There are few topics more crucial to a healthy Sierra than wildfire – but what will it really take to address a problem this big and this urgent? Please join us for a very special online film screening of Not IF But When: Wildfire Solutions The intensity and size of this year’s wildfire season leaves […]
Environment
State of the Lake – Community Vitality
A vibrant community is based in a healthy ecosystem – but just as important is a working economy. When we were planning this event—long before pandemic made in-person gathering impossible—we wanted to foster a conversation with community members about the way our environment influences our economy and vice-versa – and how both affect quality of […]
In Praise of Small Streams
We are often most impressed by the bigger things in life and our rivers are no exception to this bias. Despite this, I believe if you take some time to understand how watersheds work, you can be convinced that the little trickling mountain creek is just as, if not more, impressive than its downstream relative. […]
Essential Ingredients
While driving from Oregon toward Indian Valley and my new position as Watershed Coordinator at the Sierra Institute for Community and Environment, I reflected on the circuitous route that finally brought me here. I thought of a childhood in the mossed, temperate rainforests of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, a handful of years pursuing degrees and mountain […]
First steps in managing an invasive aquatic pathogen in the Feather River Basin
I arrived at Indian Valley in January this year for a year-long fellowship developed through a partnership between the Sierra Institute for Community and Environment and the Feather River Chapter of Trout Unlimited. One major component of the project and, admittedly, the one which first captured my attention, is an aquatic survey and the formulation […]
Watershed Program Study officially released by the California Department of Conservation
The final report can be found here. Watershed coordinators are key to watershed health. In fact, they have generated seven times the funds state agencies have invested in them. Those are among the findings of an in-depth report two years in the making by Sierra Institute for Community and Environment. “Wading through the Watershed Program” […]
Collaborative forest restoration: one response to wildfire
On November 15th, Kyle and I attended a meeting of the Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions (YSS) collaborative group in Sonora, California. It includes a diverse array of stakeholders, such as representatives from Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center, Sierra Pacific Industries, Friends of Berkeley Tuolumne Camp, the Tuolumne Group of the Sierra Club, and encompasses much of […]
Landscape level management options for the Baker Cypress
When driving north on highway 89 toward Burney, looking out at miles of charred hills and dead trees that make up what is now the footprint of the Eiler Fire, you likely question if and how the forest might recover from such a severe burn. The Eiler Fire burned 32,416 acres of the Lassen National […]
Wrapping Up Sustainability Institute
“By taking care of the environment, the environment takes care of us.” “Sustainability is maintaining communities even during environmental and economic changes.” “Sustainability is what holds our small town together.” These were just some of the sentiments expressed by Greenville Junior/Senior High School students during the final Sustainability Institute presentations last Thursday, May 18. Groups […]
Sustainability: from classrooms to landscapes
When was the last time you thought about the impacts of a decision you made, not just on yourself or your family, but on the whole community? Or the surrounding environment? Or the local economy? And not just in the immediate future, but how it might influence future generations as well? Talk about place-based learning! […]