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October 19, 2016

Sierra Happenings

Events and Activities

Southern Sierra Rx Fire Council 2016 Annual Meeting!

The Southern Sierra Prescribed Fire Council invites all to attend their 2016 Annual Meeting! This meeting will be focused on progress made since the 2014 joint symposium with the Northern Sierra Prescribed Fire Council, and build off of new opportunities. During this annual meeting we will discuss other prescribed and managed fire efforts in the region, including the Fire MOU, air quality impacts and how to work best with communities, and other fire collaboratives and cooperative planning processes. We will also discuss what makes a planning process successful.

Date: October 26, 2016, 10am to 4pm
Location: Betty Rodriguez Regional Branch Library Meeting Room, 3040 N Cedar Ave, Fresno

For more information and to register, click here!


Sierra Nevada Regional Stakeholder Workshop: Overcoming Barriers to Adaptation!

Join this interactive, discussion-based workshop to better understand the financial and organizational barriers which local governments in CA face implementing adaptation strategies. This workshop will address CA-specific policy and information needs to support decisions that will safeguard our people, economy, and resources. This Sierra workshop will encourage better understanding, management, and prioritization of climate risks. Registration is free.

Date: Wednesday, Oct. 26th, 1-5pm
Location: Truckee Town Hall, East Wing Room

For more information and to register, click here!


Sierra CAMP Fall Member Meeting and UCLA Climate Talk!

Register now to join Sierra CAMP members and interested parties at a biannual meeting on November 9th. This will be a chance to meet and reflect on Sierra CAMP's activities and successes in 2016, and discuss priorities for 2017, shaping Sierra CAMP's direction and policy advocacy. After the meeting, UCLA Climate Science Center Professor Professor Alex Hall will present key findings from the study and discuss what they mean for Sierra residents and resource managers about the fate of California's iconic Sierra Nevada ecosystems. Registration is free but space is limited so please register!

Date: Weds, Nov 9th | 4-5pm Meeting | 5:30-7:30pm UCLA Presentation
Location: Squaw Valley Ponderosa Room

To register, click here!
For more information on any of these events, contact Sierra CAMP Director Diana Madson.


TERC Monthly Lecture: Imperiled Fish with Nann Fangue!

Join Dr. Nann Fangue to learn how we can conserve our imperiled fishes and find solutions by understanding physiological specializations that allow animals to survive and thrive in complex environments.

Date: Nov 03, 2016, 5:30-11:50pm
Location: Sierra Nevada College, 291 Country Club Drive, Incline Village NV
Details: Registration for this event is free but required. The program will begin at 6 p.m. with refreshments and no-host bar from 5:30-6pm. A $5 suggested donation will be collected at the door.

Please click here to register.


15th Annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival: At The Edge!

Join SYRCL for another fabulous weekend at the largest film festival of its kind. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival sits apart from the hundreds of festivals around the world by leaving you feeling INSPIRED and MOTIVATED to go out and make a difference in your community and the world.

Date: January 12-16, 2017
Location: Location TBD, likely by Nevada City, CA

Visit the festival website for more details! Or, review the tour calendar to find a tour date near you!


Job Announcements & Volunteer Opportunities

Environmental Incentives: Associate, Senior Associate, Marketing Specialist!

Environmental Incentives is seeking a marketing specialist, 1-2 full-time associates and 1-2 senior associates to join their South Lake Tahoe headquarters, and support wildlife and water programs.

Please review Associate, Senior Associate, and Marketing Specialist vacancy postings.

Botanist position, Tahoe National Forest!

The Tahoe National Forest is outreaching for a term seasonal (18/8) GS-0430-09 Botanist position. The position is seasonal (18 pay periods maximum per year) and is scheduled to last 13 months, but may be extended up to 4 years. This position reports to the West Zone Botanist and supports the botany program on both the American River & Yuba River Ranger Districts. Duty station may be either Nevada City, Foresthill or Camptonville, CA.

For more information about this vacancy, please email Patricia Krueger!

There are also several other USFS positions available in the Sierra Nevada region.

Putah Creek Council Job Opening: Executive Director!

Putah Creek Council's board is beginning the search for an experienced leader to usher their thriving organization into a fourth decade of advocacy, education, and community-based stewardship in Winters, CA. The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors and leads the organization consistent with the mission, values, policies, and plans of the Council. Working with the Board of Directors, the Executive Director manages the Council’s programs and projects, supervises staff, and oversees the organization’s day-to-day operations. Deadline December 15.

For more info and job description, please click here!

Two Vacancies: Grass Valley Planning Commission!

The Grass Valley City Council is inviting applications to fill 2 vacancies on the City’s Planning Commission one for a 4 year period and the other for a 2 year period. The Application deadline is Friday, October 21, 2016.

Job description available here!

Resources

Help the Sierra Nevada Alliance, the Environment, and Yourself!

