The Sierra Meadows Partnership (SMP) was formed to foster expansion of and more effective collaboration among partners currently engaged in meadow conservation to increase the pace, scale and efficacy of meadow restoration and protection in the Sierra for the benefit of people and ecosystems (Sierra Meadows Strategy Document, November 2016). The SMP partnership has been critical in realizing the restoration of approximately 10,000 acres of montane meadow to date.
The shared vision of the Sierra Meadows Partnership is a greater Sierra Nevada region with healthy and resilient meadows that provide sustained goods and services to benefit flora, fauna and people.
Sierra Meadows Strategy, 2016
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Background
The Sierra Meadows Partnership (SMP) 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 Sierra Meadows Strategy Document as a Partner in 2017.
Project
The Sierra Fund’s 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. Data collection and project monitoring at Clover Valley will help to inform the effectiveness of restoration activities, which include a combination of 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 the Clover Valley project a model for increasing both ecosystem and community resiliency in the Sierra.
Impact
As part of the 2019 SMP gathering, The Sierra Fund co-hosted an on-the-ground tour of restoration and monitoring activities taking place at Red Clover Valley. The Sierra Fund’s work in meadow restoration is focused on process-based restoration techniques including the installation of beaver dam analogues, incorporating traditional ecological knowledge of the local indigenous tribe into revegetation efforts, and conducting multi-disciplinary monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of restoration.
Next Steps
The Sierra Fund continues participating in bi-monthly coordination calls with the Sierra Meadows Partnership (SMP). Additionally, TSF staff are working as part of the Sierra Meadows Wetland Advisory Council (SM-WAC) on developing protocols for a Sierra Meadows Wetland Rapid Assessment Monitoring Program (SM-WRAMP). As well as supporting the SMP Communications and Outreach Workgroup to support the development of partnership-wide outreach tools and increase the breadth and diversity of materials available on the SMP website, in particular those related to cultural importance of meadows, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), and inclusion of First Nations planning and executing meadow restoration.
Sierra Meadow Strategy
