Mountain meadows occur in relatively flat areas where sediment and water accumulates. Meadows habitats are highly diverse, sequester carbon, and often provide habitat for sensitive or threatened species. Meadows store and filter water, releasing cool water slowly into the summer months when California needs it the most. However, most meadows in the Sierra Nevada have been degraded by past human land use activities. Meadows that have degraded due to issues like grazing, climate change, lack of fire, timber harvesting, road and trail building are more susceptible to channel erosion and a lowered groundwater table. Because meadows are of both hydrological and ecological importance, SYRCL has taken on the task of assessing and restoring meadows in the Yuba watershed.

SYRCL has completed restoration implementation in partnership with the Tahoe National Forest on Loney Meadow, Deer Meadow and Beartrap Meadow. Currently, SYRCL and the Tahoe National Forest are actively working to restore Van Norden Meadow, and are in the early planning and monitoring phase for three meadows in the North Yuba Basin included in our Haskell Peak Meadows Project. These meadows all range in size, degree of degradation, and restoration need. Over the last decade, SYRCL has worked closely with the US Forest Service and researchers to understand and improve the Yuba watershed’s meadow ecosystems through meadow assessments and restoration projects focused on revitalization of stream and wetland habitats. Additionally, we continue to monitor the success of our projects by gathering data that provides insight into how restoration efforts are benefitting ecosystem function in meadows.