In 2025, Siskiyou Land Conservancy acquired two beautiful and ecologically vital riverfront properties on Baduwa’t, or the Mad River, in Humboldt County, California, to create a 353-acre reserve on this important North Coast river.
The first property came to us as a donation of 183 acres from Siskiyou Land Conservancy board member Ken Miller. Miller, a longtime Humboldt County activist and physician, donated the property to ensure permanent environmental protections for this important habitat along the lower-middle reach of the 113-mile-long Mad River.
During the following six months, Siskiyou Land Conservancy negotiated purchase of the neighboring landowner’s 170-acre property. This acquisition was generously funded by a $275,000 grant from the Vincent J. Coates Foundation. This parcel features a full mile of river frontage on both sides of Baduwa’t. The properties are contiguous and protect a combined 1.5 miles of river frontage on the Mad River, southeast of Kneeland. This is now one of the longest fully protected stretches on the entire 113-mile long Mad River.
The Mad River is home to several sensitive species, including imperiled coho salmon and a rare summer run of steelhead trout. The river also provides domestic water for 70 percent of Humboldt County residents. Yet Baduwa’t remains the least protected of all of the fabled “six rivers” of the California North Coast. In addition, nearly 80 miles of Baduwa’t is privately held and off-limits to public access. Siskiyou Land Conservancy will provide limited, docent-led public access to the Mad River Preserve, so that residents, scientist, and students can experience this fabulous reach of one of Humboldt County’s most beautiful and important rivers.
The newly created reserve features pockets of old-growth Douglas fir forest, including a grove that surrounds a waterfall that splashes into the Mad River. A rare natural pond is home to frogs, salamanders, and ducks. The river runs wildly across wide boulder fields and settles into deep pools where salmon and steelhead spawn and over-summer.
In addition to salmon, steelhead, and lamprey, species protected by SLC’s by the reserve include western pond turtle, southern torrent salamander, northern red-legged frog, tailed frog, and river otters. Pacific fishers are known to use the property, and golden eagles nest nearby. Other species that inhabit this reach of the Mad River region include spotted owl, northern goshawk, pileated woodpecker, bald eagle, peregrine falcon, osprey, American dipper, Humboldt marten, and Sonoma tree vole.