Have you ever wanted to switch to clean energy? Find out how from our clean energy concierge partner, MyDomino. MyDomino is offering Alliance supporters a free 1-month membership ($99 value), during which time they’ll help you figure out how to switch to clean energy. There is no commitment required to redeem your free membership, and as an added bonus, MyDomino will make a donation to the Alliance every time one of our supporters contacts them! Use our Partner Code “ALLIANCE” at www.MyDomino.comto redeem the offer and make the donation. It has never been easier to donate to the Alliance and work toward environmental conservation at the same time!!


The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation!

The Foundation will consider requests to support museums, cultural, and performing arts programs; schools, hospitals, educational and skills training programs, programs for youth, seniors, and the handicapped; environmental and wildlife protection activities; and other community-based organizations and their programs. Grants are considered for IRS-qualified non-profit organizations located within the United States, and typically range from $1,000 to $20,000.

Please click here for more information! For the Spring round of grants, the postmark deadline is November 10.


2017 ESRI User Conference Call for Papers!

You have an opportunity to stand tall amid the world's most innovative and influential GIS work. Each year, the Esri UC features inspired ArcGIS solutions, insightful best practices, time-saving apps, and game-changing maps. Your work could share that spotlight. So get going on your abstract and send it on in.
Abstract Deadline is October 28, 2016.

Please click here for more information!


Host a Filmmaker or Guest During SYRCL’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival!

Are you interested in getting involved with Wild & Scenic Film Festival in a unique way while earning awesome perks? Volunteer to host an attending filmmaker or special guest in your household during the festival! From January 12-16, 2017 Nevada City and Grass Valley transform into a hub of art and activism. If you are interested in becoming a lodging host for the 2017 Wild & Scenic Film Festival, please complete the Lodging Host Information Survey.

Please click here for more information!


Publication: The Cost of Alternative Water Supply and Efficiency Options in California!

A new Pacific Institute study has found that seawater desalination is among the most expensive options for meeting current and future water needs in California, while large stormwater capture projects are among the least expensive. The Cost of Alternative Water Supply and Efficiency Options in California is the first comprehensive analysis to examine the cost of strategies to augment local water supplies and reduce demand in California. The report uses methods developed in the field of energy economics to provide comparable cost estimates for these options.

You can read more about the report and download a copy here!


Highlights

PNAS: Sierra Nevada Yellow Legged Frog in Recovery!

YLF

Photo Credit: Rick Kuyper/USFWS



Published just yesterday in the October 18th issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is new scientific research indicating the large-scale recovery of this endangered amphibian despite ongoing exposure to multiple stressors.


Significance

Human influences are causing the disappearance of species at a rate unprecedented in millions of years. Amphibians are being particularly affected, and extinctions of many species may be inevitable. The Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog (Rana sierrae) was once common in the mountains of California (United States), but human impacts have driven it near extinction. Repeated surveys of thousands of water bodies in Yosemite National Park show that the decline of R. sierrae has recently reversed and that population abundance is now increasing markedly in part because of reduced influence of stressors, including disease and introduced fish. These results suggest that some amphibians may be more resilient than is assumed, and with appropriate management, declines of such species may be reversible.


Abstract

Amphibians are one of the most threatened animal groups, with 32% of species at risk for extinction. Given this imperiled status, is the disappearance of a large fraction of the Earth’s amphibians inevitable, or are some declining species more resilient than is generally assumed? We address this question in a species that is emblematic of many declining amphibians, the endangered Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog (Rana sierrae). Based on >7,000 frog surveys conducted across Yosemite National Park over a 20-y period, we show that, after decades of decline and despite ongoing exposure to multiple stressors, including introduced fish, the recently emerged disease chytridiomycosis, and pesticides, R. sierrae abundance increased sevenfold during the study and at a rate of 11% per year. These increases occurred in hundreds of populations throughout Yosemite, providing a rare example of amphibian recovery at an ecologically relevant spatial scale. Results from a laboratory experiment indicate that these increases may be in part because of reduced frog susceptibility to chytridiomycosis. The disappearance of nonnative fish from numerous water bodies after cessation of stocking also contributed to the recovery. The large-scale increases in R. sierrae abundance that we document suggest that, when habitats are relatively intact and stressors are reduced in their importance by active management or species’ adaptive responses, declines of some amphibians may be partially reversible, at least at a regional scale. Other studies conducted over similarly large temporal and spatial scales are critically needed to provide insight and generality about the reversibility of amphibian declines at a global scale.



Publication authors:

Roland A. Knappa of the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory in Mammoth Lakes, CA;
Gary M. Fellersb and Patrick M. Kleemanb of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center in Point Reyes National Seashore, CA;
David A. W. Millerc of the Pennsylvania State University Department of Ecosystem Science and Management;
Vance T. Vredenburgd of San Francisco State University Biology Department;
Erica Bree Rosenblume of UC Berkeley's Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management; and
Cheryl J. Briggsf of UC Santa Barbara's Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology.



This research is particularly exciting, especially for those of us in the Sierra who have been working hard to protect this endangered amphibian. Full text of the scientific paper can be found here. Congratulations to the authors of this publication, as well as all member groups working to protect Sierra Nevada Wildlife.




If you would like to support the Sierra Nevada Alliance Initiatives,
please click here to contribute to our funding.




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 Kate Gladstein.
If you have articles, events or announcements that you would like included in this newsletter or if you have feedback,
please email Kate!.





