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September 2, 2015

Sierra Happenings

Events and Activities

Sierra Nevada Alliance's
21st Conference!!


Please join us for our 2015 Conference! This event will present background, challenges, and information on how Climate, Forest Management, Drought/Water, and Natural Capital and Environmental Markets impact the Sierra.

Date: September 25-26
Place: North Tahoe Event Center in King's Beach!

Please visit The SNA website for more information on the program schedule, sponsorship options, workshop descriptions , venue and registration details.

For more information on sponsorship, volunteer or scholarships opportunities, please contact conference@sierranevadaalliance.org !


18th Annual Tahoe Forest Stewardship Day!

Join the League to Save Lake Tahoe for a day of planting, weed pulling, and other restoration activities to preserve and protect Lake Tahoe's watershed. Refreshments, lunch and prizes will be provided.

Date: Sep 12, 2015, 9am - 2pm
Location: Meet at Barbara and Lodi Ave in South Lake Tahoe
What to bring: A reusable water bottle, wear comfortable clothes to get dirty in, and your friends!

For questions or more information, click here , or contact by email or by calling 530.541.5388!


TERC: Faulting and Geologic History of the Region!

UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) will host Courtney Brailo from the UNR Nevada Seismological Lab to discuss faulting and geologic history of our region using newly acquired LiDAR imagery.
A $5 donation is suggested for this event.

Date: Sept 17th, 5:30 to 7pm
Location: Tahoe Science Center, Incline Village NV

For more information, call 775-881-7566, or visit the events website!
To register now, click here!


Watershed Warriors Needed!

The Center for Sierra Nevada Conservation needs your help for two upcoming watershed restoration projects on the Amador Ranger District! On Saturday, September 5th, we will decommission an unauthorized 4WD trail that threatens the Little Indian Valley meadow, which is critical habitat for the Sierra Nevada yellow legged frog and Yosemite toad, both on the Endangered Species list.
On Saturday, September 12th, we will decommission an unauthorized 4WD and motocross trail that threatens the Middle Fork Cosumnes River and sensitive lava cap habitat.

Dates: September 5th & 12th, ~8am to 4pm
Location: Meet at the Raley's in Placerville

More info here, or contact by email!


Job Announcements & Volunteer Opportunities

Energy Technician - Sierra Nevada Energy Watch!

SNEW is a partnership with Pacific Gas & Electric Company to help small/ medium sized businesses and municipalities in the Sierra Nevada region reduce their energy use through the installation of energy efficiency technologies.

For more information, click here, or email Resume and Cover Letters to Jen Rosser.

Director of Instream Flow and Water Supply with American Rivers

The Director will lead Sacramento-San Joaquin Basin programs related to restoring and protecting instream flows through innovative on-the-ground projects and policy initiatives. The Director will also assist with fundraising and other internal needs of the California office, and contribute to American Rivers’ national river programs related to river restoration and protection, clean water and water supply.

Job description and application info here.

Conservation Biologist - Sequoia Riverlands Trust!

The Conservation Biologist will provide wildlife expertise for management and monitoring of habitat mitigation sites in the Carrizo Plain and San Joaquin Valley in central California.

Job description and application info here.

Environmental Incentives Associate!

Environmental Incentives seeks an Associate at their headquarters in South Lake Tahoe. Associates will be supporting Environmental Incentives’ Wildlife & Land Initiative to advance conservation solutions for candidate and listed species, or our Investment Effectiveness Initiative to drive the effectiveness of public and private sector conservation investments.

More information available here! Job announcement available here.


Resources

California Water Policy Challenge with Imagine H2O!

Imagine H2O's Challenge will source policy ideas accelerating the deployment of water technologies to combat California's drought.

Enter the Competition:
-Policy briefs of 1000 words (or less)
-Solutions leading to broad implementation
-Plausible, measurable tech adoption impact
-Entries deadline: September 30, 2015

Awards & Benefits:
-$25,000 in cash and grants
-Introductions to funders, advocacy organizations and other stakeholders
-Visibility to elected officials and industry leaders through media coverage and participation in a policy showcase event
-Expert feedback and coaching

More information available here


Mildred E. Mathias Graduate Student Research Grant Program!

The Natural Reserve System provides grants to support graduate students at all UC campuses except UCSF for their independent and field science studies at NRS reserves. These grants not only encourage students to conduct research, but also provide experience in applying for grants, meeting deadlines, and managing a budget. Applicants must be enrolled at a UC campus.

More information available here.


