of stewardship. 

2. Economic: SYRCL’s restoration projects rely on local contractors, suppliers, and labor, grounding economic benefits here within the watershed. SYRCL’s projects also attract State funding to our region of California – an area that is home to a range of economically disadvantaged communities. 

3. Social:  This work empowers and connects people by offering mentorship, community engagement, land stewardship, recreation opportunities, and resilience-building — all while restoring healthy rivers and landscapes. 

How SYRCL Drives This Restoration Economy 

• Funding that translates to local jobs: The majority of every dollar SYRCL secures for its restoration projects goes to hire contractors, workers, and suppliers. For most restoration projects, almost every dollar of the grant goes to support the on-the-ground work carried out by local contractors such as Swift Water Design, Hansen Bros, Cramer Fish Science, cbec, SSI, Cranmer Engineering, and Paterson-Taber, keeping work regionally anchored, not sent elsewhere. 

• Skill development: Field teams, interns, area students, and volunteers gain hands-on training in native revegetation, soil health, erosion control, water quality monitoring, and greater watershed science. 

• Ongoing stewardship. A restored river ecosystem, from the headwaters to the Delta, needs monitoring. This leads to continued opportunities for employment, volunteerism, and community education. 

A Vision Forward 

• Expand partnerships: By joining forces with federal and state agencies, tribes, other nonprofits, and community groups, SYRCL can vie for larger-scale funding and deliver even more regional benefits. 

• Monitor & share outcomes: Tracking ecological health and economic return helps optimize projects and build public support for further investments. 

• Champion the model: Enhancing the Yuba restores nature and creates meaningful rural livelihoods. This evidence supports advocacy for more public investment in restoration at every scale. 

In closing: The Restoration Economy isn’t theory; it’s happening here and now in the Yuba River watershed. Each river side-channel restored, floodplain lowered, incised meadow channel filled, beaver dam analog installed, and acre of forest thinned by SYRCL restores a healthy watershed and strengthens our shared future. That synergy between healthier ecosystems and stronger communities is the essence of a smart and sustainable economy rooted in nature.