The Sierra Fund is now 
Indigenous Futures Society.
News and project updates from 2019.
This year, TSF’s Program Director, Dr. Carrie Monohan, participated in the second cohort of the Water Solutions Network, a program that engages water leaders of California in developing their skills, knowledge, and networks to…
The Sierra Fund had a snowy week in October at our meadow restoration site at the Clover Valley Ranch, in Plumas County. Staff rounded out a busy season of fieldwork in the iconic valley…
Thanks to our conference sponsors and attendees, Reclaiming the Sierra 2019 was a huge success! Reclaiming the Sierra 2019 was The Sierra Fund’s (TSF) fifth biennial conference to address historic mining impacts. This year’s event focused on catalyzing action around TSF’s Headwater Mercury Source Reduction (HMSR) Strategy – a vision of adaptive recovery for the environment and communities that are still blighted from the 19th century Gold Rush. To read the full strategy click here. To join a growing number of supporters, download and sign a resolution in support of the HMSR Strategy and the collaborative approach it outlines.
Fact Sheet on the Humbug Creek Watershed Assessment and Management Recommendations guiding document for an alternatives analysis being conducted by State Parks and its subcontractors to determine the best approach for site remediation at…
Fact Sheet on the Combie Reservoir Sediment & Mercury Removal Project to introduce an innovative recovery process to monitor and reduce mercury in the Bear River watershed. Read the fact sheet
Fact sheet on the identification and characterization of debris control dams for an inventory of hydraulic mine features using LiDAR for the prioritization, scoring and risk assessment to determine which dams should be remediated…
Fact sheet on the removal or modification of Englebright Dam to allow volitional upstream passage to previously unreachable habitat. Read the fact sheet
Fact sheet on the restoration of the dydrologic function of Red Clover Valley and the resiliency of the communities who live in the region. Read the fact sheet
Fact sheet on advocacy to protect Sierra Nevada lands and waters from irresponsible mining including the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMARA) reform and SB637 on Suction Dredge Mining. Read the fact sheet
Fact Sheet on the acquisition of scarred land that limit landowner liability and protect public health and safety. Read the fact sheet
Fact Sheet on angler surveys conducted at mercury-impaired water bodies to better understand exposure potential and the capacity of anglers to assess risk as a result of consuming local fish and feeding it to…
Fact Sheet on a data collection effort to help develop site-specific fish consumption advisories. Read the fact sheet
The Headwater Mercury Source Reduction (HMSR) Strategy provides a cohesive platform for technical experts to share, revise, and integrate best-practices for the assessment and mitigation of mercury. Click here to read the strategy.
Fact sheet on the Sierra Fund’s annual volunteer event to post fish consumption advisories, issued by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), at regional water bodies. Read the fact sheet
Reclaiming the Sierra 2019: Headwater Mercury Source Reduction October 16-18, 2019 – Grass Valley, CA A conference to catalyze action around a regional strategy to abate the impacts of mercury – from the Sierra…
Communities across the Sierra are proactively preparing for wildfire, but language, economic, and social barriers are creating a divide between fire-ready community members and those who are not able to take proactive measures. In…
TSF led an incredibly productive Field Camp at our Clover Valley Ranch project site this summer. This marks the third year of field camp at the iconic meadow in the Feather River watershed of Plumas County.
Reclaiming the Sierra Conference Intern Unpaid Internship for Fall Semester, 2019 September 2 – October 31, 2019 Job Summary: The Sierra Fund is seeking a fall intern to support development and implementation of the…
TSF recently attended two regional events centered around sharing best management practices and innovative techniques for forest restoration: Sierra to California All-Lands Enhancement (SCALE): Last month, TSF’s Program Manager attended The Sierra Institute’s Sierra…
Last month, three of The Sierra Fund’s staff traveled to Plumas County for the multi-day Sierra Meadows Partnership (SMP) Annual Meeting. Hosted by Plumas Corporation, the workshop brought together land managers, academics, non-profits, tribal…
Water bodies across the state of California are listed under Clean Water Act section 303(d) as mercury-impaired. Consumption of contaminated fish is the primary pathway of human exposure to mercury, a developmental neurotoxin, and…
For thousands of years prior to European contact, the Nisenan thrived alongside the watersheds, flora and fauna of their ancestral lands in Nevada County. The connection between the Nisenan and the land was brutally…
Join The Sierra Fund and our growing number of supporters as we work to restore the communities and ecosystems of the Sierra Nevada that are still blighted from 19th-century resource extraction. With the generous…
On April 24th, the Nevada Irrigation District’s Combie Reservoir Sediment and Mercury Removal Project was honored as the Outstanding Small Project of the year at the American Society of Civil Engineers Sacramento Region 2018…
On Saturday, April 13, The Sierra Fund launched our annual effort to post fish consumption advisories at popular water bodies in the Sierra where they apply. This effort seeks to increase access to information…
Mark your calendars! The Sierra Fund is pleased to announce our fifth biennial conference, Reclaiming the Sierra 2019: Headwaters Mercury Source Reduction, to be held in Grass Valley on October 17-18 at the Gold…
The Sierra Fund has been selected by Briar Patch as their checkout "Co-op Cause" donation recipient for the month of April! When visiting BriarPatch Co-op Community Market this month opt to round up your…
The health of all Californians who consume locally caught fish is threatened by exposure to neurotoxic mercury and other contaminants that accumulate in the aquatic food web. Under current law, the CA Office of…
On Saturday April 13, 2019, The Sierra Fund will host the fifth annual Post It Day beginning at 9 AM. This 5 hour event brings together volunteers to help put up signage around local water bodies in order to provide anglers and their families with information about how much and what kinds of fish are safe to eat in the lakes, reservoirs, streams, and rivers of the Sierra Nevada.
The Sierra Fund hosted a community capacity workshop on Wednesday, February 27 at the Veteran's Building in Nevada City. Approximately 20 community members from around Nevada County participated. The aim of the workshop was to systematically look at discrete areas within the county to better understand what resources these areas have to solve their needs and respond to potential stressors like climate change and water needs.
The Sierra Fund is thrilled for two of our staff members that recently accepted new positions. While we are sad to see them go, we wish Kelsey Westfall and Amber Taxiera the best of luck in their upcoming endeavors.
Due to stormy conditions, facilitators of the Community Capacity Workshop set for January 16 were not able to travel to Nevada City. The half-day workshop has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 27, 2019 from…
After five and a half years with The Sierra Fund (TSF), Amber Taxiera is beginning a new chapter with the national nonprofit American Rivers, at their office in Nevada City, CA. We wish Amber…
In December 2018, The Sierra Fund (TSF) closed out a $1.5 million grant from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) that funded a suite of projects to address mercury and sediment in the…
On Wednesday, January 16, 2019 a free one-day workshop will be held in Nevada City to assess community capacity and water management needs in Nevada and Sierra Counties. The workshop, co-hosted by the Sierra…
