With more than 1.2 million cubic yards of goldrush-era mining sediment removed, historic floodplain habitat has been exposed for Chinook salmon, steelhead, and sturgeon. Today, miles of seasonal and perennial side channel habitats were carefully engineered to provide additional rearing habitat for native salmonids like Chinook salmon. Details
Forests of the Sierra Nevada have evolved with fire, as is evident in Sierran tree species characteristics, landscape scale fire histories, and the cultural history of these forests. Now, these same forests face the consequences of over a century of fire suppression that has resulted in a buildup of fuels and, in the worst cases, high-intensity wildfires that burn tens of thousands of acres. With great effort, decision-makers and stewards of the land are working to restore fire to the landscape in a way that supports fire resilient ecosystems and reduces the risk of high-intensity wildfire. Details
In the Sierra Nevada, a diversity of meadow and wetland types offer the opportunity to admire beautiful and fascinating plants from spring through fall. Learn more about how the geomorphology and hydrology support that diversity. Details
SYRCL’s Watershed Science team is involved in efforts to foster forest resiliency to prevent future high-intensity forest fires and to catalogue the impacts of fire suppression techniques. This work is done in collaboration with many incredible partners, including volunteers as well as local, regional, and national organizations. In this article, we highlight recent support SYRCL has received for this important work. Details