The Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) will host its quarterly Board meeting Friday, Dec. 13, at the Placer County Health & Human Services building in the city of Auburn to consider a grant award of $1,544,950 for a wood-fired boiler at the planned Alpenglow Timber Sawmill and receive informational updates.
The day before, Dec.12, the SNC, a California state agency focused on supporting and improving the environmental, economic, and social well-being of the Sierra-Cascade Region, will host a field tour of nearby projects in Placer County advancing land conservation goals.
Meeting participation and public comments welcome
Members of the public are invited to participate in the Dec. 13 meeting, which will be held at the Placer County Health & Human Services building in Auburn starting at 9 a.m. A live audio stream of the meeting will also be available, although remote participation will not be possible. The public is encouraged to review project and meeting information and submit any comments by 5 p.m., Dec. 9.
View detailed tour and meeting information, including information on the potential grant award and how to submit a public comment.
The SNC may approve funding for sawmill in Nevada County
On October 10, Nevada County approved construction of the Alpenglow Timber Sawmill north of Truckee in order to create a much-needed outlet for hazardous fuels removed in ongoing forest-health and wildfire-resilience projects in the area.
At the December meeting, the SNC Board will consider an award of $1,544,950 to the Sierra Business Council to construct a wood-fired boiler system for the sawmill. The boiler would provide heat used for winter kiln-drying and on-site commercial and residential needs at the new facility. This includes providing heat for six planned on-site employee housing units.
The grant award would be made from the $37 million allocated to SNC in the California Budget Act of 2023 for wildfire recovery and forest resilience work in the Sierra-Cascade Region. If awarded, the Alpenglow project would expend the remaining balance of this state appropriation.
In addition to the grant, the Board will also receive informational updates on the Tahoe-Central Sierra Initiative and on SNC-funded projects that were impacted by recent wildfires.
Board to host tour and discussion of projects in Placer County
The day before the Board meeting, the public is invited to attend a field tour of SNC-funded land conservation projects in Placer County. The tour will begin at noon at SNC’s headquarters located at 11521 Blocker Drive in Auburn and will include stops at Placer Land Trust’s Taylor Ranch and the 40-Acre Conservation League’s newly acquired land in Nyack, weather permitting. The tour will end back in Auburn around 4:30 p.m. Public attendees must make their own arrangements for transportation.
View detailed tour and meeting information, including RSVP instructions for the tour or meeting, and how to submit a public comment.