Our upcoming Board meeting and tour, scheduled for September 3 & 4, 2025, in Fresno County have been canceled.
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC), a California state agency focused on supporting and improving the environmental, economic, and social well-being of the Sierra-Cascade, will host its quarterly Board meeting Sept. 3 starting at 1 p.m. in the town of Shaver Lake. The day after, Thursday, the SNC will host a field tour exploring nearby project locations and discuss current environmental and economic issues affecting Fresno County.
Members of the public are invited to attend the field tour and the meeting held at the Museum of the Sierra located on Tollhouse Road in Shaver Lake. A live video and audio stream of the meeting will be available, although remote participation will not be possible. The public is encouraged to review potential meeting information and submit any comments by Aug. 29. Public comments are also welcome in person at the meeting.
View detailed tour and meeting information on the SNC website.
Tour focuses on post-fire landscape
On Thursday, Sept. 4, at 9 a.m., the SNC will host a field tour to review SNC-funded work in the area and discuss the impact of the catastrophic 2020 Creek Fire that broke out exactly five years ago. Angela Avery, executive officer of the SNC, will welcome field trip participants, and Dean Gold, the Sierra National Forest Supervisor, will share details of the damage that occurred and the collaborative efforts that sprouted since the fire, which has helped the landscape and communities recover.
With an estimated 30 percent of giant sequoias lost due to climate change and recent wildfires in California, the SNC will also visit the McKinley Grove, where attendees will hear first-hand about SNC-funded work being done by the Plumas Corp and the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition to protect these iconic trees native only to the Sierra Nevada region.
The final stop on the tour will be the Forked Meadow property, where the Sierra-Sequoia Burn Cooperative has been supporting local tribes to conduct effective, efficient cultural burns and fuel-reduction treatments. Speakers from both the cooperative and Fresno County tribes will share insights on the impacts and benefits of their work.
Highlights from Tribal Capacity Building Program
At the quarterly Board meeting, SNC staff will provide an update on SNC’s Tribal Capacity Building Program. The program was launched in December of 2024 to provide assistance and funding to tribes throughout the Sierra-Cascade to enhance their ability to prioritize, plan, fund, and implement projects that improve forest health and increase wildfire resilience.
As part of the greater Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program, the SNC received $1.5 million from the Department of Conservation to help tribes with their conservation efforts, including spearheading training and workshops on how to develop project concepts, build budgets, and write grants requests. Twelve participating tribes and tribal organizations are not only garnering essential capacity-building expertise but also identifying specific project areas to hopefully plan and implement necessary work.
Staff from the SNC will update Board members and the public on program structure, outcomes, and the overall success of this tribal program, which is expected to continue through the end of 2027.
Annual SNC Action Plan updates
The SNC’s Strategic Plan identifies specific activities that the organization will focus on over a five-year period. The current 2024-2029 Strategic Plan includes implementing and advancing the Regional goals of Healthy Forests and Watersheds; Resilience Sierra-Cascade Communities; Sustainable Recreation, Tourism, and Equitable Outdoor Access; and Conservation and Stewardship of Natural and Working Lands.
To help the SNC stay in alignment with its Strategic Plan, it also develops an annual Action Plan that identifies specific activities and focus areas for each year. At this meeting, SNC staff will present the next Action Plan covering September 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026.