YFN: May/June Newsletter • SYRCL

Hello Yuba Forest Network Stakeholders! Spring is finally here in the Sierra. I hope all of you have gotten a chance to get out on some nice wildflower hikes or get some spring skiing in with this warmer weather. Listed below are some grants, events, and notifications of upcoming events in May-June. The next Yuba Forest Network Quarterly meeting will be on May 5 from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm in person at the SYRCL office. Email me at annemarie@yubariver.org for any news, announcements, or presentations to be added to the agenda. The Stakeholder Mapping Tool has been updated as of April 14th! This tool includes projects throughout the Yuba and Bear River watersheds, and if you have an update on a current project or a new project to add please email me. See you all at the next quarterly meeting! – Anne Marie

Upcoming Events

Wild For the Yuba 2023: On June 3^rd from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm SYRCL will be hosting Wild for the Yuba, a special Dinner & Silent Auction at the Wheelhouse Event Center in Nevada City, CA. Join us to celebrate SYRCL’s 40^th anniversary. The event features music, great food, and an array of fabulous auction items donated by local businesses, artists, and others in support of the Yuba. The money raised will help fund SYRCL’s Environmentalist of the Year Scholarship, SYRCL’s new Education Department, as well as our summer programs striving to keep the river healthy and safe, such as River Ambassadors and the Yuba River Cleanup. Enjoy a festive kickoff to summer under the stars while helping to protect and restore our beloved Yuba Watershed!

More information and tickets for Wild for the Yuba 2023 will be available in the next few weeks.

Scotch Broom Challenge 2023: On May 5^th from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, SYRCL is hosting the Scotch Broom Challenge of 2023 to kick off the invasive plant removal season! These plants not only stress and outcompete native plants, but act as a fire fuel and their removal is a key part of mitigating wildfire risk. Volunteers will meet at the Rood Government Center, in Nevada City, CA. To learn more about the event email Summer Driscoll at restoration@yubariver.org.

SciPub Whats in our water? On Tuesday May 9th from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm Sierra Streams will be hosting their SciPub event at Gold Vibe Kombuchary. This event will present the results and discussion of the Tapwater Analysis Project (TAP) and other environmental samplings in the Gold Country.

Idaho-Maryland Mine Planning Commission Public Hearing: SYRCL’s petition urging the Nevada County Board of Supervisors to “SAY NO” to the proposed Idaho-Maryland Mine project has over 1,000 signatures from individuals across the community and beyond, expressing opposition to the project. The Nevada County Planning Department has just scheduled the Planning Commission Public Hearing for the proposed Idaho-Maryland Mine project on May 10. The Public Hearing will continue on May 11, as needed. May 10, 2023 from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.

Regional Energy Listening Session; Sierra and Rural Forested Communities: On Tuesday, May 16, from 12:30 pm to 2 pm a listening session on opportunities, barriers, and resources needed to make energy independence and reliability a reality in the Sierra and rural forested communities. Discussion topics include forest biomass energy, integrating microgrid technologies, and the energy sector workforce pipeline.

Cal Poly: Fuels Treatments in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI): Sonoma Land Trust’s Laufenburg Ranch Preserve. May 18, 2023 from 10:30 am – 2:00 pm

Cal Poly: Prescribed herbivory for fuels reduction: grazing planning and permitting in the State of California. This is a free webinar on May 19th, from 9:00 am – 12:30 pm.

Cal Poly: Fuels Treatments in Wildland Urban Interface (WUI): Lessons learned at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center May 20, 2023 from 9:00 am – 3:30 pm

FIRE/Lhttps://eldoradocf.org/event/fire-land-an-experience-inspiring-community-resilience/AND: Knowing the Territory; Inspiring Community Resilience with a Public Form and One-Night Performance June 10^th

Sierra Nevada Alliance: webinar on Principles of Forest Carbon Markets for Landowners and Credit Buyers presented by Lucas Clay on June 15th from 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm.

Forest Stewardship Workshops—Fresno Madera Counties: May 3, 2023-June 28, 2023

Recurring Meetings and Events

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Lab Volunteer Training: on the first Tuesday night of each month from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, Sierra Streams Institute will be holding several volunteer trainings for their BMI lab introductory training. Training sessions will be located at the SSI office (117 New Mohawk Rd. Suite H, Nevada City, CA 95959). Benthic macroinvertebrates (BMI), small organisms who live in our streams, can tell us about the health and overall conditions of our watersheds. BMI lab volunteers play an important role in sorting and identifying organisms, helping us to link the biotic communities to the quality of creek habitats.

Nevada County Coalition of Firewise Communities Meeting: Contact Jeff Peach at jeff@nccoalitionfwc.com for more information. 2023 meetings: May 2: Esterly Hall and Zoom, August 1: hybrid meeting based in Truckee, November 7: Esterly Hall and Zoom.

Yuba Forest Network Quarterly Meeting: An in-person event at the SYRCL office in Nevada City. Email Anne Marie Holt (annemarie@yubariver.org) for more details or if you have any updates. May 5th, 2023 10:00 am –12:00 pm.

Yuba Fire Safe Council Meeting: next meeting will be held on Wednesday May 10^th from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm at the Alcouffe Community Center and on Zoom.

California Forest Resilience Task Force Meeting: The Central Coast Regional Meeting May 11 and 12 next meeting will be in Santa Cruz, and a spot may be reserved here for either in-person or virtual attendance.

