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PROMOTING HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEMS

ENRICHING and EMPOWERING RURAL COMMUNITIES

DEVELOPING YOUNG STEWARDS

LEADING RESEARCH and IDEAS FOR LOCAL SOLUTIONS

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Anti-racism Statement

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

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

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Fire, Forests & the Future of Rural Communities

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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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Maidu Forest Parcel Forest Resiliency Project

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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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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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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 is currently involved with the Si

Sierra Institute is currently involved with the Sierra to Cascade Plant Propagation Initiative (SCPPI, pronounced “skippy”) which is a collaborative endeavor that strives to increase native plant materials capacity in the Northern Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascade bioregions in northern California.

Phase one of developing native plant propagation capacity in Indian Valley is to establish a small greenhouse operation capable of producing 1,500 containers of pine-mat manzanita for restoration projects at Lassen Volcanic National Park within a two-year period and to engage community members, especially youth, along the way.

Kevin Price an AmeriCorps Volunteer currently working at Sierra Institute is leading the efforts with this project. Over the past 7 months of his service, he has managed to construct a small DIY greenhouse structure with the assistance of Sierra Institute staff and the guidance of our main partner, Steve Buckley, a PhD Botanist with Lassen Volcanic National Park. Steve also provided the project with manzanita plant material from the National Park back in November of 2020 which was processed and transferred into the small nursery.

The cuttings were monitored and watered occasionally until the spring in hopes that they would establish roots. However, currently few cuttings have established roots and while this is unfortunate from certain stand points it has been incredibly informative for the project moving forward. Once the starts do successfully root, the future goal of the project will be to engage youth from Greenville High School as well as other schools and organizations in the area, such as 4-H, in the transplant process.

Sierra Institute is hiring an Assistant Coordinato

Sierra Institute is hiring an Assistant Coordinator for the Plumas Conservation, Restoration, & Education in Watersheds (P-CREW) Program. The position will run from May - September. The Assistant Coordinator will be instrumental in assisting in the coordination, logistics, and administration of our four summer youth crews alongside the Program Coordinator. Preference will be given to P-CREW Alumni or to those with similar youth corps experience. Full job details can be found on the P-CREW and Sierra Institute websites at pcrew.sierrainstitute.us/apply/ or www.sierrainstitute.us/jobs. You can apply by sending your resume, cover letter, and contacts for 3 references to jobs@sierrainstitute.us

Sierra Institute is still hiring crew leaders, mem

Sierra Institute is still hiring crew leaders, members, and apprentices for three different crews doing rewarding landscape management work in the Lassen Volcanic National Park or the Lassen National Forest. Follow the barcode link, or check out the link in our bio for more information on the job positions. You can apply by sending your resume, cover letter, and three contacts for references to jobs@sierrainstitute.us.

On Saturday, March 27th from 11AM- 2PM the Plumas

On Saturday, March 27th from 11AM- 2PM the Plumas County Fire Safe Council is sponsoring a unique event for the community. Participants will visit a burn area from the North Complex fire and learn how to use art to make sense of how fire affected this landscape. All ages are invited to attend and make drawings to closely observe burn severity, recovery, and regrowth.

The artist that will lead this event is named Laurie Wigham. The art workshop participants will meet at 11AM at the Feather River College main public parking lot.

Visit https://www.plumasfiresafe.org/registration.html for more information and to register for the event.

The Sierra Institute for Community and Environment

The Sierra Institute for Community and Environment seeks an enthusiastic full-time Office Administrator to support office operations. The position is primarily responsible for supporting staff by ensuring smooth day-to-day functioning of the office, including answering phones, managing file organization, etc., but may include some financial duties, fundraising, and development support, and assistance with digital communications as needed. We’re looking for a high-energy person to support staff with projects, handle organizational communication, data management, and assist the Executive Director with scheduling, managing board communication, and more.

Find out more at our website at www.sierrainstitute.us/jobs and apply by sending your resume, cover letter, and 3 contacts for references to jobs@sierrainstitute.us.

In honor of World Water Day, here is an update on

In honor of World Water Day, here is an update on our South Lassen Watersheds Group (SLWG)! In a year defined by a worldwide pandemic and extreme wildfires in the state of California, the SLWG continued to grow, treating more acres and adding to the number of collaborative partners. In the spring of 2020, the SLWG transitioned to virtual meetings but continued to make progress on the group’s Strategic Plan and environmental compliance work on the West Shore Community Wildfire Protection Project and Robbers Creek Watershed Restoration Project—the collaborative’s flagship projects in partnership with the Lassen National Forest. In 2021, SLWG partners expect to begin project implementation across numerous jurisdictions, including the Lassen National Forest, Lassen Volcanic National Park, tribal lands, and private timberlands, and expand on initial planning efforts to increase the pace and scale of restoration.

Driving around on dirt roads, windows down, music

Driving around on dirt roads, windows down, music blaring, whether just for the stunning forest views or to travel to a favorite camping spot or hike is basically a rite of passage when you grow up in Plumas County or live in any rural mountain town. But have you ever thought about the impact of these roads on aquatic organisms?? Forest roads do more than lead to campsites, spectacular views, and timber. They can also deposit excess sediment into freshwater habitats. The Sierra Institute in partnership with the Lassen National Forest, Butte County RCD, and members of the South Lassen Watershed Group are working together to assess and upgrade forest service roads that are delivering sediment to the streams they cross. This work will improve water quality and bolster salmon and native aquatic organism habitat in southwest Lassen watersheds. To read more check out the blog post on our website “Who Cares About Forest Roads” ( linked in our bio) written by Virginia Pritchard. @spunkshire

Did you know that Sierra Institute has a blog?! Ea

Did you know that Sierra Institute has a blog?! Each month different staff members write a reflection or analysis, provide information, or share various parts of their work on the blog. A recent post was done by @spencerlachman a current Collaborative Forestry Management Apprentice. He wrote an insightful and informative blog post about the restoration of montane meadows and forests in the northern Sierra Nevada.

