The Sierra Fund

THE SIERRA FUND MISSION IS TO RESTORE ECOSYSTEM AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCY IN THE SIERRA NEVADA. WE RELY ON THE PRINCIPLES OF SCIENCE, STEWARDSHIP, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, AND POLICY ADVOCACY TO PROMOTE HEADWATER RESILIENCY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND COMMUNITIES IMPACTED BY THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. WE IDENTIFY, ARTICULATE, ASSESS AND IMPLEMENT WAYS TO ADDRESS THESE LASTING IMPACTS AS DEMONSTRATED IN THE BODY OF WORK THAT WE HAVE DEVELOPED SINCE OUR FOUNDING IN 2001.

CELEBRATED THE SIERRA FUNDS 20TH ANNIVERSARY: THE SIERRA FUND CELEBRATED AN IMPRESSIVE TRACK RECORD! OVER 20 YEARS, THE ORGANIZATION ATTRACTED OVER $100 MILLION IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INVESTMENTS; WAS A CRITICAL LEADER IN HELPING TO ESTABLISH THE SIERRA NEVADA CONSERVANCY, WHICH HAS TO DATE LEVERAGED OVER $120 MILLION IN STATE FUNDING; WON A MORATORIUM ON SUCTION DREDGE MINING, A PRACTICE THAT POLLUTES OUR RIVERS AND STREAMS; AND ADVANCED POLICIES AND REFORMS THAT BETTER PROTECT OUR HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT FROM PAST MININGS TOXIC LEGACY. AN EVENING RECEPTION IN SACRAMENTO ON APRIL 6 APPRECIATED ALL DONORS, LEGISLATIVE PARTNERS, FELLOW CONSERVATION LEADERS, AND SUPPORTERS WHO MADE THIS POSSIBLE, AND THE SIERRA FUND HONORED RETIRED CEO, IZZY MARTIN, WITH A GOLDEN PINECONE AWARD.DEVELOPED NEW APPROACH TO ADDRESS WILDFIRE AND MINE REMEDIATION: THE SIERRA FUND IS CREATING AN INNOVATIVE NEW APPROACH TO RESTORE HYDRAULIC MINE SITES, REDUCE FUEL LOAD TO ADDRESS WILDFIRES, STORE CARBON, AND PREVENT MERCURY RUNOFF. CURRENTLY, FUEL LOAD REDUCTION PROJECTS AVOID THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF HYDRAULIC MINE-IMPACTED AREAS IN THE SIERRA BECAUSE OF THE DIFFICULTIES ASSESSING THESE HISTORICALLY IMPACTED SITES. THE SIERRA FUND, IN 2022, PARTNERED WITH TAHOE NATIONAL FOREST TO INTEGRATE HYDRAULIC MINE REMEDIATION INTO FUEL LOAD REDUCTION FOR WILDFIRE PROTECTION, PILOTING A NEW APPROACH AT THE GRIZZLY CREEK MINE SITE. STAFF DESIGNED AND CONDUCTED APPLIED RESEARCH USING BIOCHAR A FILTER-LIKE CHARCOAL PRODUCT MADE FROM SMALL-DIAMETER TREES. THE SIERRA FUND COMPLETED THE INSTALLATION OF TEST PLOTS AND CONDUCTED RAINFALL SIMULATIONS TO QUANTIFY HOW EFFECTIVE BIOCHAR IS AT TRAPPING AND STORING SEDIMENT, INCLUDING PARTICULATE-BOUND MERCURY, THAT WOULD OTHERWISE FLOW OFF OF MINE SITES DURING STORM EVENTS INTO DOWNSTREAM WATER SOURCES. THIS APPROACH ALSO RESTORES SOIL HEALTH AND CAPTURES CARBON AND IS COST-EFFECTIVE TO DO IN TANDEM WITH THE FUEL LOAD REDUCTION WORK. PARTNERED WITH TRIBES TO ADVANCE PRIORITY PROJECTS: THE SIERRA FUND PARTNERED WITH TRIBES ON SOME OF THEIR PRIORITY PROJECTS ON THEIR ANCESTRAL HOMELANDS. IN PRIOR YEARS THE SIERRA FUND HAD A SERIES OF LISTENING SESSIONS AND THIS YEAR THE SIERRA FUND FOCUSED ON ADVANCING PROJECTS THAT OUR TRIBAL PARTNERS REQUESTED OUR TIME AND EFFORT ON FOR FUNDRAISING OR PROJECT DESIGN. THE SIERRA FUND CONTINUED DESIGN AND PERMITTING WORK ON THE TRIBUTE TRAIL WITH OUR PARTNER CALIFORNIA HERITAGE: INDIGENOUS RESEARCH PROJECT (NISENAN) AND HAVE HOPES TO CELEBRATE COMPLETION IN 2023. THE SIERRA FUND WROTE GRANTS AND SECURED HALF A MILLION IN FUNDING THIS YEAR FOR THE CALIFORNIA HERITAGE: INDIGENOUS RESEARCH PROJECT AND THE COLFAX TODDS VALLEY CONSOLIDATED TRIBE FOR WATER ACCESS IMPROVEMENTS AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING FUELS REDUCTION AND NATIVE PLANT PROPAGATION.TRAINED RESTORATION LEADERS IN NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS TO MEADOW RESTORATION: THE SIERRA FUND IS LEADING EFFORTS TO TRAIN UP RESTORATION PRACTITIONERS IN BEST PRACTICES FOR RESTORING