Dear Sierra Family,

I write to you today with an urgent appeal that comes directly from my heart. Our Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership (SNAP)—a cornerstone of conservation work across our mountain range for the past 18 years—is facing an unprecedented crisis that threatens to dismantle nearly two decades of progress.

For those who may not know, SNAP is our flagship program that places dedicated young environmental professionals with conservation organizations throughout the Sierra Nevada. These members serve as the backbone of on-the-ground conservation work, monitoring watersheds, restoring forest health, educating communities, and managing volunteer programs that amplify our impact. Since 2007, SNAP members have restored over 25,000 acres of land, monitored 8,000 watershed sites, and reached more than 250,000 individuals through environmental education and outreach. This program doesn’t just address today’s environmental challenges—it cultivates tomorrow’s conservation leaders.

On Friday, April 25, our worst fears were confirmed. Over that weekend, we learned that our state commission received notices terminating virtually their entire grant portfolio, including our AmeriCorps Service Program. This devastating action has affected 98% of grant awards nationwide—over 1,000 programs and 32,000 members—leaving conservation efforts across America in peril.

The impact to our Sierra Nevada region is immense and immediate. Right now, we have 25 dedicated AmeriCorps members serving at over 20 host sites across the Sierra, with 10 in the Tahoe area alone. These young conservation leaders still have 5 months of service remaining. Without emergency intervention, the vital work they’re doing to protect our watersheds, restore our forests, and educate our communities will come to an abrupt halt.

In the Sacramento area specifically, our members at the American River Conservancy have been instrumental in protecting and restoring critical watershed lands that feed directly into the American River—a vital source of Sacramento’s drinking water. Their SNAP members have been leading volunteer riparian restoration projects along the Lower American River, engaging hundreds of community volunteers while monitoring water quality that affects downstream communities. Their work directly connects Sacramento residents with the headwaters that sustain their daily lives, illustrating how the Sierra’s health impacts urban communities.

This is not just about losing funding—it’s about losing the very infrastructure that has made meaningful conservation possible in our region. Over 18 years, we’ve graduated more than 500 alumni who have gone on to become conservation leaders throughout the Sierra. The capacity this program provides is simply irreplaceable.

While legal action is already underway to reverse these terminations, we cannot wait for uncertain outcomes. We need to take action NOW to keep our AmeriCorps members working through the end of their terms. We need approximately $20,000 per member to convert their positions to paid internships and complete their vital service work.

This is where you come in.

Tomorrow, May 1st, is the Sacramento Region Community Foundation’s Big Day of Giving—a 24-hour giving celebration that has inspired $104 million in gifts for area nonprofits since 2013. This year, your participation is more critical than ever before.

Your donation during the Big Day of Giving will directly fund:

• Converting our AmeriCorps positions to paid internships so our members at the Sierra Foothill Conservancy can complete critical post-fire forest restoration in the Caldor Fire burn area, preventing erosion and protecting water quality
• Ensuring watershed monitoring projects continue uninterrupted, like the League to Save Lake Tahoe’s work tracking microplastics and other pollutants, which has already informed improved local environmental policies
• Maintaining environmental education programs that reach thousands of Sierra residents and visitors, including the Sierra Watershed Education Partnership’s school-based curriculum, which has connected thousands of students throughout the region with their watershed this year
• Preserving pathways for future conservation leaders in our region by supporting programs like those at the Truckee River Watershed Council, where numerous SNAP alumni have continued their careers in watershed protection

The Sierra Nevada isn’t just a beautiful mountain range—it’s California’s lifeline, providing 60% of our state’s water, critical wildlife habitat, and forests that help combat climate change. When we lose conservation capacity, we put all of this at risk.

I’m asking you, from one Sierra lover to another, to please mark your calendar for May 1st and make a donation to the Sierra Nevada Alliance through the Big Day of Giving campaign page:

Every dollar counts in this fight to preserve not just our AmeriCorps program, but the future of conservation work in the Sierra.

With determination and hope,

Jenny Hatch
Executive Director, Sierra Nevada Alliance

P.S. If you can’t wait until tomorrow, you can schedule your donation today on the Big Day of Giving website. Please share this appeal with anyone who cares about the Sierra Nevada—our mountains need all the advocates they can get right now.