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NSP press event

View towards north fork of the American River from a point near Serene Lakes
View toward north fork of the American River from a point near Serene Lakes, Sierra Nevada. © Treve Johnson

Go Deeper

Northern Sierra Project
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. Read more about the Conservancy's Northern Sierra Project.

Snow carpets meadow and conifer forest surrounding the Little Truckee River

Governor Schwarzenegger announced the launch of a public agency task force whose role will be the oversight of public investments in the Sierra Nevada.

Citing the effectiveness of the Northern Sierra Partnership, of which the Conservancy is a founding member, the governor stressed the importance of public-private partnerships to protect the northern Sierra, one of California’s most critical water resources. In fact, more than 65 percent of Californians receive some portion of their water from the northern Sierra.

The task force is headed by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, a public agency created by the governor in 2004, which will coordinate government activities and expenditures with local private organizations such as the Northern Sierra Partnership.

A Unique Alliance

Formed in 2007, the Northern Sierra Partnership, brought together by the Morgan Family Foundation, is a unique alliance of five nonprofit organizations devoted to timely conservation of the more than 100,000 acres of the region’s most valuable lands and waters.

Extending from south of Lake Tahoe to Lassen Volcanic National Park, this region is known throughout the world for its rugged beauty, rich biodiversity, year-round recreational opportunities and plentiful timber, and as an irreplaceable high-quality water supply for California.

Governor Schwarzenegger singled out the Partnership and The David and Lucile Packard Foundation for their efforts to raise nearly $25 million during the first phase of the project. The Partnership, which hopes to attract greater public and private conservation funding to the region, aims to raise $100 million in private funds over the next five to ten years.

The Northern Sierra Partnership, consisting of The Nature Conservancy, Truckee Donner Land Trust, Sierra Business Council, the Feather River Land Trust and The Trust for Public Land, is dedicated to the region’s future and is committed to rapid collaborative action to plan and implement crucial conservation projects, leverage newly available funds with effective private fundraising and build a firm base of local support.

Your Help Is Needed

The majestic northern Sierra faces growing threats from incompatible development, uncoordinated land management and climate change, and there is an urgent need to protect these lands now.

With your support, we can effectively plan for growth while protecting our precious and quickly disappearing natural resources. To learn more contact: info@northernsierrapartnership.org.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Jim Gaither/TNC (snow carpets meadow and conifer forest in the Sierra Nevada); Photo © Anne Chadwick (Governor Schwarzenegger with Rebecca Morgan, the Morgan Family Foundation, and Alex Mas, The Nature Conservancy).