Highlights
This Giving Season Support the Alliance's Sierra Corps Fellowship Program
Our forests are in trouble, let your donations be part of the solution!
Problem: Forests of the Sierra are in dire need of massive restoration efforts, however there is a gap in available skilled conservation leaders to implement these restoration projects; a gap which is hindering efforts to increase the pace and scale of forest restoration in the Sierra
Solution: The recently established Sierra Corps Fellowship Program, which seeks to create leaders in the conservation field by partnering with Sierra-based organizations to provide technical trainings and meaningful career development opportunities to selected Fellows who will contribute to the needed increase in pace and scale of forest restoration in the region.
This year, under the leadership of Nicole Lutkemuller, the Alliance launched the Sierra Corps Fellowship Program. This fall the Alliance is hiring six Fellows to begin a two-year forest health restoration career with one of our six Host Organizations. With the goal of provide meaningful work projects and purposeful career development opportunities to Fellows to create conservation leaders in the Sierra, your donations are integral to the long-term success of this program and the sustained health of our forests.
There are several ways to donate:
-Become an Individual Member. Learn more
here.
-Donate to the Alliance on Giving Tuesday, or throughout the giving season on our “Give Back Tahoe” page. Donate
here.
-Give to the Alliance while you do your holiday shopping. Shop on Amazonsmile and choose the Alliance as the organization that you would like to support. A portion of your purchase will be donated to the Alliance at no cost to you! Click
here to visit Amazon Smile.
Host a Half-Term SNAP Member
The Alliance is seeking Host Sites for Half-Term Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership (SNAP) Members. SNAP Members restore and monitor impaired Sierra watersheds, educate and outreach to Sierra residents and visitors on environmental issues, and recruit and manage volunteers for a variety of programs.
Does your organization have a project that could benefit from the work of a SNAP Member? If so, now is the perfect time to apply to be a SNAP Host Site. The Application period for 2020 Half-Term SNAP Member Host Sites is now open. Host Sites will host a Half-Term Member for 5 1/2 months of service April 2020- September 2020. Eligible organizations include environmental nonprofit organizations, state and public agencies, land trusts, and federal agencies who work in the Sierra Nevada.
Are you interested in hosting a SNAP Member for the Spring 2020 Half-Term? Click
here to learn more. Applications are due by 5pm on January 10, 2020.
SNA Member Group Spotlight: Truckee Donner Land Trust
Gearing Up for our 30th Year
Truckee Donner Land Trust’s 30th anniversary is already shaping up to be a big one, with new lands opening to the public for the first time, a new conservation campaign smack-dab in the middle of our community, miles of new trails, and much more.
Bringing the Truckee Donner Land Trust’s total protected acres up to nearly 40,000 – our latest properties to open to the public in 2020 include Frog Lake, Red Mountain and Carpenter Ridge. With plans underway for a backcountry hut, these properties will open up new, year-round recreation opportunities while protecting critical habitat and ensuring contiguous land management along the Sierra Crest. Learn more
here.
Unlike many of the far-flung wild places the Land Trust protects, our latest campaign seeks to preserve 26 acres along the bank of the Truckee River in the heart of downtown Truckee. This is an exciting opportunity to create river access in downtown, connect critical trails and paths, preserve open space right in our core, and protect wildlife corridors between the river and upland habitat. Learn how you can help
here.
And for those who want to get out on Land Trust lands, in the summer of 2020 the gates of Lower Carpenter Valley, called the secret garden of the Sierra, will swing open for the first time with a new nature trail. The northern portion of the Donner Lake Rim Trail was completed in 2019, bringing the total distance for hikers, runners and riders along the ridges and peaks above Donner Lake to 15 miles.
Truckee Donner Land Trust’s mission is to preserve and protect scenic, historic and recreational lands with high natural resource values in the Truckee Donner region, and manage recreational activities on these lands in a sustainable manner. Learn more
here.
Resources
Visions of The Lost Sierra- Movie and Petition
After touring film festivals in two dozen cities across the country, we’re excited to share our documentary online for all to view! Produced in 2018 for the 50th anniversary of the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act, Visions of the Lost Sierra explores how the Wild & Scenic Middle Fork Feather River has connected communities and inspired outdoor enthusiasts for generations.
Learn more here.
Prop 68 Groundwater Treatment and Remediation Grant Program
Proposition 68 was passed by voters in June 2018. The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) will administer $74 million from Chapter 11.1 for grants for treatment and remediation activities that prevent or reduce the contamination of groundwater that serves as a source of drinking water.
Learn more here.
Parasol- Investing to Keep our Basin Fire-Safe!
We are excited to announce a grant to the Tahoe Resource Conservation District (RCD) to expand the strategic and tactical Wildfire Pre Attack plans on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. Pre Attack Plans help first responders by identifying critical infrastructure, vulnerable population groups, evacuation routes, water sources, temporary refuge areas, and locations where forests have been thinned before a wildfire strikes. The Tahoe RCD provides the technical expertise for the project. “Multiple fire and law enforcement agencies, the Tahoe RCD, and the Tahoe Fire & Fuels Team have been working together for over 2 years developing Wildfire Pre Attack Plans around Lake Tahoe”, said Nicole Cartwright, Tahoe RCD Executive Director. “Through this donation the entire Tahoe Basin will now be covered with Pre Attack Plans for first responders.”
Learn more here.
ACTION ALERT: Tell the EPA – Don’t Revoke Clean Water Act Protections
Stand with SYRCL & other Waterkeepers to Protect Waterways from Irresponsible Dams & Development Projects.
Learn more here.
Holiday Trees on the Tahoe National Forest
Keep the family tradition alive this year or start a new one by cutting a tree for the holidays in the Tahoe National Forest! Experience cool mountain air, the forest floor crunching beneath your boots, and finding that perfect tree in a hidden glade…All of these moments await those who purchase a Holiday Tree Cutting Permit for only $10.00 from the Tahoe National Forest or other vendors. Holiday Tree Cutting Permits are available at all locations below beginning November 12, 2019.
Learn more here.
Water Leaders
The William R. Gianelli Water Leaders Class is a competitive, one-year program attended by early to mid-career, up-and-coming community leaders from diverse backgrounds, including members of minority and ethnic communities. Class members deepen their water knowledge and enhance their leadership skills through the program.
Learn more here.
One Less Spark- One Less Wildfire
Whether it’s ensuring a campfire or landscape debris burn of leaves and branches is completely extinguished, or keeping a vehicle well maintained to prevent sparks, following just a few simple steps can help prevent wildfires.
Learn more here.
Connecting Point: Community Services Central
Connecting Point's Volunteer Hub connects residents of all ages to volunteer opportunities in our community. Using web-based software we match volunteers' interests, skills, and preferences to opportunities in local nonprofits, schools, and public agencies.
Learn more here.
Sierra CAMP Grant Guide
This page features climate-related funding databases and funding opportunities that are ongoing or accepting applications on a rolling basis. Updates on one-time or irregular, non-rolling grant opportunities, such as cap-and-trade grant program notices of funding availability, as well as opportunities to provide feedback on state funding guidelines, are provided to Sierra CAMP members on a monthly basis.
Learn more here.
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 Sara Monson, Education and Communication Director with the Sierra Nevada Alliance.
If you have articles, events or announcements that you would like included in this newsletter or if you have feedback,
please email Sara.
If you would like to support the Sierra Nevada Alliance initiatives,
please click here to contribute to our funding.
