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  Climate Change  |   Forestry  |   Recreation  |   Water  |   Wildlife  |   Other Articles

October 10, 2014

Sierra Happenings

Events and Activities

Water Quality Monitoring Event with The Stream Team

October 11, 9:00 AM, Meet at the Five Mile Picnic Area Parking Lot, (off Centennial Way) Chico, CA. The Stream Team will be heading out into the creek this Saturday to finish up our 11th Year of monitoring water quality in Big Chico Creek. Please join us! For more information, contact Timmarie at 530 342-6620.

Placer Land Trust Docent led Hike at Harvego Bear River Preserve

This month’s docent led hike will be at our Harvego Bear River Preserve in North Auburn. Along the trail you will enjoy the scenic views from a short hike up Bald Rock, an overlook view of the Bear River, and learn about the history of the cattle ranch in this rolling oak woodland savannah setting. This is a 4 mile hike and will take 3+ hours to complete. Join us Saturday, Oct. 11th, at 9:30am at our Harvego Bear River Preserve, North Auburn.

Job Announcements

UC Merced is hiring a Sustainability Director

Description: Reporting to the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Strategic Facilities Planning, the Director for Sustainability serves as the leader and director of UC Merced's sustainability efforts to foster a culture of sustainability among students, faculty and staff, identifying and prioritizing areas for institutional sustainability efforts; planning and development of short and long range plans and engaging other campus leaders to foster sustainability broadly across campus units.

California Department of Fish & Wildlife is hiring an Environmental Scientist

Responsible for the overall planning, analysis, and preparation of Conceptual Area Protection Plans (CAPPs), Land Acquisition Evaluation (LAEs) and management plans. Implementation of construction or habitat improvement projects that are associated with CAPPs, LAEs, management plans or general lands management that address the on-going operation and development needs of the assigned wildlife areas and ecological reserves and newly acquired properties to emphasize environmental diversity of fish, wildlife and habitat values, including management for rare, threatened and endangered species.

Resources

Grant Opportunity: 3D Elevation Program (3DEP)

The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative is being developed to respond to needs for high-quality topographic data and for a wide range of other three-dimensional representations of the Nation's natural and constructed features.

Grant Opportunity: Clif Bar Family Foundation

Small Grants average approximately $8,000 each. Applications must be received by February 15 for consideration during the first quarter of the year, and May 15, August 15, and November 1 for consideration of funding during the second, third and fourth quarters, respectively. (Of course we would appreciate it if you could submit your application earlier in the quarter). Grants awarded during a particular quarter will be announced at the beginning of the following quarter.

Highlights

Sierra Resource Newsletter Subscriber - Sad News and Fierce Hope



As a subscriber to our Sierra Resource Newsletter, we consider you part of our family. Because of this close relationship, we feel it is appropriate to keep you updated on important issues affecting the Alliance and our staff. It is with great sadness that we share news that our Executive Director, Jim Ross, has been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer that has metastasized to his liver. The cancer was discovered after Jim developed pneumonia while moving his family from Pennsylvania to Tahoe in mid-August after 6 months of separation while Jim started work for the Alliance in February 2014. Our hearts go out to Jim, his wife Amy, and their three girls - Madelyn, age 9 and twins Hannah and Alison, age 5. Please join us in wishing Jim a speedy recovery. You can follow Jim's progress on his blog fiercehope.com and support his family during this difficult time through an online fundraising campaign set up by the family. I will be working with the Alliance staff to keep our day-to-day operations running smoothly while actively working with our Board of Directors to chart a course forward.

Feel free to contact me with any questions,
Gavin Feiger
Acting Executive Director
gavin@sierranevadaalliance.org
530-542-4546 x702


The policy of the Resource is to include articles that appear in local or major media outlets relevant to Sierra conservation. We also include news releases, event notices, funding opportunities and job announcements sent to us from our Member Groups and friends. If you as a reader disagree with the content of a submission we encourage you to submit a letter to the editor of the issuing publication to reach the broader audience who read the article. You are welcome to forward your letter to the editor to the Alliance for inclusion in our new "Letters to the Resource" section. We also invite Letters to the Resource to be directly submitted on any article with which you're concerned.

Newsletter contents prepared by Kelly Miller.
If you have articles, events or announcements that you would like included in this newsletter or if you have feedback, please email kelly@sierranevadaalliance.org.

Recent News

Climate Change

Cause of California drought linked to climate change
National Science Foundation, YubaNet, 9/30/14

Sierra Link: Weather patterns in the Sierra are changing rapidly from human-caused climate change, which affects the amount of water available to all of California.

Forestry

Mountain Forest Changes Threaten Calif. Water Supplies
Climate Central, John Upton, 9/1/2014

Sierra Link: Climate change is affecting forests in the Sierra which in turn affect the amount of water available to all of California.

Sierra Nevada forest health in rapid decline, drought adds fuel to the fire
Plumas County News, Feather Publishing, 10/5/14

Sierra Link: Sierra watersheds are the origin of over 60 percent of the state’s developed water supply, and store significant amounts of carbon. According to the report, the current drought and a changing climate are rapidly intensifying the situation in the Sierra.

National forest burned in King Fire will take decades to recover
News 10 ABC, Dave Marquis, 10/7/14

Sierra Link: If heavy rains come, erosion is likely and could endanger the local watershed by washing ash into streams potentially killing fish and damaging the sensitive ecosystem.

Recreation

National parks ponder fee increases
High Country News, Jodi Peterson, 10/1/14

Sierra Link: With several National Parks dotting the Sierra, this fee increase would have a direct affect on the economy and region.

Water

Research Shows Declining Levels of Acidity in Sierra Nevada Lakes
UCR Today, Iqbal Pittalwala, 9/4/14

Sierra Link: Air quality regulation has benefited aquatic ecosystems in the Sierra Nevada, and controlling air pollution is benefiting nature in California.

Can California Make It Rain With Drones?
National Journal, Brian Resnick, 10/7/14

Sierra Link: In a parched Sierra and California, perhaps cloud-seeding is an option to combat drought.

California water use drops 11.5 percent in August
Visalia Times-Delta, Fenit Nirappil, 10/7/14

Sierra Link: With a large amount of California's water coming from the limited water in the Sierra, water use throughout California can be reduced with the appropriate actions.

Wildlife

Fed Biologists Seek ‘Threatened’ Status For Dwindling Fisher Population
Capital Public Radio, Ed Joyce, 10/6/14

Sierra Link: With 300 fishers in the southern Sierra Nevada, this ruling would directly affect the region and the animal.

Other Articles

Governor Brown Signs Legislation to Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags
YubaNet, Office of the Governor, 9/30/14

Sierra Link: This statewide ban reflects a growing decision by many local governments, some in the Sierra, to reduce plastic waste in our natural environments. Great news for our streams, rivers and beaches throughout the region!

Extreme Makeover, the BLM episode
High Country News, Sarah Gilman, 10/3/14

Sierra Link: With a focus on landscape level planning, the coming decisions could mean better protected habitat and wildlife corridors on BLM lands in the Sierra.


Sierra Nevada Alliance

P.O. Box 7989
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96158

phone: 530. 542. 4546
fax:530. 542. 4570

www.sierranevadaalliance.org

Since 1993 the Sierra Nevada Alliance has been protecting and restoring Sierra lands, water, wildlife and communities. The regional climate change program shapes and implements county and regional resource plans that promote smart land use, incorporate sustainable water management practices, aggressively reduce greenhouse gases and adapt to climate change.