California ad hoc Forest Biomass Working Group: May 17th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm email martin@thewatershedcenter.com for more information

Forests Lab: A monthly meet up hosted by Sierra Streams Institute on recent literature on forest health, the next one is scheduled for 6 pm on May 17^th at Gold Vibe Kombuchary. Email Erin Andrew (erin@sierrastreamsinstitute.org) for more information.

Science Speaks Series: The Last Area, with Dr. Warwick Vincent May 18, 2023. 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Insight with Fire Safe Council of Nevada County Hosted by Jim Mathias: “We know wildfire is on your mind, let’s talk about it. Tune in to KNCO on the third Thursday of every month at 9am or listen on our Soundcloud channel to learn about the latest wildfire news from YubaNet, Fire Safe Council preparedness programs, and overall community resilience.” Do you have a topic or question you’d like us to cover? Let us know at insight@areyoufiresafe.com Click here to listen on our Soundcloud Channel

General News and Press Releases

Placer County Water Agency: the PCWA’s final Water Agency Role in Forest Health Report out as part of the Tahoe Central Sierra California Forest Residual Aggregation Market Enhancement (Cal FRAME) Pilot Project, funded by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research. Questions on this study or on the Pilot Project should be directed to Kerri Timmer at ktimmer@placer.ca.gov or Regine Miller at regine.miller3@gmail.com.

Press Release: The California Department of Parks and Recreation has completed a Final Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park Prescribed Fire and Forest Management Program. Under this program the state park will treat approximately 1,866 acres. Questions on this program should be directed to Rich Adams at rich.adams@parks.ca.gov.

USFS Invests Nearly $200 million to Reduce Wildfire Risk to Communities: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is investing $197 million in 100 project proposals benefiting 22 states and seven tribes, as part of the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program. Funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program helps communities, tribes, non-profit organizations, state forestry agencies and Alaska Native corporations plan for and mitigate wildfire risks as the nation faces an ongoing wildfire crisis. Press Release

California Wildfire Task Force: This group reached many different goals in the past month. They updated their Wildfire and Forest Resilience Treatment Tracking and Mapping, and launched Planscape. There is a news release on California’s year in Fire.

CAL FIRE News release –CAL FIRE launches new online burn permit application: Offers the public a user-friendly way to request a burn permit. This includes the following permits: Residential Burning, General Burning, and Broadcast burning within the State Responsibility area and other jurisdictions where CAL FIRE has the authority to require them. More information on burn permits can be found here.

Interior Department Announces $417 Million for Recreation and Restoration Projects in Nevada and California: Interior Department Announces $417 Million for Recreation and Restoration Projects in Nevada and California | U.S. Department of the Interior (doi.gov)

USFS Releases New Story Map on the Benefits of Forests for Drinking Water. A new story map from the USDA Forest Service (USFS) shows how extensively public drinking water systems rely on national forests and grasslands, with tools to explore, query, and visualize the data. The story complements a recent report, the latest product in a long-term project. The story map details the aggregate contribution of the National Forest System and other forested lands across the 48 contiguous states. This map also covers inter-basin transfers, water supply from forests, the public water systems, and how forests provide the cleanest and most stable water supply that can transfer from one geographically distinct area to another. This story map describes the importance, and the impact, forested lands have on the available water supply and its cleanliness. Additional resources are also available to further explore the relationship between the National Forest System and the public water system. Click here to explore the story map.

Grants

Bureau of Land Management National Interagency Fire Center Fuels Management and
Community Fire Assistance: To assist with fuels management and community fire assistance
program activities to reduce the risk and impact of catastrophic wildfires to local communities
through coordination, reducing the amount of hazardous fuels, and furthering the education of
landowners about wildfire prevention and mitigation. Due May 5.

National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) Fuels Management and Community Fire Assistance
Program: Grant from the Department of the Interior. Closing date for applications is May 5th.

Department of Conservation: Climate Smart Land Management Program. Funds to implement projects or develop plants that increase climate action on California’s natural and working lands. Due May 8th

Environmental Protection Agency: Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Community Buildings Grant Program. This grant funds the assessment, prevention, control, or abatement of wildfire smoke hazards in public community buildings and/or buildings that serve the public but are privately owned or operated. Due May 9th.

Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grants: these grants provide funding from $1000-20,000 for general operating support or specific projects to community based nonprofit organizations in areas such as museums, environmental and wildlife protection, and cultural programs. Due May 11th.

National Forest Foundation: Matching Award Program. This grant supports projects that directly benefit U.S. Forests and Grasslands through integration of community involvement and hands-on stewardship. Due June 7th.

California Department of Parks and Recreation: Habitat Conservation Fund: the grant protects fish, wildlife, and native plant resources. It funds acquisition or development of wildlife corridors and trials, and supports programs that bring urban residents into park and wildlife areas. Due June 15th.

California Sierra Nevada Conservancy: Wildfire Recover and Forest Resilience Directed Grant Program: This grant supports the planning and implementation of forest health projects that promote wildfire recovery and forest resilience. Due June 16th.

The CDFW Drought, Climate, and Nature Based Solutions Initiative: funds multi-benefit
ecosystem restoration and protection projects for critical habitat and watersheds, including
mountain-meadow ecosystems and wildlife corridors. Rolling applications.
The CA Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) Forest Conservation Program: advances the
protection, restoration, and improvement of upper-watershed lands in the Sierra Nevada and
Cascade Mountains. Rolling applications.
The CA WCB Habitat Enhancement and Restoration Program: rolling supports habitat
enhancement, wildlife corridors, and fish-barrier-removal projects. Rolling applications.