Sierra Nevada Conservancy

What does it mean to build a deeper relationship with the Sierra? Join conservation partners, Tribal leaders, and community members on November 5 in Nevada City for the Sierra Nevada Alliance Conservation Conference.

Bats may be associated with Halloween, but their biology is even more interesting than their spooky reputation! Their wings are made from a thin membrane of skin stretched across elongated finger bones, allowing them to maneuver with remarkable control.

Some of California’s most powerful climate solutions are found in the state’s forests, oak woodlands, and mountain meadows. When these landscapes are restored, they durably store carbon and so much more. youtu.be/_MJslwUGabw

What does it take to restore a landscape after a #wildfire? In Concow, partners are working to restore the landscape by supporting the return of oak-dominated forest. The goal is a healthier, resilient landscape that looks more like it did historically & that can support both people & wildlife.

Keep an eye out for one of the Sierra Nevada’s most adaptable predators: Coyotes are a familiar part of Yosemite’s wildlife, helping regulate small mammal populations and playing an important role in the food web!

Healthy watersheds are essential to healthy forests and communities. At French Meadows, restoration work is also about protecting the watershed and the water resources that depend on it.

In Eastern Sierra communities like June Lake, recreation is an important part of the local economy and community, bringing visitors to the Eastern Sierra throughout the year.

Summer brings fishing, hiking, camping, boating, and time on the four lakes of the June Lake Loop. Winter brings skiing and snowboarding at June Mountain, along with snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and other winter activities.

At SNC's September board meeting, Alpine County received a grant for $498,572 for the Markleeville Disc Golf/Charity Valley Trailhead project that will improve the Charity Valley Trailhead and construct a 27-hole disc golf course adjacent to the trailhead.

The NBS summit focused on the many benefits associated with healthy and resilient forests and mountain meadows. The panelists highlighted not only the “power” these ecosystems have when it comes to combating climate change, but innovative financing options to ensure this critical work continues...

“What I hoped materialized is we all leave today (knowing) we are all a part of the nature-based solution movement and it won’t fundamentally change the work you do, but it will build connections..."

Some of our most powerful climate solutions are already all around us... Nature-based solutions use the strength of nature; like healthy #forests, oak #woodlands, and mountain #meadows to help communities and the landscape adapt to climate change...

Keep an eye out for these small Sierra Nevada residents: the Merriam’s chipmunk. These native California chipmunks can be found in parts of the southern Sierra Nevada and Transverse Ranges, including around the Tehachapi area.

California’s forests are changing. The work to restore them requires collaboration, knowledge, and a long-term vision for the forests we want to create. Learn more and register: americanforests1.regfox.com/understory2026

The Understory, October 21–22 in Visalia, will bring partners together to examine what’s at stake for California’s forests over the next decade, explore innovative funding and implementation, and discuss how the best available science can inform adaptive management on the ground.

Across the Sierra-Cascade Region, communities and forests meet at the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI). These areas are especially important for wildfire resilience because homes, infrastructure, and natural landscapes are closely connected.

Look along Owens Lake, and you may spot an American Avocet wading through the shallows, sweeping its long, upturned bill through the water as it searches for food.

What if one restoration project could address multiple challenges? That’s one of the ideas behind nature-based solutions. Restoring & protecting natural systems can provide multiple benefits, from building climate resilience and protecting communities to supporting biodiversity and storing carbon.

These efforts in the French Meadows area, spearheaded by the Placer County Water Agency, Tahoe National Forest, SNC, The Nature Conservancy, and others, were some of the first to be launched at a landscape scale in the Sierra-Cascade.

What if one restoration project could address multiple challenges? That’s one of the ideas behind nature-based solutions. Restoring & protecting natural systems can provide multiple benefits, from building climate resilience and protecting communities to supporting biodiversity and storing carbon.

These treatments strategically reduce tree density, which returns the forest to an ecological condition that can support naturally occurring fire regimes. Lower tree density also supports the growth of larger, older trees which can durably store carbon as they mature.

What if one restoration project could address multiple challenges? That’s one of the ideas behind nature-based solutions. Restoring & protecting natural systems can provide multiple benefits, from building climate resilience and protecting communities to supporting biodiversity and storing carbon.

California’s forests, oak woodlands, and mountain meadows can help store carbon, support healthy ecosystems, protect water resources, and build resilience to wildfire and climate impacts.

Our new video explores three projects across the Sierra-Cascade Region that demonstrate Nature-Based Solutions in action, from beneficial fire and meadow restoration to post-fire reforestation.

Two kayakers enjoy a day out on the Lower Owens River. A new grant from the SNC will improve a 6-mile-long paddling route on the river, which includes a new public access, ADA-accessible launch site and take-out site. Photo courtesy County of Inyo.

Inyo County received a $498,610 grant for its Owens River Water Trail project, which will help create a 6.1-mile paddling route for non-motorized watercraft and the addition of both a durable, ADA-accessible, public access launch site and take-out site on the Lower Owens River.

At French Meadows, partners are using mechanical treatments, hand work, and prescribed fire to restore forest health and reduce the risk of future high-intensity #wildfire. The project also demonstrates how #forestrestoration can benefit wildlife and water quality.