The magnitude of mining’s impact on the people and places of the Sierra is staggering, covering the ancestral lands of numerous First Nations, millions of acres, and hundreds of lakes, rivers, wetlands, and reservoirs. The Sierra Fund’s focus on multi-benefit pilot projects that demonstrate effective methods and techniques for monitoring, assessment and restoration of mine-impacted lands in the Sierra Nevada provide replicable models that local, state and federal landowners can implement to address mining’s toxic legacy.
The Sierra Fund has been leading the charge to address the legacy of Gold Rush impacts on California’s headwater ecosystems. Mine-impacted lands, when left un-remediated pose a threat to our ecosystems and leach toxics into our soil and water, with implications from the Sierra to the sea. We ask that the state of California and the nation stand with us to recognize and remediate the lasting impact of California’s 19th century Gold Rush.