In just 10 short years the Feather River Land Trust has protected over 30,000 acres in the spectacular Feather River region. Read the article in the Plumas County News.
Heart K Ranch in Genesee Valley (Photo courtesy of FRLT/Carl Raymond)
Learn more about the Feather River Land Trust and the other Partner organizations here.
Saving the Northern Sierra
Despite down economy, conservation groups continue to scoop up open space.
Read the article, published in the Sierra Sun on Tuesday, January 5, 2010.
Granite Cliff near Pierce Meadows (Photo courtesy of the Truckee Donner Land Trust)
The Northern Sierra Partnership is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. John Bernstein as President of the Partnership. John will spearhead the campaign to protect over 100,000 acres of priority land in the Northern Sierra, known for the stunning beauty of its windswept peaks, the productivity of its expansive forests, the ecological richness of its meadows and ranch lands, and its unique importance as the source of more than half of California’s water.
Educated as a physician, John has been active in land conservation for over twenty years, leading conservation organizations on both the West and East coasts. Most recently, he served as Vice President for Conservation at the Pacific Forest Trust where he worked with private forest owners, including major timber companies, to ensure sustainable management of timberlands. He also served as Director of Conservation Programs at the Land Trust Alliance, the national association of land trusts and conservation organizations.
“I am delighted that John Bernstein has agreed to serve as President of the Partnership,” said Lucy Blake, Chair of the Partnership’s Governing Council. “The time to protect this extraordinary region is now, and John is just the person to lead our campaign forward.”
The Northern Sierra Partnership is a pioneering alliance of five leading conservation organizations—The Nature Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land, the Feather River Land Trust, the Truckee Donner Land Trust, and the Sierra Business Council—working together to conserve the lands and waters of the Northern Sierra Nevada for future generations. The Partnership works to protect high-quality water supplies, world-class outdoor recreation, healthy forests that sequester carbon, natural habitat for native fish and wildlife, and working ranches and forests for the citizens of California.
Jim and Becky Morgan, co-founders of the Northern Sierra Partnership, expressed their enthusiasm for Bernstein’s appointment. “Most people don’t know that much of the Sierra Nevada, California’s greatest mountain range, is at risk from ill-conceived development, wildfire, and other threats to its ecological well-being,” said Jim Morgan. “Healthy ecosystems are the foundation of healthy economies. Becky and I are looking forward to working with John, our five Partners, and the people of the Northern Sierra to address the challenges facing this critically important region.”
For more information, please contact the Northern Sierra Partnership at (415) 281-0411.
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Read the article, published in the San Jose Mercury News on October 28, 2009.
Jim and Becky Morgan, with their dog, Lindsey, pose for a portrait at the Cold Stream property outside of Truckee, Calif. on Monday, October 12, 2009. The Morgans are donating 10 million dollars toward a land trust to preserve the property. (Jim Gensheimer/Mercury News)
Read the article, published in the Sierra Sun on June 26, 2009.
Perry Norris of the Truckee Donner Land Trust and Dave Sutton of the Trust for Public Land stand in Perazzo Meadows (Greyson Howard/Sierra Sun)
Read the article, published in the Sierra Sun on May 14, 2009.
A hiker walks through Cold Stream Meadow on the Mount Lola Trail. The Truckee Donner Land Trust is working to preserve the land both the stream and the trail pass through. (Courtesy of the Truckee Donner Land Trust)
(SF Chronicle)
This composite photograph, compiled from five images, shows the 982-acre Perazzo Meadows embraced by Sierra Nevada peaks northwest of Truckee. (Kurt Rogers / SF Chronicle)
Perry Norris of the Truckee Donner Land Trust (left) and David Sutton of the Trust for Public Land, in Sierraville. (Kurt Rogers / SF Chronicle)
Excerpt from TPL/TDLT Press Release:
Three properties totaling almost 2,000 acres are being permanently protected in the northern Sierra Nevada and in Yuba County, through a purchase on Dec. 30. Two of the properties are near the proposed Castle Peak Wilderness Area north of Donner Summit, and the third is next to the Daugherty Hills Wildlife Area in the Collins Lake Recreation Area of Yuba County. The two mountain properties are also high priorities for the Northern Sierra Partnership, formed in 2007 by TPL, TDLT, the Feather River Land Trust, Sierra Business Council and The Nature Conservancy to insure the environmental and economic sustainability of the northern Sierra.
On Wednesday, October 8th, on the banks of Donner Lake, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger praised the Northern Sierra Partnership, the Morgan Family Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation for their recent efforts to raise nearly $25 million, funding geared to safeguard the most critical lands and waters of the northern Sierra.
This announcement came during the launch of a public agency task force, headed up by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. Citing the effectiveness of the Northern Sierra Partnership the Governor stressed the importance of public-private partnerships.
“This public-private partnership will benefit millions of Californians,” said Governor Schwarzenegger “By allowing us to preserve more open space, create new recreational opportunities, protect rivers and streams, address the effects of climate change, reduce the risk of wildfire and preserve the working ranches and farms of the Sierra Nevada.”
Ensuring the future of the northern Sierra is vital to the future of California and Nevada. In fact, more than 65% of California’s population receives some portion of their water from the northern Sierra alone.
The state of California’s new task force will coordinate government activities and bond fund expenditures with local private organizations, such as the Northern Sierra Partnership, all of whom share a common goal – protecting the natural, cultural and recreational resources of the Sierra Nevada.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; in background (L-R) Dave Sutton, Perry Norris and Becky Morgan
Excerpt from TPL/TDLT Press Release:
The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and Truckee Donner Land Trust (TDLT) worked with a variety of public and private partners to assemble the $23.5 million needed to acquire Waddle Ranch.
“Thanks to the vision and leadership of thousands of individuals and dozens of public agencies and nonprofits over the past decade, TPL and TDLT are thrilled to announce the protection of Waddle Ranch, the long sought-after cornerstone of the conservation vision for Martis Valley,” said David Sutton, Sierra Program Director of The Trust for Public Land-California.
The Waddle Ranch campaign received an early boost thanks to a leadership gift of $500,000 from the Morgan Family Foundation. “The protection of Waddle Ranch is the culmination of six years of work by a coalition of private and public partners. I hope this can serve as a precedent throughout the Sierra Nevada,” said Becky Morgan, a former State Senator and President of the Morgan Family Foundation.
Read the article, published by the San Francisco Chronicle on November 2, 2007.
Dry Lake glows in day's last light on Waddle Ranch, privately owned for 150 years, now open to the public for the first time in nearly 40 years in a deal to preserve its 1,462 acres. (Kim Komenich / SF Chronicle)
David Sutton (left), director of the Northern California office of the Trust for Public Land, and Perry Norris (right), director of the Truckee Donner Land Trust, speak at a gathering to celebrate the opening to the public of more than 1,400 acres of land from formerly private ranch land near Truckee known as the Martis Valley. (Kim Komenich / SF Chronicle)
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