Galiano Fen & Haypress West Meadow Restoration Project
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SYRCL has secured funding from the Wildlife Conservation Board Block Grant being administered by Point Blue and the Sierra Meadows Partnership (SMP) to plan and implement restoration work in two distinct wetland sites within the North Yuba River watershed.
This Project will complete planning on 159.5 acres of high priority meadow, fen, and associated aspen & forest habitat in the North Yuba Landscape Resilience Project (NYLRP).
The NYLRP is a USFS Priority Landscape managed by the Tahoe National Forest (TNF) and the North Yuba Forest Partnership (NYFP), of which SYRCL is a founding member. TNF has identified watershed resilience as a primary objective and is currently planning projects at a landscape level scale, but with a sole emphasis on upland habitats. The NYFP recognizes that restoration of aquatic habitats such as meadow, fen, and aspen are a key part of achieving forest health and watershed resilience.
To increase pace and scale of sensitive ecosystem work on the NYLRP footprint, SYRCL has identified over 159.5 acres of high priority meadow and fen habitat, with surrounding forests and aspen stands, for restoration planning: 63.8 acre Galiano Fen and an unnamed 95.7 acre meadow—dubbed Haypress West.
During 2025, SYRCL staff initiated early restoration planning activities.
Key actions included securing contractors for project design development and permitting support, as well as implementing pre-project monitoring protocols at each site. Baseline datasets were collected to evaluate and characterize plant community composition, soils carbon dynamics, conifer encroachment, and hydrologic conditions. Measurement of surface water dynamics and water quality began at each site, and, in Haypress West, shallow groundwater monitoring wells were installed and instrumented with monitoring equipment. Additionally, SYRCL and the Tahoe National Forest staff worked with volunteers to install cattle exclusion fencing around ecologically sensitive zones in Galiano Fen. Following installation, the project team met with the grazing allotment permittee to discuss project objectives and address his operational concerns related to the project.
Carbon Sampling in Galiano Fen – Left to Right: Ben Sullivan (UNR), Chloe Sileo (UNR), Parker Eversoll (SYRCL)
Channel Incision in Haypress West Meadow/Lost Meadow – Pictured Riley Endries (SYRCL Americorps)
Project Landmarks
Planned 2026 Project Work
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Planned activities for 2026 will emphasize completing baseline monitoring in Haypress West, focusing on groundwater and surface water hydrology, water quality, vegetation community composition following the SM-WRAMP protocol, and…
Planned activities for 2026 will emphasize completing baseline monitoring in Haypress West, focusing on groundwater and surface water hydrology, water quality, vegetation community composition following the SM-WRAMP protocol, and quantifying existing conifer encroachment. In Haypress West, shallow groundwater well monitoring will commence in late spring or early summer, contingent upon site accessibility. Stream flow and water quality monitoring will continue across both sites during the snow-free months.
The Project team will meet with contractors to finalize restoration designs and secure the necessary environmental compliance permits through applicable regulatory agencies. All permits for Galiano Fen are expected by April 2026, with Haypress West permits expected by November 2026 resulting in two shovel ready implementation projects.
Timeline. Anticipated timeline for remaining activities and when project will be completed.
January 2026 – Review Draft 65% Designs
February 2026 – Receive Final 65% Designs & Galiano CEQA Supporting Documents
March 2026 – Receive Galiano Final 100% Designs & Submit all permit applications for Galiano (401/404/CEQA/LSA)
April 2026 – Receive Haypress West Final 100% Designs
May 2026 – Receive Haypress West CEQA Supporting Documents
May/June 2026 – Re-commence data collection in Galiano & Haypress
July-September 2026 – Field work to: Collect Monitoring Data, Validate Project polygons, Mark conifers for removal in Galiano,
October 2026 – Submit all permit applications for Haypress West (401/404/CEQA/LSA), Complete Baseline Monitoring Report for both sites.
November 30, 2026 – Complete restoration planning for both sites with all necessary permits in-hand.
