Sierra Happenings

Events and Activities

FireWorks Education Program - Wildland Fire As Phenomenon

Engage in activities from the Sierra Nevada FIRE WORKS curriculum and Project Learning Tree. Learn how to develop phenomena based lessons supporting NGSS and integrate best practices into place based learning.

Date: April 4th-5th

Please click here for more details.

Wakamatsu Open Farm Days!

Your self-guided walking tour of Wakamatsu Farm may include a stroll to Okei-san’s 1871 gravesite and Charles Graner's original 1850’s farmhouse. Take a trip around the lake on the 1.5-mile wheelchair-accessible trail. Bring a picnic and chair to sit and relax. On-site interpreters can share information and answer questions about Wakamatsu Farm's human and natural history. Suitable for all ages.

Date: Saturday, April 6th

Please click here for more details.

Work Party at Independence Trail

Please join us for a work party on Independence Trail on one or more of the April and May. Arrive at least 15 minutes before the start time to fill out liability forms. We will be meeting at the trailhead off of HWY 49, and will continue to replace boards, clean off structures, clean culverts, brush the trail corridor, and improve the overall quality of the trail.

Date: April 4th, April 18th, May 18th

Please click here for more information.

Dry Creek Preserve Volunteer Day

Help Sequoia Riverlands Trust improve the Demonstration Garden and do work in the Native Plant Nursery. We're starting earlier during the summer to beat the heat.

Date: Friday, April 19th

Please click here for more information.

Tahoe Truckee Earth Day

Our local Earth Day celebration is one of the largest environmental education events in the area. The event provides local residents and visitors an opportunity to learn about the various environmental issues that affect the North Lake Tahoe – Truckee Region. The North Lake Tahoe/Truckee Earth Day festival is hosted primarily by volunteers of the Tahoe Earth Day Foundation, a local non-profit, with the support of other non-profits, local agencies, businesses and dedicated supporters.

Date: Saturday, April 20th

Please click here for more information.

"Celebrate Earth Day" at Grover Hotsprings State Park

Join Alpine Watershed Group for a day of restoration work on one of California's beautiful state parks. Bring water and sun protection, and please wear long sleeves, long pants, and close-toed shoes. Snacks will be provided. No experience necessary!

Date: Saturday, April 20th

Please click here for more information.

6th Annual State of the Yuba

You are cordially invited to SYRCL’s 6th annual State of the Yuba, our report to the citizens of the Yuba watershed. And, to celebrate the South Yuba’s 20th anniversary as a Wild & Scenic River, we’ll convene a panel of special guests who were on the frontline of this major victory.

Date: Wednesday, April 24th

Please click here for more information.

Mountain Lakes and Climate Change, with Adrianne Smits

Between 12,000 and 14,000 small lakes are scattered throughout the Sierra Nevada. How is climate change affecting these remote mountain lakes? Recent research provides insight into the climate sensitivity of these water bodies and the influence of warming temperatures and a shrinking spring snowpack. Join Dr. Adrianne Smits as she discusses how lakes across the Sierra Nevada are expected to change and what that change could mean for the surrounding ecosystems.

Date: Thursday, April 25th

Please click here for more details.

Citizen Science with Valley PBS

Celebrate America Spring: LIVE on the PBS show Nature with a day learning about how people of any age can become citizen scientists. This event is free and open the public. Stay tuned for more details.

Date: Saturday, April 27th

Please click here for more details.

South Lake Tahoe Earth Day & Wild and Scenic Film Festival

Celebrate Earth Day in South Lake Tahoe at the Earth Day Celebration at Bijou Community Park and at Harrah's for the Wild and Scenic Film Fetival.

Date: Saturday, April 27th

Please click here for more details.

Resources

Office Space for Rent in Truckee

Sierra Nevada Alliance is moving to a new office space in May. We are looking to help fill our current small office space in Truckee. Those interested can contact Sara: sara.monson@sierranevadaalliance.org.

