Missed the State of the Yuba? Watch it Here!

SYRCL’s State of the Yuba Address – Caleb Dardick, Executive Director

“SYRCL has grown into a watershed council with an eye to the future and an agenda,” Dardick said.  “Our agenda is to make the Yuba watershed healthier and more resilient through a multifaceted approach: education, outreach, advocacy and hands-on restoration.”

View Caleb’s presentation to learn how SYRCL is:

• Engaged in the Environmental Review Process of NID’s Centennial Dam Proposal.
• Advocating for volitional fish passage with our “Fish Don’t Drive”
• Educating the community about environmentally responsible cannabis cultivation.
• Celebrating our victory now that the San Juan Ridge Mine is no longer a threat to the river.

Yuba Watershed Health – Rachel Hutchinson, River Science Director

“While this watershed stands up to many different challenges- tonight I am going highlight the impacts of mining as an issue that spans the entire watershed, ” Hutchinson said.  “At SYRCL, we tackle this issue by studying and cleaning up the pollution that continues to threaten water quality.”

View Rachel’s presentation on how SYRCL is addressing mercury in our watershed and restoring habitat on the lower Yuba River.  Her presentation incorporated a fascinating Google Earth “flyover,” which gave geographic context to projects that are currently being implemented to restore habitat for wild salmon and steelhead.

Honoring SYRCL’s Volunteer of the Year: Kathy Davidson

Hear from Jenn Tamo, SYRCL’s Community Engagement Manager, as she discussed the myriad ways in which volunteers may get involved this busy summer season, including: getting trained as a River Ambassador on May 12; participating in “Fishing for Fun: a Family Affair” on May 21; or volunteering at SYRCL’s annual party for the river, “Wild for the Yuba” on June 4.  Sign up today!

“If you love the river, if you love to be outside, if you want to get to know other people who are passionate about making a positive impact in the community, you are exactly the type of person we would welcome as part of our team!” Tamo said, just prior to introducing our Volunteer of the Year Kathy Davidson. Upon receiving her award, Davidson said, “SYRCL makes it incredibly easy and joyous to be a volunteer.”

Honoring SYRCL’s Partner of the Year: The Sierra Fund

SYRCL was honored to introduce our Partner of the Year, The Sierra Fund (TSF).  TSF and SYRCL are a part of the Mercury Forum and together we are working on active mercury assessment projects on Spring, Shady and Scotchman Creeks.  We’re posting fish consumption advisory notices so that anglers know which fish are safe to eat.  And with the San Juan Ridge Taxpayers Association, we successfully challenged the proposal to reopen the San Juan Ridge Gold Mine.

Under Izzy Martin’s leadership, The Sierra Fund’s important work has been recognized on local, state and national levels, most recently receiving the James Irvine Foundation’s 2016 Leadership Award.  SYRCL honored Martin at State of the Yuba for her partnership and coalition work in the world of water politics.  Martin said ,”I’ve read community isn’t important just when you agree with each other.  Community is about what happens when you fundamentally disagree.”

Thank you!

The community’s generous support of SYRCL over the past 33 years has allowed our organization to be a leader in the watershed, stay nimble to react to threats, as well as be an independent voice for the Yuba. Uniting the community to protect and restore a watershed is the work of generations, and SYRCL would not exist without the continued support of our members and donors.

To volunteer, join or renew your membership, please visit, www.yubariver.org, or stop by the office at 313 Railroad Ave., # 101 Nevada City, CA.