Last week, three of The Sierra Fund’s staff traveled to Tahoe City for the multi-day Sierra Meadows Partnership Annual Meeting themed “Momentum.” The gathering brought together meadows practitioners, research scientists, land managers, academics, nonprofits, agencies, source funders and tribal groups in a collaborative setting to build capacity for multi-benefit meadow restoration in the Sierra.
Specific meeting goals included advancing the Sierra Meadows Strategy, which outlines a plan to protect and restore 30,000 acres of California meadows by 2030; reviewing the current science on greenhouse gas storage potential in mountain meadows; and sharing information on present meadow conservation and restoration efforts.
The Sierra Meadows Partnership is led by California Trout and includes a diverse group of stakeholders working to increase the pace, scale and efficacy of meadow restoration and protection in the greater Sierra Nevada Region.
TSF staff have been involved in meadow research and restoration efforts in the Sierra since the 2010 publication of the Sierra Nevada Meadow Restoration Business Plan, and signed on to SMP in 2017.
Our Clover Valley Ranch project, located at the headwaters of the Feather River watershed in Plumas County, is contributing to SMP’s target goal of restoring 10,000 acres of meadow in five years—as set forth in the State Water Action Plan.
Key data collection and project monitoring will help to inform the effectiveness of restoration activities, which include engineered check dams and beaver dam analogues to slow the passage of water through the meadow. The involvement of local tribes in restoring native vegetation to increase habitat integrity makes our project a model for increasing both ecosystem and community resiliency in the Sierra.
