The Sierra Institute office is undergoing a soft reopening, we ask that visitors read our policy before stopping by. Read Our Protocol Here: COVID-19 Updates

PROMOTING HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEMS

ENRICHING and EMPOWERING RURAL COMMUNITIES

DEVELOPING YOUNG STEWARDS

LEADING RESEARCH and IDEAS FOR LOCAL SOLUTIONS

READ OUR ANTIRACISM STATEMENT

Anti-racism Statement

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Paying For Forest Health: Improving the Economics of Forest Restoration and Biomass Power in California

READ THE REPORT

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Learn more about the process and findings of our Watershed Program Study

READ THE STORY MAP

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Fire, Forests & the Future of Rural Communities

READ THE STORY MAP

OUR MISSION

Promoting healthy and sustainable forests and watersheds by investing in the well being of rural communities and strengthening their participation in natural resource decision making and programs.

FEATURED PROGRAMS

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WEST SHORE COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PROJECT

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Community Build

Sierra Institute will help communities manage local forests and create forest-related businesses throughout the Sierra.

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Woodsmobile Needed

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Sierra to California All-Lands Enhancement (SCALE)

Collaborative groups working on landscape-scale forest restoration and community improvement across California

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Indian Valley Wood Products Campus

Addressing both poor forest health and socioeconomic conditions through wood products business development.

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Socioeconomic Monitoring

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sierra.institute

Join us for the next State of the Lake panel, Thur

Join us for the next State of the Lake panel, Thursday July 9th at 6:30. The event is free but please register at the link in our bio!

#blacklivesmatter #environmentaljustice #racialjus

#blacklivesmatter #environmentaljustice #racialjustice
We welcome comments, input, and suggestions for how to make our field of work and our community a more equitable just place to work and live. Email nmartynn@sierrainstitute.us with any thoughts.

The first panel discussion in our State of the Lak

The first panel discussion in our State of the Lake series is TOMORROW at 10:30am. Join us, @featherriverlandtrust and other partners for this virtual event to learn about watershed and forest health in the Lake Almanor Region. You can register at the link in our bio! #sierrainstitute #watershedhealth #foresthealth #ruralcommunities

This week's episode of our LostSierraStories Podca

This week's episode of our LostSierraStories Podcast is out! Episode number 4 features Erica Perdue an English teacher at Quincy High School. Erica's episode is honest and real. She shares what it has been like to teach from home while both being a mom to a toddler, pregnant with her second child, and experiencing grief and loss amidst it all. Erica shares some beautiful and touching insights into the multifacetedness of the human experience all within the context of the pandemic. The LostSierraStories Podcast can be found on Itunes or Spotify! https://rss.com/podcasts/lostsierrastories/51044

Episode 3 of the Lost Sierra Stories podcast is ou

Episode 3 of the Lost Sierra Stories podcast is out, featuring Tom Brown reflecting on what it was like to start a new position as Principal of Quincy Junior Senior High School the same week that schools shut down. Find the podcast on Spotify, iTunes, or on our website here: https://rss.com/podcasts/lostsierrastories

The next episode of the Lost Sierra Podcast is out

The next episode of the Lost Sierra Podcast is out, featuring 5th grade teacher Helen Lemnah. Find it here: https://rss.com/podcasts/lostsierrastories/47491 or on iTunes or Spotify!
#sierrainstitute #ruralvoices #lostsierra #covoid19

Sierra Institute is hiring a Wilderness Fuels Modu

Sierra Institute is hiring a Wilderness Fuels Module Crew Member for the Summer 2020 season.

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to fuels reduction activities within a designated wilderness area in a National Park unit. Qualified individuals with an interest in active management of forested landscapes for ecosystem resilience, wilderness land management, and/or the use of fire as a tool to promote ecosystem health, are encouraged to apply. Weather permitting, the incumbent will spend five months performing fuels reduction work in Lassen Volcanic National Park (LVNP) to promote future prescribed and/or managed fire activities. The incumbent will work as a member of a six-person crew, and under the supervision of a Crew Lead, to perform wilderness fuels reduction activities within LVNP using non-mechanized equipment.
For more information please visit: https://sierrainstitute.us/about/jobs/

The position is scheduled to begin mid-June and is open until filled, review of applications will begin ASAP.