Lake Tahoe Mobile App: Citizen Science!

The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) has launched a new smartphone app, “Citizen Science Tahoe,” that encourages beach-goers of all ages to tap in what they see at Lake Tahoe—observational data that will be shared with the scientists to better understand conditions around the lake.

App available for download at http://www.citizensciencetahoe.org/.
More information available here.


iNaturalist.org - Explore, Learn, Record!

iNaturalist is a new interactive app, where you can record what you see in nature, meet other nature lovers, and learn about the natural world.

Learn more here!

Highlight

The Great Sierra River Cleanup:
September 19th, 2015!

GSRC2015
How can you participate in 2015?

Six Years of Cleaning up the Sierra continues September 19th!!

Over the first six years of the Great Sierra River Cleanup, more than 24,000 volunteers have joined together to remove nearly 700 tons of trash and recyclables from watersheds throughout the Sierra Nevada. Hundreds of community groups have spread across 22 counties and over 2,200 river miles.

Want to join California's largest volunteer event? It's easy!

Click on the site map below to find a cleanup near you and contact your local coordinator. For a brief presentation on how to use this map, click here.

GSRC2015
Join the annual Great Sierra River Cleanup!

What is the Great Sierra River Cleanup?

The Great Sierra River Cleanup is the state's largest volunteer event focusing on removing trash and restoring waterways throughout the Sierra Nevada Region. This cleanup is an annual event coordinated by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and held in conjunction with California Coastal Cleanup Day.

GSRC2015_1

Why is it important?

The Great Sierra River Cleanup is about much more than picking up trash. It’s a day for Sierra communities – and those from all over California – to demonstrate their desire for clean water and healthy rivers. It’s an opportunity to learn about California’s water source and it’s a time to come together with your families, your neighbors, your community, and your friends to accomplish something vital and worthy on behalf of our great Sierra rivers.

GSRC2015_2

Want to support the annual Great Sierra River Cleanup?

Click the map above to register! Or if preferred, Become a Sponsor!
We are so grateful to all who sponsor this event.

Check out the 2014 Sierra Cleanup Final Results for numerical data, or view the GSRC Map Journal, including pictures and stories from some wonderful volunteer groups.

GSRC2015_3


For more information, please contact Project Manager Theresa Burgess,
or call 530-823-4672 or toll-free 877-257-1212!



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

California Drought Is Made Worse by Global Warming, Scientists Say
The New York Times, Justin Gillis, 8/20/15

Sierra Link: A climate report, recently produced by Earth Institute at Columbia University, indicates global temperatures in July the hottest of any month since record-keeping began in 1880, and that the first seven months of 2015 had also been the hottest such period ever. Heat waves on several continents this summer have killed thousands of people, The study credited human-caused climate change for between 8 percent and 27 percent of the state's soil moisture deficit. What does that mean for our future?

California drought renews push for water storage projects
High Country News, Paige Blankenbuehler, 8/6/15

Sierra Link: A long-standing proposal to enlarge Shasta Dam gets a boost from the Bureau of Reclamation. This affects us in the Sierra immensely.

California surpasses water-savings goal, cuts use by more than 30 percent
Al Jazeera America, Azure Gilman, 8/27/15

Sierra Link: California decreased its total water use by 31.3 percent in July, surpassing a goal set by Gov. Jerry Brown four months ago to cut urban water use by 25 percent, according to figures released recently.

Forestry

Is the drought killing California's giant sequoias?
LA Times, Thomas Curwen, 8/28/15

Sierra Link: Our state's drought could be killing one of California's most famous treasures. However, researchers argue that those conclusions are wrong, or at least premature. Under the threat of drought, what does this mean for our beloved and rare tree species?

Western Wildfires Consume Manpower and Acreage
The New York Times, KIRK JOHNSON and FERNANDA SANTOS, 8/20/15

Sierra Link: Last Wednesday, during one of the worst wildfire summers on record in the West, three firefighters died in Washington State, in a blaze that has been consuming parched Northwestern states and Northern California. We feel this loss in nearby Sierra Nevada, and we worry what could happen here.

New Generation Of Wildfires Changes Plants That Grow Back
Capitol Public Radio, Lesley McClurg, 8/11/15

Sierra Link: According to a new UC Davis study, the plants which regrow after these northern California wildfires are species that usually grow in southern California or Mexico, with more heat resistant plants like manzanita or monkey flower replacing alpine lupine and violets. This could cause dramatic changes to our mountain landscapes!

