Northern Sierra

Wetlands in the Sierra Valley
© Timothy Wolcott

World-renowned for its majestic beauty, the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range boasts such famous landmarks as Yosemite Valley, Lake Tahoe, Kings Canyon National Park, Giant Sequoia National Monument, and Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the continental United States. Within the Sierra Nevadas lies the Northern Sierra Project, a landscape-scale endeavor that reflects the unique and ambitious approach of The Nature Conservancy.

In 2000, the Conservancy launched the Northern Sierra Project to protect the mountain valleys, meadows, wetlands, and aquatic and riparian communities that represent the area's unique natural diversity.

Location
The Northern Sierra Project is located in the northern portion of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The Project Area stretches from Lake Tahoe to the southern border of the Lassen National Park. Map

Size
The Northern Sierra Project Area is nearly 700,000 acres.

Plants
The Sierra Nevada is the most botanically diverse region for its size in all of North America north of Mexico. There are more than 3,500 plant species in the region, and of these approximately 400 are found nowhere else in the world. Within the Northern Sierra Project there are dozens of rare and beautiful plants including the Washoe pine and Sierra Valley ivesia.

Animals
The Sierra Nevada is rich in wildlife, and many animals occur in the Northern Sierra Project, including mountain lion, mule deer, badger, mountain yellow-legged frogs, and Lahontan cutthroat trout. The wet meadows along the Little Truckee River support the state-endangered willow flycatcher. The natural wetlands of Sierra Valley are a summer home to greater sandhill cranes, white faced ibis, long-billed curlew, Wilson's phalaropes, black-headed terns, and many species of waterfowl and shorebird. During the fall months in Sierra Valley, migratory raptors appear, including Swainson's hawks, rough-legged hawks, prairie falcons, peregrine falcons, and bald eagles.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
The Northern Sierra Nevada contains the largest and most important wetlands of the entire Sierra Nevada Ecoregion. These wetlands help support the greatest abundance and diversity of bird life anywhere in the Sierra Nevada. In addition, the mountain valleys in the Northern Sierra Project contain the finest remaining wet meadows and riparian corridors of the Northern Sierra Nevada Mountains. The wetlands, wet meadows, and riparian corridors of the Northern Sierra Project are privately owned, and threatened by the rapid pace of change in California.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing

Land acquisition and conservation easements are the first steps toward protecting the wetlands and wet meadows of the Northern Sierra Nevada.

Conservation easements allow landowners to continue using their property, but permanently rule out subdivision, development, or other detrimental land-use practices.
Outright acquisition allows the Conservancy to manage a property intensively to restore and enhance natural values.

Thus far, the Conservancy has protected three properties that cover approximately 14,000 acres. The Conservancy is in the process of protecting additional properties through conservation easement and outright acquisition. In addition, we are also working with local land trusts, government agencies, and private landowners to implement collaborative, habitat-friendly land management strategies.