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Recent News

Climate Change

Is using less water the secret to cutting our greenhouse gas emissions?
The Guardian, Frank Loge, 10/11/2016

Sierra Link: California, which uses 20% of its electricity in supplying water, just passed a law to collect emissions data from water utilities. California's recently signed SB 1425 moves the focus from fossil fuels to water. Could this have implications in the Sierra Nevada?

Climate change has doubled western US forest fires
Phys.org, Staff Editorial, 10/10/2016

Sierra Link: A new study says that human-induced climate change has doubled the area affected by forest fires in the U.S. West over the last 30 years. Have we experienced these effects here in the Sierra? Read more here.

Forestry

California Trees Battle Beetle Assault Amid Drought
Public Radio International, Julia Franz, 10/17/16

Sierra Link: Tune in to a recent edition of Public Radio International's Science Friday podcast. In this segment, ecologist Greg Asner of Stanford's Carnegie Institution and UC Davis researcher Christina Restaino discuss the bark beetle and drought within our California forests.

Wildfires spark where growth is sprawling
High Country News, Eric Sagara, Emmanuel Martinez & Ike Sriskandarajah, 10/11/16

Sierra Link: Nationally, nearly a third of homes built since 2000 are in wildland areas. But as climate change continues to bring warmer, drier conditions, many experts agree that wildfires will be both larger and more frequent. And those frequently tasked with battling the flames – local fire departments – often don’t have the training to fight wildfires.

Recreation

Trump met with a leader of the land transfer movement
High Country News, Tay Wiles, 10/17/16

Sierra Link: The current movement in Western states to transfer federal public lands to state control has ramped up in the past four years, becoming an important campaign issue for some voters. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton opposes a large-scale transfer but a Nevada county commissioner says the Republican nominee was receptive to the idea of forcing the feds to turn over public lands.

Feinstein Announces Federal Funds for Dead Tree Removal
YubaNet News, Senator Dianne Feinstein, 10/17/16

Sierra Link: CA Senator Dianne Feinstein announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is designating $11 million to help complete 10 dead tree removal projects on 12,000 acres of California’s national forests. Feinstein last month urged USDA to take this action, which will certainly relieve Sierra Nevada forest mortality concerns.

Water

Breast Cancer Action Demands Agricultural Companies Stop Selling Pink Ribbon Citrus While Irrigating Food Crops With Oil Wastewater
YubaNet News, B'Tselem, 10/19/16

Sierra Link: Breast Cancer Action (BCAction), the respected watchdog for the breast cancer movement, expressed outrage over California agribusinesses using oil wastewater to irrigate food crops while putting pink ribbons on their products.

Drought Prospects in California for the New 2017 Water Year
California WaterBlog, Jay Lund, 10/3/16

Sierra Link: The 2016 drought year is over. It was milder year than the four previous drought years. The great wet hope of the “Godzilla” El Nino did not end the drought, but brought only near average precipitation. Here, the California WaterBlog highlights current conditions, with data and links from the California Department of Water Resources’ California Data Exchange Center (CDEC).

Wildlife

The Pacific fisher comes to court after disappearing from Sierra Nevada mountains
Sacramento Bee, Michael Doyle, 10/19/16

Sierra Link: Several environmental groups returned to the courthouse on Wednesday in hopes of securing Endangered Species Act protections for the Pacific fisher, a mink-like creature found partly in California’s southern Sierra Nevada mountains. In the latest turn of a long-running fight, the Center for Biological Diversity joined three other organizations in filing suit against the Fish and Wildlife Service over the federal agency’s April 2016 decision not to list the fisher as “threatened” under the ESA.

Lawsuit Launched to Protect Plants, Monarchs From Toxic New Pesticide
Center For Biological Diversity Press Release, Stephanie Parent, 10/11/16

Sierra Link: The Center for Biological Diversity is suing the Environmental Protection Agency for once again approving a toxic pesticide without fully considering its potential harm to the environment. The potent new plant-killer, halauxifen-methyl, could harm rare plants and the increasingly imperiled monarch butterfly.

Other Articles

President Obama just created the Atlantic's first national marine monument. What is it?
Public Radio International, Julia Franz, 10/10/16

Sierra Link: President Barack Obama has created the Atlantic Ocean's first national marine monument. The new Northeast Canyons and Seamounts monument, which lies 130 miles off Cape Cod, has the same status as a national park, and within its nearly 5,000 square miles of ocean are canyons deeper than the Grand Canyon, four large underwater mountains and rich swaths of biodiversity.

Wildfires force evacuations in Emerald Bay area, destroy 19 homes in Washoe Valley
Sacramento Bee, Nashelly Chavez, 10/14/16

Sierra Link: A trio of wind-whipped wildfires burning along the Sierra Nevada on Friday destroyed 19 homes north of Carson City, forced hundreds of evacuations at Lake Tahoe and closed a major highway connecting Reno to the mountain lake as hundreds of firefighters battled the dangerous flames.





Sierra Nevada Alliance

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

phone: 530.542.4546
fax:530.542.4546

www.sierranevadaalliance.org

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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.