DEGRADED MEADOWS. MEADOWS ARE CRITICAL NATURAL AREAS THAT, WHEN HEALTHY, HELP RETAIN WATER LONGER INTO THE SEASON AND BENEFIT MANY SPECIES. MEADOWS CAN EVEN HELP SLOW FIRES, GIVING FIREFIGHTERS A BETTER CHANCE OF PROTECTING A COMMUNITY (AS EVIDENCED IN 2021 NEAR MARKLEEVILLE). FINALLY, HEALTHY MEADOWS STORE MORE CARBON PER ACRE THAN FORESTS IMPORTANT AS WE WORK TO AVOID CATASTROPHIC CLIMATE CHANGE. IN 2022, THE SIERRA FUND WAS THE LEAD ORGANIZER FOR TWO REGION-WIDE MEADOW RESTORATION-RELATED TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES. THE SIERRA FUND ORGANIZED TWO THREE-DAY SIERRA MEADOWS WETLAND & RIPARIAN AREA MONITORING PLAN PROTOCOLS FIELD TRAININGS (ONE IN YOSEMITE) AND CO-CONVENED THE FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND TRAINING ON PROCESS-BASED RESTORATION WITH OVER 50 TRIBAL MEMBERS, CONSERVATIONISTS, AND STUDENTS ATTENDING. ONE FUN ELEMENT OF OUR NATURE-BASED APPROACH IS TRAINING OTHERS ON HOW TO INSTALL BEAVER DAM ANALOGS (MAN-MADE BEAVER DAMS) TO REWET MEADOWS AND RESTORE HEALTHY MEADOW FUNCTION. TRUE SUCCESS IS WHEN BEAVER DAM ANALOGS ALLOW WILLOWS TO REGROW, AND REAL BEAVERS SHOW UP AT THAT POINT TO TAKE OVER.CONNECTED CITIES AND COUNTIES TO RESOURCES TO CLEAN UP ABANDONED MINE LANDS: THE SIERRA FUND REACHED OUT TO CONNECT CITIES AND COUNTIES TO NEEDED CLEAN-UP FUNDING FOR MINE-IMPACTED LANDS, TO BETTER PROTECT OUR HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT. THE SIERRA FUND IDENTIFIED THE BEST CONTACTS IN CITIES AND COUNTIES THROUGHOUT THE REGION AND RESEARCHED POTENTIAL BROWNFIELDS PROJECTS RELATED TO ABANDONED MINE LANDS. ABANDONED MINE BROWNFIELDS ARE SITES WITH POTENTIAL CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL HAZARDS THAT COULD BE REUSED OR REDEVELOPED IF ASSESSED AND CLEANED UP. TO SUPPORT CITIES AND COUNTIES IN CLEANING UP BROWNFIELDS FOR REUSE, THE SIERRA FUND CREATED A FACTSHEET AND WEBPAGES TO SHARE FUNDING INFORMATION AND OTHER BROWNFIELDS RESOURCES. THE SIERRA FUND HELPED ORGANIZE A PUBLIC MEETING WITH PARTNERS IN NEVADA CITY AND GRASS VALLEY THAT HIGHLIGHTED RESOURCES BY THE U.S. EPA, AND CALLED AND EMAILED CITIES AND COUNTIES IN THE SIERRA TO ALERT THEM TO THESE RESOURCES. THE SIERRA FUND LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THIS WORK TO EXPAND THE NUMBER OF CLEAN-UPS THAT CITIES AND COUNTIES TAKE ON.ADVOCATED FOR INCREASED STATE INVESTMENTS TO SCALE UP WILDFIRE PROTECTION WORK: THE INCREASED SEVERITY OF FIRE THREATENS OUR COMMUNITIES SAFETY, WATER SUPPLY, WILDLIFE HABITAT, CARBON STORES, NATIVE AMERICAN SACRED SITES, RECREATION, AND LOCAL ECONOMIES. THIS YEAR THE SIERRA FUND PARTNERED WITH SIERRA FOREST LEGACY, SIERRA INSTITUTE FOR COMMUNITIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT, AND AMERICAN RIVER CONSERVANCY TO HIRE AN ADVOCACY TEAM IN SACRAMENTO TO CHAMPION INCREASING THE SCALE OF OUR RESPONSE TO PROGRESSIVELY INTENSE AND LARGE WILDFIRES AND TO INCORPORATE BEST PRACTICES FOCUSED ON BUILDING WILDFIRE RESILIENT ECOSYSTEMS AND COMMUNITIES. THE SIERRA FUND WANTS WILDFIRE PREVENTION EFFORTS TO BE MORE HOLISTIC AND EMPLOY COMMUNITY-SCALE APPROACHES. AS PART OF THIS, THE SIERRA FUND CHAMPIONED INCREASING THE STATE BUDGET ALLOCATIONS FOR PRESCRIBED FIRE TRAINING CENTERS, LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION AND IMPROVED FIRE MAPPING, MORE FUNDS FOR A PRESCRIBED FIRE LIABILITY FUND, AND GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY-SCALED WOOD UTILIZATION AND ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT. THE SIERRA FUND AND PARTNERS DID NOT GET EVERYTHING WE ASKED BUT WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH FOR INCREASED INVESTMENT IN SMART FOREST HEALTH APPROACHES AND FUEL TREATMENTS THAT INCLUDE HYDRAULIC MINE REMEDIATION.