The Sierra Resource

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Weekly
Articles

August 13th, 2014

Sierra Happenings

Events and Activities | Job Announcements | Resources

Events and Activities

Great Sierra River Cleanup
Saturday, September 20th, from 9am - 12pm at 10 clean up sites around Lake Tahoe. The Great Sierra River Cleanup, a project of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, is a growing network of local lake and stream-side community clean ups aimed at keeping the rivers and lakes of the Sierra clean and free of litter pollution. Keeping our alpine waterways clean also protects downstream water quality–from the foothills, to Sacramento, to the Central Valley, the Bay and the ocean. For more information or to register click here.

Eastern Sierra Land Trust's Art for Conservation Show and Sale
Saturday and Sunday, August 16-17, from 12pm - 5pm at Mono Council for the Arts Gallery in Mammoth Lakes. ESLT is pleased to announce that award-winning regional artist Lady Jill Mueller will be featured this weekend. Lady Jill will be at the gallery from 12-5 pm both days to meet with visitors and showcase her beautiful paintings. Admission is free and open to the public, and proceeds will benefit ESLT's work to preserve the Eastside's vital wild and working lands. For more information click here.

Alpine Watershed Group’s Creek Day
Saturday, August 23rd, from 9am – 2pm at Alpine County Library Park in Markleeville, CA. Projects include willow planting, river clean up, invasive weed removal, and stream bank stabalization. This event will happen rain or shine with ice cream social to follow. For more information or to RSVP click here.

Docent Hike at the Big Hill Preserves
Saturday, September 13, 8am in North Auburn. Directions will be emailed after registration. The trail at our Big Hill Preserves has unusual rock formations, the gently flowing Coon Creek, and spectacular panoramic views of the Sierra Nevada foothills and Sacramento Valley. This is a wilderness outing in a natural setting: there are no restrooms, benches, or water available. Please plan ahead and bring what you will need. The deadline to sign up is Noon the Friday prior to the event. For more information or to register click here.

Job Announcements

CivicSpark is hiring 48 AmeriCorps Members
Description: CivicSpark Members will work in teams. Each team will have a 1⁄2 time senior project manager providing oversight and guidance on project scope and activities. Members will spend 1700 hours over 11 months working full time with their regional team. The 9 California regions include San Diego, Los Angeles, Central Coast, San Joaquin Valley, Inland Empire, Sacramento, Sierra Nevada, San Francisco Bay Area, and North Coast. Members will work on multiple projects during the service year, giving Members an opportunity to gain hands on experience in climate change response, while learning technical skills and building a strong network of sustainability professionals. For more information or to apply click here.

Highlights

Ciao to Taylor Fargo

Next week will be Taylor’s last week at the Alliance.

Taylor started in early 2012 as an intern in the Regional Climate Change Program. Taylor immediately impressed us with her land use research and writing, event planning, and general awesomeness. After completing her internship, she hosted school groups at a field station and experimental forest in the Sierra. We were lucky enough to have Taylor back as a SNAP Member, serving at the Alliance in 2013, where she improved and created a number of environmental outreach and education projects and programs. Taylor continued to impress us with her passion for sustainability, local food, and her work ethic.

After her AmeriCorps service term, Taylor was hired on for a newly created position: Outreach, Development and SNAP Program Associate. Taylor has been instrumental to the continued success of the SNAP program, Alliance outreach and communication efforts, and relationships with Alliance supporters. She has also planned and implemented most of our events over the last year, including the hugely successful Wild & Scenic Film Festival here in South Lake Tahoe.

Taylor is returning to her home state of Vermont at the end of this month to pursue her career and be closer to friends and family. We will miss Taylor, as a coworker, friend, and dedicated conservationist. Vermont is luck to have her and we have no doubt that she will continue to make this world a better place.

Ciao, Taylor! You always have a home in Tahoe.

Comic

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 Amanda Baronas.
If you have articles, events or announcements that you would like included in this newsletter or if you have feedback, please email Amanda@sierranevadaalliance.org.

Recent News

Climate Change

Big Steps Toward Our Renewable Energy Goals
The Desert Sun, Editorial Board, 8/6/2014

Sierra Link: The approval of NextEra Resources' Blythe solar project by the U.S. Department of the Interior is another boost in California's campaign to generate a third of its power from renewable sources by 2020.

Little Hoover Commission Calls for California to Lead in Climate Change Adaptation
CNSNews.com, Lauretta Brown, 8/5/2014

Sierra Link: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to spend up to $450,000 in taxpayer dollars to teach Native American tribes in the Great Basin region ”climate adaptation plans” for their hunting, fishing and gathering activities.

Forestry

Fighter Jet Captures Dramatic 'Fire Clouds' Over California Wildfires
LA Times, Veronica Rocha, 8/7/2014

Sierra Link: New photographs taken from a fighter jet above massive wildfires raging along the California-Oregon border show the formation of so-called "fire clouds," which can introduce pollution and smoke into the atmosphere.

Recreation

California Panel Calls for Full Revamp of State Parks Funding
LA Times, Julie Cart, 7/30/2014

Sierra Link: lifornia needs to completely make over the way it pays and cares for its state parks, according to a state commission reviewing a park system it says is in severe crises.

Water

The Current California Drought, Illustrated
Sfist.com, Brad Rippey, 7/31/2014

Sierra Link: Are you more of a visual learner? Here's a dramatic graphic showing just how short on water the state of California is compared to just last week, and last year.

Water Bond Must Recognize Sierra’s Importance
The Sacramento Bee, Steven Frisch, 7/28/2014

Sierra Link: Before they left Sacramento for summer recess, legislators said they would work together to hammer out a new water bond bill when they returned in August. This would replace the $11.14 billion proposal currently on the November ballot, which has already been delayed twice.

Wildlife

North American Waterfowl Are Newest Casualty of California’s Drought
The Sacramento Bee, Matt Weiser, 7/30/2014

Sierra Link: Add another casualty to California’s prolonged and punishing drought: Wildlife officials warned this week that dry conditions in the state’s Central Valley could have a devastating effect on North American waterfowl.

BLM-CA Leads Interagency Effort to Protect Sage-Grouse Habitat During Bodie Fire
Bureau of Land Management, Sherri Lisius, 7/30/2014

Sierra Link: The BLM recently committed 6.5 million dollars to the conservation of the Bi-State DPS and managing wildfire to either minimize adverse impacts or to benefit sage-grouse is a part of that commitment.