What grows after natural disasters? U.S. plants new idea to restore landscapes
LA Times, JOHN M. GLIONNA, 8/17/15

Sierra Link: The National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration brings together a dozen federal agencies to restore landscapes altered by natural disasters, human development, even global warming, by creating regional seed banks. Perhaps this is an idea to pursue in the Sierra, to protect our unique biota.

Recreation

Feinstein: Bypass Congress to create 3 California monuments
Sacramento Bee, Associated Press, 8/22/15

Sierra Link: U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (CA) has asked President Barack Obama to bypass Congress and create three national monuments in the Californian desert, roughly between Palm Springs and the Nevada border. The proposals would give federal protection to over 1,560 square miles of mountain ranges, sandy expanses and forests.

Meetings scheduled to discuss road maintenance in Eldorado National Forest
Sacramento Bee, Cathy Locke, 8/15/15

Sierra Link: The Eldorado National Forest, as well as other national forests in the country, is required to complete a travel analysis report outlining maintenance procedures of the forest's road system, by Sept. 30 to receive federal funding.

I Can't Stop Reading One-Star Yelp Reviews of National Parks
Mother Jones, Tim Murphy, 8/25/15

Sierra Link: The National Park Service turned 99 years old this month. To celebrate, admission fees for all NPS sites were waived that day. That's a sweet deal - unless you're one of the many visitors who've left one- and two-star Yelp reviews of America's most pristine and majestic natural wonders. Yosemite: terrible experience. Lassen: underwhelming. Hilarious! Well, we sure love our Sierra parks!

Water

Partnership to test whether forest thinning can grow groundwater, snowpack
Sacramento Bee, Edward Ortiz, 8/26/15

Sierra Link: The purchase of 10,000 acres of watershed land west of Lake Tahoe is slated to launch a living laboratory, testing whether the answer to drought lies in fewer trees. The study is based on Nature Conservancy research.

One good thing about the drought? Lake Tahoe water clarity
Sacramento Bee, David Siders, 8/24/15

Sierra Link: A lack of rain and snow has prevented dirt and grit from washing into the lake. Fires burn in the distance, but Tahoe’s clarity has only improved.

Drought will cost California $2.74 billion in 2015
CNBC, Jeff Daniels, 8/18/15

Sierra Link: According to a recently updated report authored by UC Davis's Center for Watershed Sciences, California's worsening drought will cause the state's economy to lose as much as $2.74 billion and nearly 21,000 total jobs this year, and ripple effects of the 4-year-old drought will likely continue through at least 2017.

Fight between tribes and farmers over Northern California’s water
Sacramento Bee, Michael Doyle, 9/2/15

Sierra Link: This article outlines the complicated arguments between Northern California tribes and farmers over Trinity River water management. Officials hope to reach a compromise and avoid a repeat of a massive 2002 salmon die-off.

Wildlife

California Drought May Exacerbate Wildlife-Human Encounters
The New York Times, Associated Press, 8/22/15

Sierra Link: California's four-year drought has been overwhelmingly blamed for recent unusual wildlife behavior, such as a recent bear attack, mountain lion sightings and an uptick in orphaned animals. Experts elaborate that while not the sole cause, the drought is exacerbating long-term trends and natural animal behaviors in a state that is becoming increasingly developed.

Study Sees Dying Wildlife, Bigger Fires if Drought Lasts
The New York Times, The Associated Press, 8/20/15

Sierra Link: A new report by the Public Policy Institute of California non-profit think-tank paints a distressing picture of California's rivers littered with fish carcasses, exhausted firefighters, and limited community access to drinking water, if the state's driest years on record continue. The fact that this is not a threat of wild imagination to us in the Sierra, but a trend we've already noticed, makes it more unnerving.

Other Articles

A Water-Hogging Crop Could Help Save the Environment
TakePart.com, Katharine Gammond, 8/5/15

Sierra Link: Almonds have been vilified as water wasters as California’s record drought drags on, but two new analyses give the nut an environmental makeover. Almonds, it turns out, may be big drinkers, but they’re light on the land when it comes to their carbon footprint.

California: Pumping of Water Speeds Sinking of Land
The New York Times, Associated Press, 8/19/15

Sierra Link: Vast areas of California’s Central Valley are sinking fast - in some places as much as two inches a month - as huge amounts of groundwater are pumped during the drought, according to recently released NASA research.





Sierra Nevada Alliance

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

phone: 530.542.4546
fax:530.542.4546

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.