We are excited to release the LostSierraStories Po

We are excited to release the LostSierraStories Podcast, a community-centered, human-focused exploration of the social systems and livelihoods affected by COVID-19 in the rural Sierra Nevada communities of Northern California. As we all collectively and individually navigate this unprecedented time, we were inspired to capture and share our community’s voices and experiences to connect and relate to one another both in our struggle and resiliency during the COVID19 pandemic and beyond.
Episode one features Kristy Warren, Assistant Superintendent at the Plumas County Office of Education, talking about how school closures have affected education, the support being extended to students, and the challenges that the situation presents. Enjoy, and stay tuned for future episodes!
https://rss.com/podcasts/lostsierrastories

Our youth @pcrew.youth.corps crews arrive in just

Our youth @pcrew.youth.corps crews arrive in just a few weeks...and we are down a vehicle. We are halfway to our goal of $10,000 to purchase a reliable used SUV that will transport a crew and all their supplies to their work, camping, and recreation sites in the woods. Can you help us close the gap? Tap the link in our bio to donate. Any amount helps!

Meet Drew, one of our Rural Community Development

Meet Drew, one of our Rural Community Development Specialists. Drew hails from Tennessee, is enthusiastic about community-scale biomass projects, and if you challenge him to a board game he’s sure to say yes!

What would you name the autobiography of your life?
Bilbo Baggins on a Budget

Any hidden talents? Secret Obsessions? Pet Peeves? Or phobias?
Talents: Useless random facts, walking down the stairs and forgetting what I was doing, singing in the shower, talking about biochar, hoarding board games
Secret Obsessions: Biochar and board game
Pet Peeves: Sneezing goats
Phobias: Failure, not trying all beers, gaining a beer belly

What’s the coolest or most important trend you see today in Sierra Institute's realm of work?
Biomass facility technologies that could create add-value products from low-value wood for agricultural and other purposes (*cough* biochar *cough* *cough* wood vinegar). What is one thing you dream will happen in our world that you are currently advocating for?
World-wide acceptance of climate change as human caused and stoppable. Policy creation that is mindful of how privilege versus hard work contributes to our daily lives. The official recognition of cake as a suitable breakfast item.

What is one or multiple things you have learned during this COVID19 time so far?
I’m willing to tolerate dog kisses more than I realized. My archery target seems to move every time I loose an arrow. Biochar application in the garden involves some math. One can still channel their inner Lance Armstrong with a 90s Walmart bike. Goats can sneeze, and may do so in your face.
#sierrainstitute #staffspotlight #ruralcommunities

It’s time for another #staffspotlight ! Meet Amy

It’s time for another #staffspotlight ! Meet Amy Stephens, our P-CREW assistant coordinator. Amy is great with our youth crews, and outside of work is an amazing painter!

What is your favorite place to be and why?
Having grown up in the Midwest next to the Great Lakes, I developed an appreciation for water early on. My favorite place is in, on, or next to Lake Superior, it is a truly sacred space that keeps me grounded.

What drew you to this line of work?
I have always been passionate about outdoor recreation and trails from my childhood spent mountain biking and hiking. In college, not sure which direction to head within the environmental field, I pursued a position in Rocky Mountain National Park performing hands-on conservation work. I have loved working in land management in various capacities ever since.
What is a good thing that you see resulting from COVID19/sheltering in place?
Personally, I think I will be more grateful for things that I may have taken for granted before. Going to a cafe, visiting family in another state, or going on a weekend adventure with some friends are all things that I am looking forward to very much.

Over the past few weeks we have been developing pr

Over the past few weeks we have been developing protocol in consultation with our partners and medical professionals, and are excited to share it. This document will guide field crew operations so that we can employ our crews in implementing important forest restoration and fuels reduction while keeping both the crews and the community safe and healthy. Please bear in mind that this is a draft document and is intended for use by Sierra Institute crews only. We will be updating this document as needed according to the latest science and best practices. View the full document on our website: https://sierrainstitute.us/covid19-updates/#sierrainstitute #wildfireawarenessmonth #ruralcommunities #forestrestoration #fuelsreduction