2019-2020 Sierra Nevada Alliance Annual Report

Sierra Nevada Alliance

Annual Report

Fiscal Year 2019-2020

Executive Director’s Note

Sierra!

We know you love the Sierra Nevada as much as we do. This year, we have seen our Sierra Nevada ecosystems and communities threatened like never before. With catastrophic wildfires, climate change, and being loved to death by people escaping into open spaces during the Covid pandemic, the need to protect and restore this region has never been greater. The Sierra is one of 200 global biodiversity hotspots. Protecting these habits and biodiversity are key to fighting climate change. One only has to experience the size and grandeur of the few remaining oldgrowth forests - to know how essential Sierra is to the future.

Together with YOU, despite this challenging year, I am proud to share that we have accomplished the following:

F Maintained a robust AmeriCorps program with 811 acres restored, 2,060 individuals educated, and 1,072 new volunteers recruited. Adapted educational programming and volunteer engagement opportunities to an online format in the spring, when in-person events were no longer possible.

F Continued to educate and coordinate more than 40 environmental organizations across the region to ensure we elevate conservation work to its highest impact. As our work turned virtual we created a new website with a backend posting tool to serve as a hub for conservation information and resources in the Sierra, hosted monthly webinar trainings, and coordinated a successful virtual conference.

F Partnered with local governments to achieve 100% community-wide renewable energy in a number of Sierra communities.

F Developed a new forestry workforce capacity program for the Sierra, funded by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, that helped place Fellows with 8 organizations to coordinate forest health projects in 4 subregions of the Sierra.

Alliance Americorps Member, Lexi Hager, performing restoration and monitoring in Oct. 2020.

Together we must continue to protect the

None of this would have been possible without YOU, and we need your help to continue these important programs!

With gratitude, Jenny Hatch, Executive Director, Sierra Nevada Alliance

Jenny Hatch Executive Director

“The health of the land and the health of the people are tied together, and what happens to the land also happens to the people. When the land suffers, so too are the people.”

- A. Brian Wallace, Former Chairman of the Washoe Tribe

Meet our Staff

Staff:

Board of Directors:

The

Alliance would also like to express a special note of gratitude for outgoing Board President Doug Carstens for his years of service and leadership!

Jenny Hatch Executive Director

Sara Monson Community Engagement Director

Jodi Schmitz Finance and Human Resource Director

Brooke Boeger Recruitment Capacity and Outreach Coordinator Sierra Nevada Alliance regional boundry

Nicole Lutkemuller Sierra Corps Forestry Fellowship Director

Sam Ruderman Civic Spark Climate Fellow

Meredith Anderson Civic Spark Climate Fellow

Doug Carstens, Board President Nicole Cartwright, Vice President Robert Barett, Treasurer Laura Beaton, Secretary

Steve Haze

Robert Dean

Stephen Smallcombe Pierre Zado Chris Wright Lynn Baumgartner Julia Klym Colleen Shade

Annual Report

Fiscal Year 2019-2020

Community Engagement Program–A hub for Sierra Stewardship

Americorps

This Spring the Alliance launched its brand new website to the conser vation community. The upgraded design is a platform for the public to connect with conservation and restoration efforts across the Sierra. It’s a one-stopshop for Sierra events, volunteer opportunities, regional advocacy efforts, and a job board specifically in Sierra conservation. Since the launch, we have observed double the amount of traffic with 3,000 average monthly users, 80% being new user traffic.

Sierra Nevada Alliance Member Groups and AmeriCorps or Sierra Corps Forestry Fellow host sites, regional tribes and agencies have since created their own individual profiles. Using their profiles, they now have the ability to post events, news, volunteer/job opportunities, and advocacy campaigns. Engaged Sierra citizens can browse and choose more opportunities to protect the Sierra that suit their interests and availability. Interested parties can sign up to receive weekly emails with Sierra job announcements, events, or advocacy issues.

By connecting concerned citizens with opportunities to get involved with Sierra conser vation efforts, the Alliance aims to increase our capacity to help make every Sierra ecosystem and community healthy, resilient, and collectively cared for through thriving partnerships, as a legacy for future generations.

The first year of Alliance Monthly Webinars was a success, engaging over a hundred conservation professionals, SNAP and Sierra Corps members, and interested community members. Sierra Nevada Alliance teamed up with regional experts to bring relevant monthly webinars on topics relating to capacity building, fundraising, networking, environmental challenges in the Sierra and more.

Without the ability to connect with our community and network of friends physically, the Alliance continued to engage with a variety of virtual community events and fundraisers. Over 400 people joined the Alliance on Earth Day to enjoy the Virtual Wild and Scenic Film Festival on Tour. Viewers were able to appreciate our plantet and inspire advocacy in their homes, while watching award-winning environmental and adventure films. The Alliance also hosted a Virtual Watercolor Series with Gina Stowell, where 48 participants learned how to draw and watercolor paint beautiful landscapes, migrating songbirds and wildflowers of the Sierra Nevada.

This year the Alliance partnered with San Joaquin River Conservancy and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy to host a free Grant Writing Workshop for Sierra conservation professionals in Fresno. Seventeen conservation professionals attended the workshop, presented by Sierra Nevada Conservancy’s Elissa Brown. Attendees learned the basics of grant writing and had the opportunity to begin to develop a grant proposal. The Alliance also hosted a “NonProfit Budgeting 101” workshop presented by Andrea Drew. Participants gained a better understanding of how to develop project managers and create better engaged boards for informed financial review and decision making.

