$180,000 In Healthy Forest Grants

Mariposa, CA — Calaveras and Tuolumne counties will recieve $182,866 for three projects from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. Approved by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy’s (SNC) Governing Board the over $2.1 million in “Healthy Forest” grants is for 24 projects in 14 Sierra counties. The projects (listed below) are designed to reduce the risk of forest fires and protect California’s watersheds.

The grants are funded by Proposition 84, the Safe Drinking Water Act passed by voters in 2006.

“Returning our forests to ecological health reduces the threat of fire, protecting our wildlife, our water and our lives,” said SNC Executive Officer Jim Branham. “These projects will help us achieve these goals, while providing jobs and helping to sustain local Sierra economies.”

The types of projects typically funded under the SNC’s grant program include fuels reduction (removal of underbrush and thinning of some smaller diameter trees), forest and meadow restoration, and invasive plant species removal. Many of the projects will be operational in the fall.

Under Prop 84 guidelines, funds may be awarded to government agencies, non-profit organizations, or federally recognized tribes. Projects may be on public or private land, but the outcome must serve to protect the watershed and provide public benefit.

“Because of decades of fire suppression and conflict over forest management, today’s major forest fires can have a devastating impact on the landscape and on the watershed,” Branham said. “The resulting erosion and siltation pollute our rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. By spending our precious dollars up in the Sierra proactively, we can reduce the risk and consequence of these fires, protecting the source of two-thirds of California’s drinking water.”

The Sierra Nevada Conservancy, Governing Board was created in 2004 with the mission to improve the environmental, economic, and social well-being of the Sierra Nevada Region. The SNC receives no general fund tax dollars.

The local Sierra Nevada Conservancy, Proposition 84 “Healthy Forest” Grants are:

• $74,975 to the USDA/USFS Stanislaus National Forest, for the Calaveras Ranger District ACCG Collaborative Project: West Calaveras Plantation Thinning NEPA more here.
• $74,800 to the Calaveras Healthy Impact Products Solutions in Wilseyville for the Woody Biomass Utilization Product Yard Development Engineering Plans more here.
• $33,091 Calaveras and Tuolumne California Department of Parks and Recreation for the Calaveras Big Trees State Park Fuels Treatments more here.