Strategic Land Conservation Grant

The Sierra Nevada Conservancy recognizes land conservation as an important tool for achieving holistic watershed health. The Strategic Lands Conserved goal in the Plan focuses on protection of high-risk and/or high-priority lands. These lands provide a range of benefits including working landscapes; recreation opportunities; and protection of unique cultural and natural areas, as well as key wildlife habitat. Additionally, climate change is likely to have impacts yet unseen on the Region and strategically conserving land will become increasingly important as the Region adapts to further changes in the future.

Learn more here.

Sierra Camp Grant and Funding Opportunities

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. For more updates, follow us on social media.

Learn more here.

Clean Trails Project

This program will provide eligible groups the opportunity to apply for a grant to fund their next trail improvement related project, which could range from trail clean-up, trail restoration, trail expansion, to name a few.

Learn more here.

Job Announcements & Volunteer Opportunities

Civic Spark Fellow

CivicSpark is currently recruiting 90 Fellows who are interested in serving with local governments in California to address a broad range of resiliency issues. Fellows gain exceptional career experience, training to become future leaders in California’s response to emerging environmental and social equity challenges.

For more info, click here.

US Forest Service- Biological Science Specialist - Plants

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the Tahoe National Forest, is seeking ONE Biological Science Specialist. This opportunity is intended for enthusiastic professionals, with a deep interest in advancing their career goals in natural resource management and conservation.

For more info, click here.

Tahoe Rgional Planning Agency- Scenic Resources Intern

The Scenic Resoures Intern will help document changes in the Tahoe landscape since the last evaluation in 2015. This includes photographing almost 400 individual scenic resources to replicate the scenic viewpoints through time and assisting the scenic evaluation team in the evaluation of 33 shoeline scenic travel routes, 46 roadway travel routes, and public recrreation sites and bike trails.

For more info, click here.

Tahoe Rgional Planning Agency- Finance Intern

The primary functions of the Finance Intern are to assist with security administration including documentation and database management.

For more info, click here.

Tahoe Rgional Planning Agency-Associate Environmental Specialist

The Associate Environmental Specialist will provide program support to the current Planning Division and Code Compliance Program, (part of the Current Planning Division). The focus of this position will be assuring that on-the-ground implementation of permitted projects and activities are completed in compliance with the TRPA Code of Ordinances, Handbook of Best Management Practices, Plan Area Statements, Area Plans, and other applicable components of the Regional Plan.

For more info, click here.

Tahoe Rgional Planning Agency-Senior Transportation Planner, Transportation and Long Range Planning

Under the general direction of the Principal Transportation Planner, this position will lead the Multimodal Transportation Program which includes leading various corridor planning efforts, oversight of travel management and active transportation programs.

For more info, click here.

Water Education Foundation-Programs and Communications Specialist

Join the team at the Water Education Foundation, a nonprofit in Sacramento that has been a trusted source of water news and educational programs in California and across the West for more than 40 years. The ideal candidate is knowledgeable about water issues and keenly interested in keeping up with water news, enjoys a fast-paced environment and possesses strong communication skills, both verbal and written.

For more info, click here.

Volunteer at Sierra Nevada Alliance's 14th Annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival at Harrah's Lake Tahoe

Sierra Nevada Alliance is seeking volunteers to serve in several roles at the Alliance's 14th Annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival at Harrah's Lake Tahoe on April 27th. Volunteers have the opportunity to watch the festival for free during their shift.

For more info, click here.

Highlights

Sierra Nevada Alliance Announces "Sierra Corps"

In March, the Sierra Nevada Alliance (the Alliance) was awarded $275k in seed funding to develop a pilot “Sierra Corps", program to fill staffing gaps which are slowing down forest restoration work. The Alliance will work with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) to identify staffing needs in the areas including forest restoration project implementation, biomass business development, and disaster resilience and recovery. The Alliance will recruit educated staff to engage in internships with critical agencies, and will provide training, oversight, and supervision as needed. Each Corps member will receive a stipend, health insurance, housing support, and transportation assistance. Partner/host agencies will provide cash and/or in-kind resources. The recommended SNC funding amount will allow implementation of a pilot program with six participants, and the Alliance will raise additional funding to expand the team to 15 participants within two years.