On February 4th, 2020, the Sierra Nevada Alliance, The Sierra Fund, Sierra Business Council, and Sierra Water Workgroup hosted a successful “Sierra Day in the Capital”. Approximately 55 volunteers and members of the conservation community spent the day learning about important conservation opportunities in this legislative cycle and meeting with 45 Assembly and Senate

Representatives. The Lobby Day aimed to raise the profile of the benefits the Sierra Nevada region provides to all Californians by visiting with Legislators, staff, and state agencies. The effort highlighted the climate resiliency and funding needs of the region with a focus on the development of a climate resilience bond for the November 2020 statewide ballot. This was the first time this type of event occurred in over ten years!

In the Summer of 2020, the Alliance staff, Board Members, and SNAP Alumni members came together to form a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. The goal of the Committee is to address and open up the discussion about the Alliance’s role and actions towards creating an inclusive workplace, as well as how to further uplift and amplify the voices and needs of Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) in our region. We have since been working on revisions to our internal Strategic Plan Value Statements, hiring procedures, and writing grants to improve our work across the Sierra.

Future

This Fall we said goodbye to Sara Monson, our Community Engagement Director. Sara worked as part of the Alliance team for the past 3 years, working directly with our SNAP Program, Member Group Program, Alliance events and fundraising, and authoring our bi-weekly newsletter. She will now be working with the North Tahoe Truckee Transportation Management. We thank Sara for her hardwork and dedication to bringing light to our region and engaging Sierra conservations groups, SNAP members, and Sierra citizens alike in protecting and restoring the Sierra. We are pleased to be able to replace her with Brooke Boeger, a former SNAP Member, who we know will take the reins with ease!

cont. on P6…

Annual Report

Fiscal Year 2019-2020

Community Engagement Program…cont.

Sierra Nevada Alliance’s 2020 Virtual Conference took place September 10th - 11th, 2020. The two-day conference featured panels and workshops led by Sierra conservation leaders and outside the region experts, including keynote speaker and newly elected Board member Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director of the National Wildlife Federation. This year’s theme, “A 2020 Vision for the Sierra Nevada”, gave attendees the opportunity to reflect on the current state of the economy and Covid-related environmental impacts, engage in conversation focused on diverse community priorities related to the Sierra, and crafted a collaborative plan that will guide our collective conservation work.

Alumni Board

This year marked the 13th SNAP cohort for the Alliance. Since 2007, 340 SNAP members have served at over 40 Sierra conservation organizations and agencies. During the 2019-20 SNAP year, the first SNAP Alumni Advisory Board was established. The goals of the Committee were to create a community of past and present SNAP members, provide professional and personal support to SNAP members during service and transition after, as well as to build sustainable partnerships to advocate for diverse participation in our SNAP program. The Board consisted of 3 Alliance staff members, 10 SNAP Alumni, and 5 current SNAP members. A guiding document was created based and is being used to distinguish roles within the Committee and Subcommittees.

Over the course of the year, the Alliance completed an Alumni contact database that invited folks to connect with our network via the Alumni page on the Alliance’s new website. Alumni are able to update their contact information and access resources on National & Community Service Alumni information, how to use the Segal Education Award, the Alliance Job Board, and the SNAP Alumni Facebook Group. In September 2019, Alumni were invited to a SNAP graduation gathering in South Lake Tahoe to reconnect and network with freshly graduated members. In February 2020, SNAP members and regional Alumni gathered for a Happy Hour event in Nevada City. Both current and past members were able to volunteer and enjoy the South Yuba River Citizen Leagues’ Wild and Scenic Film Festival. Members of the Advisory Board continued to take a role in the 2019-2020 SNAP term, holding a grad school panel, participating on our DEI workshops series, supporting SNAP recruitment interviews and offering feedback on current members’ resumes. The coming year offers even more opportunities for member mentorship and innovative virtual gatherings. During these unprecedented SNAP terms, the Alumni Advisory Board will offer wisdom and support to current members adapting to their new work environments.

SNAP Alumni have entered a variety of fields since their service. The top reflecting similar positions in the SNAP program.

2020 Member Groups include:

v American River Conservancy

v American Rivers

v Bishop Paiute Tribe v California Wildlife Foundation/ California Oaks

v California Trout-Sierra Headwaters Program v California Urban Streams Alliance

v California Watershed Network v Center for Sierra Nevada Conservation

v Community Action Project v Defenders of Wildlife

v Eastern Sierra Land Trust (ESLT)

v Foothills Water Network

2020 Member Benefits Include:

v Forest Issues Group v Gold Country Fly Fishers v Mammoth Lakes Recreation v Mono Lake Committee v Mountain Area Preservation Foundation v North Fork American River Alliance v Resource Renewal Institute v Restore Hetch Hetchy v Sequoia Riverlands Trust v Sierra Club Mother Lode Chapter

v Sierra Club Placer Group v Sierra Club Tahoe Area v Sierra Club Sierra Nevada Group

v Sierra Club Yahi Group

Capacity Building and Professional Development for your Organization

v Sierra County Land Trust v Sierra Foothills Audubon Society v Sierra Streams Institute v Snowlands Network v South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) v Sierra Watershed Education Partnerships v Sugar Pine Foundation v UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center v Trout Unlimited Truckee v Truckee Donner Land Trust v Tuolumne River Trust v Upper Merced River Watershed Council v Washoe Meadows Community

v Monthly Webinar Series and Associated Benefits: Monthly Webinar Series and Associated Benefits: Sierra Nevada Alliance teams up with experts to bring you monthly webinars on topics relating to capacity building, fundraising, networking, environmental challenges in the Sierra and more. cont. on P8…

Annual Report

Fiscal Year 2019-2020

Community Engagement Program…cont.

v On Site Workshops:

Sierra Nevada Alliance coordinates a series of workshops for Member Groups in different locations throughout the Sierra. In 2020, the Alliance teamed up with Sierra Nevada Conser vancy to offer a free grant writing workshop in Fresno. The Alliance also offered a free CEQA/ NEPA workshop to 2020 Member Groups employees.