He writes, "The meadow complexes of the northern Sierras and the southern Cascades are vital to sustaining montane hydrology because critical meadow functions regulate water movement and quality. Meadows slow the flow of water and deeply saturate the surrounding soils, mitigating low flow conditions and reducing the force of floods. However, many of these unique ecosystems are critically impaired." On matters of restoration processes, he states, " Collaboration can improve the efficiency of restoration by distributing the responsibilities of project planning, implementation, and outreach. Collaboration offers a formal channel for the representation of public values and a means of accomplishing cross-boundary work between partners."

Click the link in our bio to read the entire blog which can be found on our website.

Sierra Institute has many seasonal crew positions

Sierra Institute has many seasonal crew positions open for this 2021 summer season running May through October. From crew leaders to crew apprenticeship positions, there is something for a range of experience and skill levels. Our Restoration Crew will perform trail restoration activities within the Almanor Ranger District of the Lassen National Forest while our Wilderness Fuels Module Crews will work in Lassen Volcanic National Park using cross-cut saws and other non-mechanized equipment for fuels reduction, ecosystem resilience, and wilderness land management. More details about each of the positions are available on our website at www.sierrainstitute.us/jobs. Apply by sending your resume, cover letter, and 3 references( names and contact details) to jobs@sierrainstitute.us. Positions are open until filled.

Did you know that in 1993 it snowed for 6 weeks st

Did you know that in 1993 it snowed for 6 weeks straight in and around Indian and Genesee Valley? When the skies cleared, the storms had dropped around 200 inches of snow! Jim Wilcox, a long-time resident of Genesee Valley and the Executive Director of Plumas Corporation shared that he and his wife, “had to have our house plans re-done that spring to beef up the foundations to meet hastily revised snow loading requirements”. Now almost 2 decades later we are seeing drastically fewer snowstorms and our annual snowpack infrequently achieves historic depths. As of March 10th, we are at about 64% of the snowpack depth "typical" of the northern Sierra Nevada in early spring. While this dusting may not alleviate concerns of drought, the snow certainly is beautiful!

To find out more about California's shifting rainy season check out this article ( linked in our bio) published through AGU (Luković et al 2021), illustrating shifting trends in the timing and type of precipitation in California. The article highlights how long-term changes in climate are resulting in drier autumns as precipitation arrives later and increasingly as rainfall, rather than snow.

Happy International Women's Day! The following is

Happy International Women's Day!

The following is a thoughtful message from one of our staff members, Lauren Redmore as she reflects on the day, the progress made and the inequity still to be addressed. #IWD2021 #Womensday

"Women have made leaps in recent decades and now comprise the majority of undergraduate degrees awarded nationally. Women’s contributions to society have become much more visible and recognized in the past century. We even have our first female vice president 100 years after some women won the right to vote. While women are now overrepresented in some sectors, like education, they continue to face immense challenges to achieving parity in representation, power, and pay in other sectors, including the environmental sector. These challenges are even more pronounced for women of color and indigenous women. Although we may see success by some pioneers, their efforts alone are not enough to reverse centuries of policy, culture, and economics that dictate where and how we see women."

Check out @internationalwomensday_global for more information on the history of International Women's Day and to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women around the globe.

Did you know that the person responsible for disco

Did you know that the person responsible for discovering the importance of crop rotation to maintain nitrogen levels and soil health was born a slave? In 1864 George Washington Carver was born on a Missouri Plantation, owned by Moses and Susan Carver. Though slavery was outlawed the next year, the Carvers took George and his brother James in as orphans when their mother and sister were kidnapped by slave raiders when George was just an infant. Despite George’s ill health as a child and tragic early life, he had an innate curiosity and aptitude for plants, art, music, and the natural world. At only 11 years old George left the Carver’s farm to seek a proper formal education. Due to Jim Crow laws at the time George had to travel long distances in search of a decent primary education. He made black history when he became the first African American to earn a Bachelor of Science degree from Iowa State University. He went on to get a graduate degree in Agricultural Sciences and an offer to work with Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee University. At Tuskegee University, George started an agricultural school and continued his agricultural research. His goal was to empower and train poor black farmers with the best agricultural practices, as a means of financial freedom. Carver discovered that years of growing cotton had depleted the soil of nutrients and was resulting in low yields. He taught farmers that by growing nitrogen-fixing plants like peanuts, soybeans, and sweet potatoes, in between seasons growing cotton, the soil could be restored and cotton yields could be increased. While studying nitrogen-fixing plants he also created hundreds of edible, medicinal, and industrial products that could be made out of peanuts, soybeans, and sweet potatoes, such as peanut oil, peanut flour, and even medicines and soaps. (Though he did not in fact create peanut butter.) This garnered him the legacy as the “peanut man” but George Washington Carver was much more than that. He was a legendary scientist, activist, and educator and a frontier in agricultural science, who despite all obstacles paved the way for future black agricultural scientists and educators in America.