Before arriving in Taylorsville, I thought I knew what to expect. I had lived in a few small towns and traveled through many others. But in the northeastern Sierra, I found a character all its own. On chilly early morning walks, pouncing pumas are a primary concern. On twilight drives, it’s rare to see fewer […]
Wood utilization in the Sierra Nevada got a big boost when the Sierra Nevada Conservancy awarded $400,000 to Sierra Institute for enhancing local business. The funding will help the Taylorsville-based organization increase use of low-value, small diameter wood, creating both healthier forests and better jobs. At least 10 redeveloped industrial sites will be incorporated in […]
This is the third week of our series highlighting the Rural Community Development Initiative. This week’s focus is on one of our partner organizations working toward triple bottom line solutions in Calaveras County. Calaveras Healthy Impact Product Solutions (CHIPS) was formed in 2003 to address unemployment, wildfire, and other issues facing the community by “doing […]
This is the second installment of this month’s series on the Rural Community Development Initiative. Camptonville Community Partnership has been serving the community of Camptonville since 1996. For nearly 20 years, its programs remained focused on youth and family development and providing space for the community to grow and connect. Camptonville Community Partnership (CCP) sponsors […]
This is the first post in this month’s blog series highlighting our RCDI project. Throughout March, I will be highlighting several community projects from Sierra Institute’s RCDI network. Through our Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI), Sierra Institute has supported nine rural communities as they navigate the complex process of developing bioenergy facilities and wood products […]
Last week, we reviewed the importance of advancing wood utilization projects in rural forested communities. A significant component of Sierra Institute’s wood utilization work has been to develop a county-wide network of biomass heating systems by encouraging entities to convert to biomass heat. Unlike urban areas or California’s Central Valley, communities in more remote and […]
Click each infographic for a closer look at our Impact in 2017 Thank you to our staff, grantors and supporters for helping us advance our mission. We look forward to another year of positive outcomes through increasing the participation of rural communities in natural resource decision making and programs.
Project Spotlight for February 2018: Wood Utilization Plumas County is a beautiful area full of rich history, culture, lakes, rivers, an endless network of forest roads, and tightly-knit communities. My daily commute to work is arguably the most beautiful out there, a daily reminder of how thrilled I am to call Plumas County home. It’s beautiful […]
People & Forests Story Map Read and interact with our most recent story map. Learn how we advanced our mission through forest related projects and programs in 2017. Impact infographics to follow in the next few weeks. We’re busy as ever to promoting healthy and sustainable forests and watersheds by investing in the well-being […]
In last week’s Spotlight on the Disadvantaged Community Involvement (DACI) Program, I wrote about community identification and mapping. This is the last entry in the DACI Spotlight series. Last week Team DAC had planned to visit the Yosemite-Mariposa Regional Water Management Group (RWMG), where we were going to review the community mapping exercise. Our plans […]