The need to significantly increase the pace and scale of forest and watershed improvements on both public and private land has been identified as a priority in many plans and documents, including most recently the 2019 SNC Strategic Plan and the Forest Carbon Plan. The SNC Plan identifies additional funding and innovative business practices (such as Master Stewardship Agreements) as a means of accomplishing this. However recent experience working with both public and private agencies has shown that the lack of technical staff in these agencies is an even more basic issue. Budget reductions and furloughs (on the public side), lack of stable funding (for RCDs and other local entities), and overwhelming workloads are preventing the timely processing of permits and contracts. Staff is also not available for planning, prioritization, and funding development. The proposed internships will both fill these immediate needs, and will train young people for future permanent staffing positions as they become available. The long-term benefit will be an increase in the efficiency and operations of the Regional partners who play a critical role in forest management, biomass business development, and disaster recovery and resilience.

This project will support the SNC’s current efforts and investments by increasing the efficiency of permitting and contracting by public agencies, including SNC-funded projects. It will make it more feasible to implement landscape level treatments, including the Tahoe Central Sierra Initiative, the Southern Sierra All Lands Restoration and Recovery Program, and other regional initiatives. It will also provide resources to engage in critical disaster recovery and resilience planning efforts. Interns may also be deployed to assist in mill site redevelopment projects developed pursuant to proposed grant #002, the Mill Site Redevelopment Initiative. The Alliance is excited to launch this new program and make a much needed impact in forest health and resiliency of the Sierra! Much gratitude to the Sierra Nevada Conservancy for their strategic vision, support, and partnership!

For more information about this new Alliance program planned to launch Fall 2019, contact Executive Director, Jenny Hatch at jenny@sierranevadaalliance.org

Presidential 2020 Budget Proposal Would Eliminate National Service

If this headline conjures a sense of déjà vu, that’s because we’ve been here before. For the third year in a row, the President has released a budget proposal that would eliminate the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). This federal agency oversees AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, YouthBuild and SeniorCorps, engages millions of volunteers nationally, and provides grant funding to a multitude of nonprofit organizations, including Teach for America, Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross, and the Sierra Nevada Alliance. These organizations provide direct service to communities in need, through programs that address critical issues such as education inequality, hunger and poverty relief, rebuilding after natural disasters, environmental conservation and restoration, military veteran support, and addiction services. Without these services, millions of the nation’s most underserved people will lose the support that sustains their communities and protects the natural environment.

CNCS currently operates with a budget of just over one billion dollars annually, which leverages tens of billions of dollars in non-federal funding that private foundations, donors and corporations invest in National Service programs. Fortunately, Congress has seen the value in this investment, despite the past years’ proposed cuts. In response to public outcry, Congress increased funding to CNCS in the 2019 budget by almost $19 million.

In order to continue this support, Congress needs to hear from you! Please click here to send a letter to your Congresspeople, asking them to reject the President’s budget proposal and expand funding for National Service.

We at the Alliance know how valuable National Service is to our communities, the environment, and everyone who serves in our AmeriCorps programs. Please help the Alliance raise awareness about this issue so we can continue to serve the Sierra, creating stronger communities, healthier watersheds, and a more connected Range of Light.

Sierra Nevada Alliance's 14th Annual Film Festival: Celebrate the Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Program!

On April 27th Join us for Sierra Nevada Alliance's 14th Annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival at Harrah's Lake Tahoe. This year's festival will celebrate the watershed work that the Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership has been doing in the Sierra over the past 13 years of the programs' existence. Films will highlight the many ways that water enriches our lives and sustains our world. Among the films featured this year is one titled "Blue Carbon" which demonstrates the impact of the AmeriCorps program on it's members, the environment, and the greater conservation world at large. Please click here to purchase tickets to the Wild and Scenic Film Festival. 

Please click here to purcahse tickets to the Wild and Scenic Film Festival.

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