Resources

v Host a Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership Member at a Reduced Rate: Gain invaluable support by building your staff with an AmeriCorps Member. The Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership (SNAP) works to assess and restore impaired watershed habitats and to increase community stewardship of Sierra Nevada watersheds through education and volunteerism. Each year, the Alliance coordinates the placement of 28 full time AmeriCorps Members with conservation organizations throughout the Sierra. For the 2020-21 term, Member Groups pay $12,000 to host a SNAP Member, while Non-Member Groups pay $13,000, and agencies pay $14,250.

v Host a Sierra Corps Forestry Fellow at a Reduced Rate: The Sierra Corps Forestry Fellowship program aims to increase workforce capacity for forest health restoration and biomass utilization projects in the Sierra and Cascades. Beginning in Fall 2019, the Alliance will place six Fellows with partner organizations throughout the region for a year of forest-health related employment. Member Group organizations receive special consideration when applying to host a Sierra Corps Fellow. Member Group organizations pay $24,500 to host a Fellow as opposed to the standard price of $25,000.

v Gain Free Sierra Nevada Alliance Reports, Directories and Toolkits: Alliance Member Groups have access to Alliance monthly webinars and past Alliance publications. Utilize this rich catalogue of Sierra resources to learn about Sierra Ecology topics, organizational capacity building, and more!

Secure a Seat at the Table for Regional and Statewide Issues

v Plan and Participate in the “Sierra Day In the Capitol”: This year the Alliance organized “Sierra Day in the Capitol” in coordination with the Sierra Business Council, Sierra Fund, the Sierra Water Work Group, and Alliance Member Groups. The Lobby Day, on February 4th aimed to raise the profile of the benefits the Sierra Nevada region provides to all Californians by visiting with Legislators, staff, and state agencies. The effort highlighted the climate resiliency and funding needs of the region with a focus on the development of a climate resilience bond for the November 2020 statewide ballot.

v Be Represented in Sierra and Statewide Lobby Efforts: The Alliance represents Member Groups as members of the Sierra Consortium and the California Watershed Network. A portion of Member Group fees support membership in these groups, which have a strong presence at the state capitol and work with lobbyists to advocate for Sierra conservation priorities at the state level.

Reach a Larger Audience

v Post your Events, Action Alerts, and Jobs on the Alliance’s New Website:

In January, the Alliance launched a new website which will serve as a hub for Sierra stewardship. The landing page features Member Group events and advocacy news. Each Member Group is able to log into the website and post their latest events, advocacy issues, and job opportunities. We are working hard to increase traffic to our website and get your events, advocacy news, and jobs the attention that they deser ve. Engage with an entirely new audience of Sierra supporters.

v Use Sierra Nevada Alliance’s Newsletter and Social Media to Widen your Audience:

The Alliance shares Member Group events, advocacy and jobs that are posted on our website in both the biweekly Sierra Resource newsletter, as well as on Alliance social media platforms. Additionally, Sierra Nevada Alliance Member Groups are invited to publish articles about their organization in the Sierra Resource to help inform the Alliance audience about your work and gain new supporters.

v Receive a Subscription to our Electronic Bi-Monthly Sierra Resource E-Newsletters: With the latest articles on Sierra conservation news, events, and notices – we stay up on issues and opportunities from around the state and nation that impact your efforts. Additionally, this year the Alliance started a monthly newsletter specifically for Sierra Nevada Alliance Member Groups with training opportunities, Sierra advocacy news, and comprehensive grant offerings.

v Be Part of Our Online Conservation Directory: Member groups will be highlighted on Sierra Nevada Alliance’s online directory. Use this as a resource to connect with like-minded organizations for collaboration, or utilize it as a tool to encourage interested parties, public or otherwise, to engage with you.

Join a Unique, Synergistic Sierra-Wide Team

v Attend the Alliance Biannual Conference at a Discounted Rate: In September 2020 the Sierra Nevada Alliance hosted our biannual conference. Sierra Nevada Alliance Member Groups received a 25% discount to the Alliance conference and a 50% discount when they renewed or became members by February 29th, 2020. This two-day conference featured panels and workshops led by Sierra Conservation leaders. Attendees were encouraged to network and share ideas about how the Sierra conservation community can work together to optimize Sierra conservation efforts.

v Send Action Alerts: Send out action alerts and petitions to the entire Alliance network including more than 1,000 active individuals who share a passion for natural resources and rural communities.

v Create Stronger Campaigns: Whether it be writing a letter to a board or commission, signing on to a collective position letter, or testifying in support of your issue, the Alliance supports Member Groups’ campaigns whenever possible. In addition, the Alliance will work to facilitate partnerships for greater efficiency, especially amongst like-minded conservation groups.

