Auburn, CA…At its quarterly Board meeting in Tehama County, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) Governing Board approved a total of $931,827 in Proposition 68 funds for eight different projects focused on land conservation, community resilience, and recreation and tourism enhancement in the Sierra Nevada. “These on-the-ground efforts exemplify the holistic approach of the Sierra Nevada Watershed Improvement Program, which focuses on healthy forests and resilient communities,” said SNC Executive Officer, Angela Avery. “By conserving strategic lands and enhancing recreation opportunities, these projects will have tremendous environmental and economic benefits in their respective regions.”

While all are funded through Proposition 68 – the Park, Environment, and Water Bond that passed in 2018 – five of the projects focus on Strategic Land Conservation, two on Vibrant Recreation & Tourism, and one on Resilient Communities.

The five land-conservation projects are in the planning phase and the $359,951 awarded by the Board will go to complete due diligence and acquisition preparation for the following efforts: Almanor Rail Right of Way Land Donation ($74,906), Parks Ranch Strategic Land Conservation Easement ($69,450), Lake Clementine Protection & Public Access Planning Project ($75,000), Farnworth Ranch Conservation Easement ($72,595), and Madera Mariposa Working Lands Conservation Strategy ($68,000). The projects are located in Lassen, Mariposa, Madera, Placer, and Plumas counties.

Two of the projects focus on bolstering recreation and tourism in rural areas. Along with its many partners, the Fall River Resource Conservation District will identify and prioritize infrastructure and proposals that will help expand the area’s appeal to outdoor recreationists through the Eastern Shasta Recreation Plan ($94,600). The Replacement of Dry Creek Bridge ($116,751) project headed up by the Great Shasta Rail Trail Association includes environmental compliance, planning, and replacement of a bridge that will connect an 80-mile public recreation trail along the historic McCloud Railroad between the towns of Burney and McCloud.

The Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship was awarded $360,525 for its Connected Communities – Trails Master Plan to develop a regional plan for a multiple-use trail system with overnight-stay opportunities linking Sierra, Plumas, and western Lassen counties.

After making the grant awards, the SNC board allocated $5,000,000 of Proposition 68 funding across three of its grant programs, $3,000,000 to Forest Health, $1,000,000 to Vibrant Recreation and Tourism, and $1,000,000 to Resilient Sierra Nevada Communities. Individual grant program details will be developed over the coming months and released to the public beginning in July 2020.

“We are eager to get our remaining Proposition 68 money on the ground where it can serve the Sierra Nevada,” said SNC Deputy Executive Officer Julie Alvis, “We will use the next $5,000,000 to build on investments that reduce the risk of large damaging wildfires and support resilient communities that serve as vibrant gateways to the Sierra Nevada.”

Additional information about these projects and the programs that fund them can be found at www.sierranevada.ca.gov in the December 2019 Board Meeting materials.

About the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and
the Sierra Nevada Watershed Improvement Program

The Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) is a state agency whose mission is to improve the environmental, economic, and social well-being of the 25-million-acre Sierra Nevada Region. The SNC leads the Sierra Nevada Watershed Improvement Program (WIP), a large-scale restoration program designed to restore the health of California’s primary watershed and create resilient Sierra Nevada communities. Additional information about the SNC and the WIP can be found at sierranevada.ca.gov.