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Nevada County Sustainability Digest



Gala Celebrates SYRCL’s 40th Anniversary

05/01/2023

The South Yuba River Citizens League will throw its annual Wild for the Yuba dinner and auction on June 3 at the Wheelhouse Event Center. The event is a fundraiser SYRCL’s many programs to keep the river healthy.

California Snowpack Data Debunked: 2023 Was No Record Year

04/23/2023

And neither was 1952. The top honor should really go to 1983, which clinched first at 231% of normal, an analysis by the Bay Area News Group found.

Keeping Tahoe Blue: 65 Years of History

04/23/2023

The mantra “Keep Tahoe Blue” has become synonymous with the region. But far fewer people know the history of the movement it represents. Here’s a glimpse of the story behind the sticker.

PG&E Project Halted to Flag Flora Unique to Nevada County

04/22/2023

PG&E paused a project in Grass Valley after meeting with local residents and members of the California Native Plant Society who were concerned about the removal of rare plants unique to the area. The pause allowed remaining plants to be flagged and salvaged.

North Tahoe Preservation Alliance to Host First Meeting

04/16/2023

The North Tahoe Preservation Alliance invites locals to attend a meeting in response to Placer County and TRPA's proposed Tahoe Basin Area Plan code amendments.

US Proposes Options for Cutting California’s Colorado River Water

04/11/2023

One of the options would override California’s water rights and split the cuts evenly between California, Nevada and Arizona—which would be a big blow to Imperial Valley farmers.

California’s Carbon-Storing Pine Forests May Not Come Back

04/06/2023

According to a new study, ponderosa pine forests in the Sierra Nevada that were wiped out by western pine beetles won’t recover to pre-drought densities. But there’s less risk of another huge die-off this century because the bark beetles will have fewer host trees.

Keep Truckee Green to Host Fixit Clinic

03/30/2023

Celebrate Earth Day with Keep Truckee Green by giving a second life to your broken household items. The town's sustainability program is hosting a Fixit Clinic, allowing residents to repair household items.

Conservancy Grants $250K to Tackle Invasive Plants in Lake Tahoe

03/16/2023

The California Tahoe Conservancy Board approved a $250,000 grant to Tahoe Resource Conservation District for aquatic invasive plant surveillance and rapid response.

Is the Western Drought Finally Ending?

03/16/2023

Many people are looking at the snow and water levels and asking that question. The answer depends on where you are in the West and how you define “drought.” A researcher at the Desert Research Institute’s Western Regional Climate Center explains.

Keep Tahoe Blue Shares Project Results

03/11/2023

The nonprofit environmental group released the results of two projects: one that uses a beach-cleaning robot to remove trash hidden in the sand, and another designed to measure the 2021 Caldor Fire’s impacts on the Tahoe ecosystem.

Agencies Collaborate on Conservation Efforts

03/07/2023

State and federal agencies are joining forces to address the decline of monarch butterflies and other pollinator species.

New Project Will Help Sierra Nevada Red Fox

02/28/2023

Wildlife Ecology Institute was awarded $236,000 to assist in the recovery of the endangered canine in concert with state and federal agencies and Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks .

Why Is Sites Reservoir Still on the Drawing Board?

02/26/2023

A $4.4 billion project on the Sacramento River to add dams and store more water that will be sent south, the Sites Reservoir is still years away from completion. The final environmental report is expected this year.

Study Reveals Climate-Related Crisis for Conifer Forests

02/22/2023

A new Stanford-led study shows that about a fifth of all Sierra Nevada conifer forests are a “mismatch” for their regions’ warming weather. These “zombie forests” are likely to be replaced other tree species after one of California’s increasingly frequent catastrophic wildfires.

League to Save Lake Tahoe Makes Plans

02/21/2023

The League to Save Lake Tahoe is building a new environment and education center designed around opportunities for the public to learn.

Fast EV Chargers Installed at Northstar California

02/15/2023

EV Range and Liberty, a subsidiary of Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp., announced a three-way collaboration that brought four high-powered electric vehicle fast chargers to the Tahoe ski resort.

Environmental Center Creates Educational App

02/11/2023

Tahoe Tessie isn’t real but climate change is. That’s the tagline for “Find Tahoe Tessie,” an augmented reality game app developed by UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center.

New Program Helps Locals Coexist With Bears

02/04/2023

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Nevada Department of Wildlife are supporting BearWise, a program that helps people live more responsibly with bears.

Clean Up the Lake Shares Plans for 2023

02/01/2023

Forty deep-water and “hotspot” trash clean-ups are planned in Lake Tahoe and will be expanded to other lakes and reservoirs in the High Sierra.

California Offers Proposal on Colorado River Crisis

02/01/2023

California has given the federal government its own counterproposal for apportioning reductions of Colorado River water, saying a plan offered by six other states would disproportionately burden farms and cities in Southern California.

Truckee Aviation Company Partners With Tahoe Fund

01/30/2023

The only local private aviation charter company at Lake Tahoe helping lower and sequester carbon emissions.

Truckee Weighs Plastic Water Bottle Ban

01/29/2023

The town of Truckee is considering a ban on the sale of some types of single-use water bottles and is looking for community input.

Agencies Announce North Tahoe Community Alliance

01/28/2023

Many agencies came together Jan. 24 to discuss sustainability plans as a part of the Operation Sierra Storm Meteorological Conference.

Liberty Utilities Doesn’t Own the Sun

01/10/2023

In a Moonshine Ink article, Peter Tucker takes issue with Liberty Utilities’ solar program, contending it must be easier and more cost effective for consumers.

DWR: Relief From Drought Depends on Coming Months

01/03/2023

The Department of Water Resources conducted the first manual snow survey of the season at Phillips Station Jan. 3, recording 55.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 17.5 inches, which is 177% of average for the location.

State Bill Aims to Dim Artificial Light From California’s Night Skies

01/02/2023

In efforts to kickstart mindful artificial light usage in California, dark sky advocates reintroduced legislation that would dim the artificial light glowing from state buildings.

Sugar Pine Foundation Spends Nearly 20 Years Restoring Tahoe Forests

12/21/2022

The Sugar Pine Foundation is a small South Lake Tahoe-based nonprofit that has been dedicated to saving the sugar pines of the region by planting thousands of seedlings.

California Approves Roadmap for Carbon Neutrality

12/15/2022

The California Air Resources Board has voted to approve an ambitious plan to achieve carbon neutrality in the state by 2045. Its targets for capturing carbon from the atmosphere has left critics concerned that big emitters will have a pathway to keep polluting.

California’s Residential Solar Rules Overhauled After Highly Charged Debate

12/15/2022

After a unanimous vote by the CPUC, homeowners get smaller payments from utilitiess. But new state incentives will be available.

Can We Hack DNA to Grow Food in a Hotter Planet?

12/11/2022

Stanford scientists have genetically re-programmed plants to grow roots that change how they gather nutrients or water.

Nevada County Embarks on First Recreation and Resiliency Master Plan

12/08/2022

The plan is not only a first for the county but also one of the first in the state to integrate solutions for adapting to extreme weather, wildfire, drought and other impacts as part of planning for parks and recreation amenities.

Featured

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