Join a Unique, Synergistic Sierra-Wide Team

v Attend the Annual Member Group Meeting: Sierra Nevada Alliance hosts a yearly meeting for Member Groups. Member Groups are invited to send representatives from their organizations to attend the member group meeting. At the meeting members will have the opportunity to provide input about the future direction for the Alliance, network with other members, and attend educational sessions.

v Send Action Alerts: Use the Alliance to send out action alerts and petitions to the entire Alliance network including more than 1,000 active individuals who share a passion for natural resources and rural communities.

v Create Stronger Campaigns: Whether it be writing a letter to a board or commission, signing on to a collective position letter, or testifying in support of your issue, the Alliance supports Member Groups’ campaigns whenever possible. In addition, the Alliance will work whenever possible to facilitate partnerships for greater efficiency, especially amongst likeminded conservation groups (i.e.; watershed groups)

Annual Report

Fiscal Year 2019-2020

SNAP Program

The Alliance’s Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership (SNAP) completed its 13th year and launched the 14th year of this incredible program! The two SNAP Programs that ran during this fiscal year (2018-19 and 2019-20) consisted of fifty-six members at 20 nonprofits, environmental agencies and tribes in sixteen cities across the Sierra. Members served from Oroville to Visalia, from Tahoe to Bishop – restoring and assessing watersheds, educating Sierra residents and visitors, and building community stewardship through volunteer support.

Program administered by CaliforniaVolunteers and sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

From a young age, Shannon felt compelled to learn as much as she could about the animals around her. While many of her friends were into things like lions and bears, she was fascinated by the creepy crawlies in her own backyard. She lived in a small suburb at the time and a developing neighborhood. The green space was all around, so the animals were plentiful. She frequently delighted in “catch-and-release” of tree frogs and lizards that lived just off her front porch.

As time went by, the city grew, and her favorite creatures began to disappear. It was becoming more and more difficult to even find a tree frog, much less catch one. By this time, she was just entering high school and learning about ecology and conser vation for the first time. The more that she learned, the more she began to realize that the places she used to find those species were becoming uninhabitable for them, which she concluded was why she was seeing them less frequently.

Since 2007, 397 SNAP Members have

F Restored more than 19,100 watershed acres

F Monitored more than 3,800 sites

F Educated more than 250,000 individuals

F Recruited more than 37,500 volunteers

F Contributed more than 650,000 hours of service

Part of her wanted to justify that it was okay that the animals they were used to seeing were disappearing. They probably had another counterpart that filled the same niche as they did, so why did it matter that we lost them? It was not until college that she learned about the rivet hypothesis. The rivet hypothesis describes an analogy of species to a wing on an airplane. There are many rivets that work to keep the wing attached to the airplane. They all serve the same function, and fill the same “niche”, if you will. If you lose one, the wing is probably not really in danger of falling off. However, if you lose many, the wing will most definitely fall off and result in a plane crash. If we treat the plane as an ecosystem and each rivet as a species that fills a similar niche, we find that redundancy is not necessarily a bad thing. While many species may fill similar roles in an ecosystem, we really need all of them to keep the ecosystem from crashing and burning.

Around the same time that she learned about this, she joined a student organization that focused on advocating and educating about the importance of

SNAP Member Spotlight: Shannon Hedge, Education and Outreach Coordinator, South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL), Nevada City

SNAP 2019-20 Service Term Highlights

During this fiscal year, the Alliance closed out the 13th year of the Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership program, and began the 14th year in October, 2019. This 14th cohort represents the second year of the fifth three-year AmeriCorps grant. During their service term, this team of SNAP members faced unique challenges while continuing to accomplish amazing things for Sierra communities and the environment. With 28 members serving across the range, they collectively contributed over 37,000 hours of service with 17 different organizations and agencies. Seven members are staying on for the 2020-21 SNAP term, to continue creating positive change across the Range of Light.

The 2019-20 SNAP term began on October 16th, 2019, with orientation at Sagehen Creek Field Station in Truckee, where 21 new members joined four returning members for a week of training and service. Coming together from 15 states, members completed multiple restoration projects in collaboration with the Truckee River Watershed Council’s Truckee River Day, supporting projects that included building beaver dam analogues in Martis Valley, planting sugar pine saplings in several northern tributaries of the Truckee River, and building stream-friendly trail structures on a portion of the Emigrant Trail. All members also received environmental education training and certification through Project WET, and learned about California Fire Ecology with staff from the University of California’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The cohort reconvened in January 2020, to support SYRCL’s Wild and Scenic Film Festival in Nevada City, complete restoration work on Deer Creek with Sierra Streams Institute, and host a second alumni event with the many SNAP alumni who attend the Film Festival each year.

In March 2020, the COVID pandemic forced cancellation of planned in-person training in Butte County and delayed the anticipated start of half-term members in early April. Members pivoted with their service plans, adapting education and community programming to virtual platforms, stepping up their dedication to field work to fill the void by cancelled volunteer events and creating innovative and impactful outreach strategies to maintain engagement and fulfill the needs of their host sites and communities. Through several iterations of modifications to half-term service plans, SNAP was able to bring

on three quarter-term members at the beginning of June, serving 450 hours each, with three Sierra host sites. The quarter-term members quickly integrated into their host sites, providing much-needed capacity, creativity and enthusiasm during a difficult time for small organizations to stay afloat. The entire cohort came together virtually to close out their service term in August 2020, details of which will be shared in the next annual report!

