Sierra Institute has a longstanding relationship with two collaborative groups just north of the office in Taylorsville. The Lake Almanor Watershed Group (LAWG) and the Burney-Hat Creek Community Forest & Watershed Group (BHCCFWG) have been advancing collaborative forest and watershed management in their respective areas for almost a decade collectively.
Within the last year, LAWG members and Sierra Institute discussed expanding the group’s scope outside of the Lake Almanor basin to encompass a broader watershed or “fireshed” approach. Regional stakeholders have since embraced this idea, leading to the formation of the South Lassen Watersheds Group (SLWG), a new collaborative. SLWG is now comprised of nearly twenty unique stakeholder organizations. This diverse group unanimously supports moving forward with landscape-scale restoration and management efforts in the watersheds south of Lassen Peak, including the Upper Feather River, Upper Mill and Deer Creeks.
The Burney and Hat Creek watersheds are directly north of Lassen Peak. As …
Current Projects
Sierra Cascades All Lands Enhancement (SCALE) brings together collaborative groups throughout the Sierra Nevada and Cascades to advance initiatives that promote healthy forests, communities and economies in these regions.
Plumas Conservation, Restoration and Education in Watersheds (P-CREW) is a summer restoration and environmental education experience for high-school students from Plumas County and Oakland, CA.
Sierra Institute will study a selection of Statewide and CALFED Watershed Program grants, with the goal of understanding the effectiveness of the programs and lessons learned throughout. Ultimately, this research will offer valuable recommendations to inform future watershed management initiatives.
Sierra Fellows works to place exceptional “Fellows” into rural communities throughout the Sierra Nevada and Cascades region, assisting them in tackling their most pressing community development issues.
Sierra Institute is investigating all angles of woody biomass utilization to promote healthy forests through sustainable harvest, improve local economies by creating jobs and increasing energy efficiency through cleaner fuel uses.