"Nature is always lovely, invincible, glad, whatever is done and suffered by her creatures." John Muir

Eastern Sierra

Programs

The Sierra Nevada region faces many challenges. Twenty-three of twenty-four major watersheds in the Sierra are listed as polluted or impaired. Over seventeen species are listed as threatened and endangered. Climate change is predicted to reduce the snowpack by 36% in 50 years. The Sierra is the third fastest growing region of the state of California. The Sierra Nevada Alliance is a leading organization committed to raising statewide and national awareness of these issues and determined to make a difference on protecting Sierra lands, water, wildlife and communities. The Sierra Nevada Alliance acts as a unified regional voice focusing attention on the entire Sierra Nevada region. At the same time the Alliance works to strengthen individual conservation efforts throughout the region. The Sierra Nevada Alliance has two major programs: Resource Protection and Restoration Program Community Group Support Program

Resource Protection and Restoration Program

This program works to regionally protect and restore Sierra lands, water, wildlife and communities. There are two main areas of focus - Sierra Water and Sierra Lands.

Sierra Watersheds

• Sierra Watersheds
  Ensures that Sierra watersheds have active, informed efforts to restore and protect their rivers, lakes and streams thereby protecting critical habitats and restoring watershed health. This program works to build the organizational capacity and technical abilities of watershed efforts.
   

Sierra Land

• Sustainable Sierra Land Use Campaign
  The goal of the Sustainable Sierra Land Use Campaign is to ensure that Sierra land use plans protect Sierra water, wildlands, agriculture and rural communities by building the capacity of local groups working to advance smart growth in their communities.
   
• Ski Area Environmental Scorecard
  The Sierra Nevada Alliance is a member of the Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition. The Ski Area Citizens' Coalition works to ensure that ski area management decisions, either by the Forest Service, the ski companies, or local goverments, are responsive to the needs of real environmental protection, local communities, and the skiing public. The Ski Area Environmental Scorecard is the only non-industry, independent mechanism that gives skiers and boarders a way to assess the environmental performance of their favorite resorts. By choosing environmentally friendly ski areas, you can encourage all resorts to improve their policies.
   

Sierra Water & Climate Change

• Sierra Water & Climate Change Campaign
  Alerts the public and decision makers to the impacts of climate change in the Sierra and ensures that smart local resource management plans (watershed plans, general plans, hydropower re-licensing, integrated regional water management, forestry, etc.) are adopted that protect natural resources by reducing emissions and adapting to the changing climate.
   
• Sierra Environmental Water Caucus
  The Sierra Environmental Water Caucus’ mission is to protect the health and clean water of the Sierra Nevada’s rivers, lakes, streams, and ecosystems in California and Nevada.
   
• Integrated Regional Water Management Planning in the Sierra Nevada
  Integrated Regional Water Management Planning IRWMP's are the latest management strategy to address multiple water issues, coordinate across jurisdictional boundaries, develop high cost-benefit projects, reduce local conflict, and attract funding to Sierra watersheds.
   

Community Group Support Program

This program strengthens the individual efforts of our member groups to protect and restore Sierra special places, wildlife, resources and communities.

• Community Group Support
  Keeping our member groups and allies abreast of issues, successful strategies and resources important to Sierra conservation efforts.
   
• Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership
  Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership places 27 AmeriCorps members with conservation agencies/non-profits to conduct watershed restoration and monitoring, watershed education, and volunteer recruitment and support in the Sierra. We will be accepting applications in August 2009 for positions beginning January 2010.
   
• Sierra Nevada Conservancy Campaign
  Working to help establish the new, non-regulatory agency by engaging our network in orienting the new board and staff to conservation challenges and opportunities in the Sierra Nevada.