Throughout their 11 months of service, the 2019-20 SNAP cohort made an incredible impact on the watersheds and communities they serve in the Sierra. They faced unprecedented challenges and found innovative solutions in the challenging second half of their term. During this term, SNAP members:

v Restored over 800 acres

v Monitored nearly 2000 sites

v Educated over 9,000 children and community members, many through newly created digital platforms

v Engaged over 1000 new volunteers

v Raised over $54,000 in cash resources and over $2,800 in in-kind resources for their service projects at host sites

The 2020-21 term brings with it some changes in our partners, positions and projects as we all adapt to current restrictions and shifting priorities. We bid farewell to some of our host sites, but we hope to continue collaborating in other ways and look forward to adding more positions for half-term service in the spring of 2021. We continue to work on creative ways to support and engage our members and host sites through virtual settings, and are continuing to evaluate our program to improve capacity building and service opportunities. We welcome your feedback and inquiry into the program and look forward to a unique and impactful year #15 of SNAP!

We are incredibly grateful to the generous funders who help to support the SNAP program: CaliforniaVolunteers, the Joseph and Vera Long Foundation, the Rose Foundation, and Patagonia.

Annual Report

Fiscal Year 2019-2020

SNAP…cont.

diversity and inclusion of people from different backgrounds on campus. While she had been previously fixated on the importance of biodiversity, she realized that diversity in human populations is just as important. she found herself with two passions, one for the environment and one for social justice.

She tried to follow what she thought in her gut was what she had always wanted to do in working in conservation doing research. She frequently felt frustrated feeling like she wasn’t making much of a visible difference and craved the interaction with people that she was so lacking. In addition to this, she began to realize how uniform the workforce was in natural resources. As much as we preached for preservation of biodiversity, the diversity of humans was severely lacking.

She felt compelled to do something to better our world. She began looking for other positions and stumbled upon the Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership. She feels honored to have been chosen to serve 11 months as the Education and Outreach Coordinator at South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL), an organization focused on preserving nature through community action. For the first time in a while, she feels like she is where she is supposed to be. Working with the community has been a wonderful experience and being able to outreach to people of all backgrounds to get them involved with caring for the environment is a gift that she could not be more grateful for. At SYRCL they say that they believe that people can save a river. With the beliefs she’s built up over time, she doesn’t think she could agree more. She will continue to push for the preservation of diversity across the board, whether it’s in species, habitat, or people.

We are thrilled to have Shannon as a member of our SNAP Alumni Board and returning to serve a second term with SYRCL and SNAP in the 2020-21 term!

Sierra Corps Forestry Fellowship Program: from zero to COVID

Over the past year, the Alliance has designed and implemented our newest initiative, the Sierra Corps Forestry Fellowship Program. Despite COVID-19 interruptions and challenges to our work and plans, we have successfully initiated this meaningful capacity building program to increase forest health resilience in the Sierra. With a Timber Regulation and Forest Restoration Fund grant from Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC), the Alliance was able to hire a new Program Director, Nicole Lutkemuller in August 2019, to implement the Sierra Corps Program. Initially, we received funding to hire six Fellows over two years, but in December 2019 the Alliance was awarded a second grant from SNC through CalFire’s Regional Forestry and Fire Capacity Program to expand the program and hire an additional five Fellows over two years. The goal of Sierra Crops is to build a workforce development program that increases the capacity of land managers, local agencies, and nonprofits to work together in planning, funding, and implementing forest health and wildfire prevention projects. In addition to building capacity for partner organizations, the Program aims to mentor and develop future leaders (Fellows) in the forest health industry for the Sierra.

The Sierra Corps Program is modeled after the Alliance’s Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership Program (SNAP) where the Alliance partners with Host Sites throughout the Sierra and hires Fellows to work directly with the Host Sites. Key differences between the SNAP and Sierra Corps Program are that Sierra Corps is not affiliated with AmeriCorps and that project work is a bit more narrowly focused than SNAP on forestry, wildfire resilience and biomass utilization. In the Fall of 2019, the Alliance partnered with six organizations and established five Host Sites to participate in the inaugural year of the Program. Our first group of Host Sites includes American Forests, Calaveras Healthy Impact Product Solutions (CHIPS), Eastern California Water Association (ECWA), Eldorado National Forest (EDNF), Feather River Resource Conservation District (FRRCD), and Yosemite Sequoia Resource Conservation and Development Council (YSRCDC). Three of these Host Sites are working in partnership with American Forests to host a Fellow. American Forests partnered with ECWA, EDNF, and YSRCDC to host, manage, and mentor their Fellows.

Katie Reidy

Luis Vidal

Marion Charneau

Rubie Teffeteller

Thurman Roberts

Annual Report

Fiscal Year 2019-2020

Sierra Corps Forestry Program…cont.

