Publications - Reports, Toolkits & Guides

I. Resource Reports
II. Toolkits
III. Guides
IV. Capacity Assessment Reports

2009 Land Use Summit

2009 Land Use Summit

2009 Sierra Land Use Summit Presentation

The purpose of this paper is to introduce new Sierra Nevada Conservancy board members, staff, and others interested in the Sierra Nevada to the subregions of the Sierra. The Sierra Nevada Conservancy has divided the Sierra Nevada into six subregions. Each subregion shares common needs and opportunities with the other subregions. At the same time, each subregion has unique characteristics, assets, and challenges.

This report chronicles that California now has 5.1 million homes in wildfire-hazard areas, more than any other state.

The South Lake Tahoe Monitoring Project is a volunteer water quality monitoring group. This report is a summary of the data collected in 2008. An attachment in the PDF file includes all 2008 raw data.

Six of the native frogs and toads of the Sierra Nevada and California Cascade ranges are experiencing dramatic declines in population. For example, the California red-legged frog, the largest native frog in the western United States, can no longer be found across 70 percent of its historic range in California and has almost completely disappeared from the Sierra foothills. These hard hit critters are part of a larger Global Amphibian Crisis; 40% of the world's 6000 labeled amphibian species have declined recently and nearly one third are facing extinction. This latest publication of the Alliance is meant to raise awareness of and public concern for the plight of Sierra frogs and toads.

The Report covers a number of issues including:

Want to know how CEQA works? Or how to get people to show up to an important hearing? Saving Sierra Places: An Activist’s Toolkit for Winning Land Use Campaigns is designed to assist community activists in developing effective campaigns to prevent sprawl and foster smart growth. Whether you are contemplating a new land use campaign or deep in a years-long battle, this toolkit is intended to help you organize the most effective campaign and develop new strategies for achieving your goal. For a complete description or to download individual chapters, Click Here

Poorly planned development has become a chief threat to the region’s waters. But what is good growth, from a watershed perspective? This guide provides local conservation groups, local government and the public useful information about the connection between development and water – water quality, water supplies and the health of the Sierra’s watersheds.

First of its kind guide helps homeowners create defensible space and a beautiful, Sierra friendly yard and garden.

This report showed that of the 24 Sierra Nevada watersheds sampled, three-quarters had stretches that were not swimmable, fishable, drinkable or open for recreation at some point in the last five years. These watersheds are major river systems that include rivers, lakes and streams.

New study showing the Sierra at-risk for development. This study details threats to the Sierra Nevada from sprawling development, including specific information for Sierra counties.

This report, authored by Kerri Timmer for the Sierra Nevada Alliance, challenges California and Nevada to respond quickly and substantively to threats to future water supply from Sierra climate change and growth in the region. The report documents

• How the Sierra supplies 65% of California's and almost all of Northern Nevada's developed water supply,
• Current stresses to the Sierra Nevada's 24 major watersheds,
• Climate Change impacts to the Sierra,
• Population Growth in the region,
• Opportunities to Plan Ahead to Protect Sierra Water, and
• Recommendations for individuals, grassroots groups, agriculture & businesses, and local, state and elected officials.

This report, authored by University of California at Berkeley researchers, documents Central Sierra ranchers' plans to continue ranching despite reductions in use of Forest Service lands and increasing competition for foothill grazing areas. Researchers interviewed ranchers in the Sierra foothills and found most would prefer to find other leased land to continue their operations if they faced reductions in Forest Service grazing allotment use.

Early in 1999, a group of local citizens in the Calaveras County, California communities of Glencoe, Rail Road Flat, West Point, and Wilseyville coordinated a local citizen-based, sustainable community development project using the "Economic Renewal" model developed by the Rocky Mountain Institute. The project was sponsored by the Foothill Conservancy and the Sierra Nevada Alliance, a regional coalition of 65 local and regional conservation organizations. It was funded by grants from the W. Alton Jones Foundation to the sponsor organizations.

This report summarizes the result of a survey completed by 54 Sierra Nevada Alliance member groups in December 2004. The report includes information on member characteristics and organizational needs.

This report summarizes the result of a survey completed by 55 watershed groups in the Sierra Nevada in December 2004. The report includes information on organizational characteristics and organizational needs.

In keeping with the Alliance's goal of helping to create watershed groups throughout the Sierra, we have produced a basic "how-to" guide for people interested in starting new groups or strengthening existing ones.

Our experience at the Sierra Nevada Alliance has been that watershed groups have greatly benefited from hosting Creek Stewardship days and that in many cases Creek Stewardship Days were the first activity that helped launch a watershed group. The Creek Day toolkit is divided into sections of activities such as planning your event, organizing for the day’s projects and activities, recruitment/publicity, and other event logistics. This guide is designed primarily for the first time creek day event organizer.