The five inaugural Fellows were hired and started working in January 2020. Thurman Roberts was hired with CHIPS, Marlon Charneau with ECWA, Luis Vidal with EDNF, Katie Reidy with FRRCD and Rubie Teffeteller with YSRCDC. Fellows’ work so far has included:

F Managing millions of dollars in grant funded forest restoration projects

F Building capacity for project planning and prioritization through stakeholder engagement and facilitation

F Conducting needs/capacity assessments for RFFC grants

F Leveraging over $50,000 of in-kind match

F Monitoring and restoring over 2000 acres of forests in the Sierra

F Engaging over 100 different stakeholder groups and individuals throughout the Sierra

F Attending grant writing, CEQA/NEPA, prescribed fire, project management, nonprofit budget management, and diversity, equity and inclusion culture trainings

The Alliance is excited to continue to build and expand this program through the next two years. Fellow Thurman Roberts, who was promoted from a field crew position into his Fellowship with CHIPS, shared the following story in his second quarterly report:

“A great story from work would have to be the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) funded Upper Mokelumne River

Watershed Habitat Restoration and Defense Project that I have worked on from initial planning meetings to site visits, development of field prescriptions, crew recruitment and leadership development, field preparation, to implementation, monitoring, photo-documentation, mapping, requesting grant advances, invoicing, and reporting. Taken together, I have achieved a significant milestone in my Fellowship. Moving from a field crewmember to an administrator has required me to learn and quickly adapt. Time spent scouting the WCB project with our Registered Professional Forester has provided many hours of learning local environmental histories, fauna and flora, and helped to give a better understanding of project implementation, management, and prescription interpretation. Working with the USFS Amador Ranger District has allowed me to learn about the development and application of silvicultural prescriptions. Collaborating with ACCG’s monitoring workgroup has provided opportunities to learn monitoring techniques and technical protocols, soon to be followed with the actual monitoring.”

Fellows at an orientation at CalFire site visitJanuary 2020

Climate Resiliency Program

For the second consecutive year, the Sierra Nevada Alliance hosted two CivicSpark AmeriCorps Climate Fellows, Meredith Anderson and Sam Ruderman. The pair successfully completed their second terms and continued to push climate initiatives forward in the Lake Tahoe and Truckee areas, while expanding the technical capacity of the Alliance to model this work across Sierra Nevada communities. Their work focused primarily on projects for the City of South Lake Tahoe, South Tahoe Public Utility District, and Tahoe Truckee Unified School District.

In 2017, the City of South Lake Tahoe became the first jurisdiction in the Sierra Nevada to pass a 100% Renewable Resolution, paving the way for other jurisdictions to follow. The Resolution committed the City to a number of renewable energy and emissions reduction goals, which laid the groundwork for the projects that Meredith and Sam worked on. After completing community-wide and government operations greenhouse gas emissions inventories for 2015 and 2018, Meredith and Sam began the development process for the City’s first Climate Action Plan.

The Fellows also continued to facilitate the SEED (Solar Energy and Economic Development) Fund project, a Sierra Nevada regional collaborative solar procurement program designed for public agencies. The project moved forward with a release of the Request for Proposals in May 2020, and proposals were evaluated thereafter. In addition to their work with the City, Meredith and Sam were able to provide technical assistance to the South Tahoe Public Utility District through the completion of greenhouse gas emissions inventories of District operations for the years 2015-2018, and performed energy analyses comparing the performance of District water pumps to inform a data tracking system moving forward. Expanding the Climate Resiliency Program’s reach to the north shore of Lake Tahoe, the Fellows also worked with the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District to revise their Energy Conservation Guidelines to include current best practices regarding energy and water conservation.

The Alliance is thrilled to continue participating as a host site for the CivicSpark program, and is looking forward to the new Climate Fellow, Jackson Realo, beginning his service term in September 2020. He will continue working with the City of South Lake Tahoe on renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, in addition to beginning the implementation process of the newly adopted Climate Action Plan.

Sam Ruderman

Meredith Anderson

Celebrating 25 Years of Accomplishments

The following is a brief timeline of some key highlights of our 25 years:

1991

Tom Knudson’s Pulitzer Prize winning series of articles entitled “Sierra in Peril” prompts statewide attention to the oft forgotten Sierra.

1992 First Board Meeting of the Sierra Nevada Alliance and the Alliance is incorporated in 1993 as a charitable organization.

1993 Laurel Ames is hired as the first Executive Director and 10-12 member groups join!

1994 First Annual Conference at Mammoth Lakes. Alliance conference grows over the years to over 200 participants and keynotes from renowned authors, state leaders, and national conservation directors.

1995 Engages public participation in the congressionally funded Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project.

1996

Sierra Nevada Alliance receives first private foundation grant.

1997 Sierra Futures Fund begins and over next 5 years $30,000 mini-grants are given to 25 groups.

1999 Alliance Co-Sponsored Range Rides with California Cattleman’s Association and California Rangeland Trust and supports the West Point Renewal Project with Foothill Conservancy.

Alliance releases first major publication, Watershed Council Toolkit

2000 The Watershed Principles created by the Alliance and Regional Council of Rural Counties are adopted by the State.

Sierra Nevada Alliance begins convening the first meetings of land trusts in the region that spawns the SierraCascade Land Trust Council

2001 The first Watershed Director is hired.

The Sierra Land-Use Handbook is released.

2002 Alliance completes 8 regional meetings in one year.

Sierra Nevada Alliance joins Ski Area Citizens Coalition and releases First Ski Area Citizens Coalition Report Card in Sierra and California garnering statewide media attention. This goes on to become an Annual Event, garnering national attention and over 500 articles on ski area environmental performance over the years.

2003 Alliance produces and releases at news conferences throughout California Troubled Waters of the Sierra showcasing how all Sierra rivers are impaired and polluted and calling for increased state investment in watershed restoration and protection in the region.

The Alliance established a new electronic alert system, issuing alerts to hundreds of individuals and groups on cutting edge conservation issues from our network of activists around the range. This continues through FY 1213, providing over 200 alerts since it began.

2004 After three years of legislative effort, The Sierra Nevada Conservancy legislation passes thanks to Alliance, The Sierra Fund, Sierra Business Council, Sierra Cascade Land Trust and other allies! The Alliance receives award from The Sierra Fund for helping create the new Conservancy.

2005

Completes training of over 150 water quality monitors on 7 watersheds in the Sierra with the assistance of SYRCL. This goes on over the years, creating over 9 ongoing watershed monitoring programs throughout the Sierra.

First Sierra Climate Change Toolkit released. Over the years three editions are released and over 2000 copies distributed. Publication recognized by state and United Nations as cutting edge resource on climate adaptation. Over 20 groups take the pledge to champion GHG reductions and climate change adaptation.

Sierra Nevada Alliance releases report Planning for the Future, chronicling growth and development threatening our rural way of life and ecosystems. News conferences held throughout the State, with stories appearing in over 80 newspapers including: San Francisco Chronicle, LA Times, and Washington Post.

2006 Celebrates Mariposa General Plan adoption that helps save 37,000 acres of open space and includes model elements. The plan was helped to pass thanks to the teamwork of the Mariposans for the Environment and Responsible Government (MERG), the Alliance, Laurie Oberholtzer and Tom Infusino.

2006 Releases State of Sierra Waters: A Sierra Nevada Watersheds Index. Simultaneous press conferences were held in San Francisco, Sacramento and Reno and a total of fourteen televisions stations, seven radio stations, and sixteen newspapers carried the story (including a front-page, above-the- fold article in the Reno Gazette-Journal).

2007

Alliance hosts first Sierra IRWM Conference in Sacramento, bringing together IRWM leaders for the first time. Alliance celebrates completion of first Clean Water Act 319h grant, in which we regranted funds to more than 25 watershed efforts in the Sierra, produced a restoration guide, and provided funding and guidance for community demonstration projects, which included tours for hundreds of Sierra residents.

Alliance releases report at four news conferences called Dangerous Development: Wildfire and Rural Sprawl in the Sierra Nevada, which reviewed how wildfire and population growth are on a collision course and how current land-use policies fail at-risk communities. The story reaches a national audience through an NPR story and AP stories nationwide, in addition to ten local TV stories.

Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership founded. SNAP members complete first year monitoring 389 sites, restoring over 4100 acres, educating 30,000 individuals, and recruiting over 3300 volunteers.

2008

Alliance watershed program launches new Sierra Nevada Yard and Garden project, beginning distribution of new Guide and training community homeowner consultation programs. This continues on throughout the years, creating demonstration gardens, home consultation programs, distributing over 2500 guides, and working with Truckee, providing over 180 unique workbooks for homeowners resulting in over 100 best practices being implemented.

The Alliance releases new resource with the Local Government Commission called Planning for Water-Wise Development in the Sierra and then conducts six Land & Water policy forums throughout the region, as well as presentations at the Calaveras Planning Summit, 2009 National River Rally in Baltimore, and the Sierra Business Council conference.

The California Adaptation Strategy adopted principles for adaptation that were symbiotic with Alliance principles to ensure we protect natural resources while sustaining healthy communities.

The Alliance also launched a new collaborative effort called the Sierra Water Work Group to champion Sierra water issues and coordinate among plans, agencies, and NGOs and share strategies and best practices for protecting Sierra waters. The SWWG continues to this day and now the Alliance hosts an annual Summit on integrated water management for local and state water agencies, conser vation leaders, tribes, and attorneys.

2009 The Sierra Spokes free sustainability e-newsletter was launched.

The Regional Climate Change Program helps shape a strong Sierra Nevada Conservancy Climate Action Plan for the entire Sierra region, the first of its kind!

The Alliance’s leadership with our Sierra Climate Change Adaptation Principles inspired the California Adaptation Strategy to adopt similar principles for the entire state.

2010 The Sustainable Sierra Communities Program secured an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer and designed a new model sustainability project, EmPower El Dorado, that helped homeowners save money and protect their health, as well as save energy and water. This project reached over 200 residents and provided consultations to 49 homeowners on ways to improve their home, producing lessons on how to replicate this effort in the Sierra.

2011 The Regional Climate Change Program founded the first Sierra Community Organizer Academy which 25 activists attended to learn effective campaigning. This becomes an Annual Sierra event and trains over 75 conser vation leaders as of 2013.

The Regional Climate Change Program also organized a Sierra Meadow Forum with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, sharing cutting-edge strategies to restore the meadow ecosystems of the region.

2012 Celebrates that through partnership with the Truckee River Watershed Council, our Truckee River Friendly Landscaping project had over 100 river-friendly practices implemented by homeowners, over 180 unique home workbooks provided to homeowners, and over 1800 Sierra Yard and Garden Guides distributed throughout Truckee.

2013 We celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Alliance with Bill McKibben as as the keynote speaker at our annual conference.

2015

SNAP Member Sara Kokkelenberg was named the Catherine Milton California AmeriCorps Member of the Year.

2016 We concluded the 10th year of the SNAP program.

2017 The Alliance organized and facilitated community grassroots coalitions that achieved 100% renewable energy resolutions from the cities of South Lake Tahoe, Nevada City, and Truckee.

2018

Received our fifth 3-year SNAP grant, supporting continuation of the program into 2021.

2019 Received seed funding from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and initiated a forest health workforce development program.

Fiscal Year 2019-2020

Balance Sheet

June 30, 2019

Assets

Cash $ 445,012

Accounts Receivable $ Property and Equip $ 52,246

Restricted Cash $ –

Prepaid Other $ 3,633

Assets

Liabilities and Net Assets

Support and Revenue

500,891

Accounts Payable $ 1,092

Accrued Payroll $ 12,001

Deferred Revenue $ 229,745 Other Liabilities - Loans $ 176,054

Total Liabilities $ 418,892

With restrictions $ 500 Without restrictions $ 81,500

Temporarily Restricted & Net Assets . . . . $ 82,000

Total Liabilities and Net Assets . . . . . . . . $ 500,891

Financial Statement

July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020

Support and Revenue

Sierra Keepers/Board/Major Donors $ 12,123

Conference and Events $ 11,853

Contributions $ 31,728

Foundations $ 74,874

Government Loans - IDEL & PPP $ 183,841

Grants $ 721,245 In-Kind $ 80,174

Member Groups $ 7,381

Sales/Miscellaneous $ 629

Revenue

Expenses

1,123,848

Personnel and Benefits $ 411,338

Conference/Events and Facilities $ 5,629

Consultants & Sub Contractors $ 71,178

In-Kind $ 80,174

Operating $ 67,932

Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership $ 505,676

Travel/Training $ 7,995

Expenses

1,149,922

Friends of the Sierra Nevada Alliance

The Alliance would like to extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported our work in 2019-2020. Together, we have accomplished a lot on behalf of the Sierra.

2019-2020 Foundations

Latrobe Foundation

Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation

Artnz Family Foundation Long Foundation Patagonia

Matterhorn Peak sPonsor ($5,000-$9,999)

Chatten-Brown, Carstens & Minteer LLP

Mount ritter sPonsor ($1,000-$4,999)

Shute, Mihaly, & Weinberger LLP.

Freel Peak sPonsors

($250-$999)

The Sierra Fund

Sierra Business Council

A to Z Insurance

sierra keePers ($500+)

Nicole and Nicole Cartwright

Hollis Lenderking

Sam Mudie

Terry Manning

Jane Hiatt

Standish and Anne O’Grady Karl and Laura Hinrichs

Christina Witsberger

Jan Chatten-Brown

Jeff and Margaret Hatch Pierre and Laura Zado

Pika Protectors

($50-$499)

Thomas Herman Denni and Judy Hengen

Deborah Levine Wayne Jackson

Andrea Thoennessen

Nancy Disalvio

Heather Stern

Michael Diggles

Christine Barton

Kerstin Block

BonnieHarvey Stark

Jeffrey Erdoes

Hugh Rothman

Laurel Prevetti

Rich Sammon

Kelly Fullerton Gail Rothman

Robert Kutner Michael Grace

Frank Nowell

Julianne Nameth

Drew and Margaret Robarts

Peter and Peter Sinclaire

Oscar Balaguer

Jeff Erdoes

Norine Hegy

Judy Guinn

Catherine O’Riley

Sharon Cavallo

Paul Bettelheim

Craig Ritchey

Sylvia Sherman

Richard Harvey Chris, Chris and Chris Wright

Ron Lunder

Ken Smith

John Kinnear Stephanie Mooers

Join us in Sierra Conservation!

Diana Hall

Irene Sakaishi

Benjamin Sher Clifford Anderson A.R. Gutowsky John Moore

Susan Chandler

John Beyer

Helen Hobart William Patterson Thomas Harder

Judy Suter

Maria Mircheva Lois Harter Patricia Schulz Susan Stevenson Karl Pister Tobi Tyler Hugh Safford Pam and Loyd Evans Donald and Patricia Malberg Pat, Tom and Tom Martens Tim and Sandy McFarren Harold and Pam Singer

Steve Haze Faith and Piers Strailey George Tanner Stephen and Joyce Arnon William and Karen Babula Mignon and Gerald Gregg John, Alice and Alice Trinkl Hillary and Stewart Bittman William and Diane Nico Justin Chatten-Brown Henk and Peitje Vreman

Barbara Reid Ziggy and Jesse Bregman

Sandy Briggs Rich and Joan Phillips Ann Harmon

Peter, Nancy and Nancy Hussmann

Carolyn Pretzer

Parker and Joan Wood

Bonnie Turnbull

Geri Stout

Adam SaFir

David Reneau

Katie Rutherford

Debra and Debra Lawlor

John Morse

Geoff McQuilkin

Caroline Hickson

Diana Exline

Janet Seidman-Domas

Christopher Pederson

Edward Heneveld

Grace Anderson

Steven White

Cynthia Archer Bruce Horn Dave McNulty Edward Munyak Flint Ellsworth Gerhard E. Hahne Marcus Libkind

Lisa Scoralle Carlos Davidson Marshall Hamilton Christal Waters

Janet Feil Gordon Polon William McKee Diana Schwab

Paul Ogden Catherine Schoen brian loring Justin Denney Christina Frohlich Bruce Goff

Did you know there are many ways to contribute to the Alliance? Whether you’re interested in becoming an individual member, sponsoring an event or making a planned gift, we have a multitude of giving options that are flexible and convenient for everyone. Every dollar makes a difference and serves as the lifeblood of our organization. Your much-needed gifts sustain and support Sierra-wide conservation and restoration. Visit our website to learn more! www.sierranevadaalliance.org/donate/

Sierra Nevada Alliance

P O Box 7989

South Lake Tahoe, CA 96158