2021 Feather River conservation successes

As we welcome the new year, we invite you to look back with us and celebrate all the good that you made possible in 2021. While it’s been another challenging year in many ways, we still have great things to celebrate in the Feather River region.

Together with our partners and with support from people like you, FRLT has protected nearly 70,000 acres of important lands and waters to benefit water, wildlife, and people for generations to come.

Conserve: Protecting priority lands and waters…forever!

In 2021, you helped us permanently protect several unique properties with conservation easements. These include:

• Biodiverse properties in the North Fork Feather River region, like the “Home Ranch” (2,464 protected acres) owned by Sierra Pacific Industries, which holds incredible wildlife habitats, critical water resources, and expansive open space that benefits us all
• Another working family ranch in Sierra Valley—conserved on December 30!—protecting a large wet meadow, outstanding wildlife habitat, and an iconic historic barn, and adding to a network of conserved agricultural lands in the valley
• Bucks Lake (2,164 acres owned by Pacific Gas & Electric), a beloved community recreation destination that supports rich wildlife habitat and a robust trout and Kokanee salmon fishery
• 296 acres of wetland habitat along Lake Almanor’s north shore that has returned to Mountain Maidu ownership

Care for: stewarding lands for water, wildlife, and community

Your generous support enabled our Land Stewardship team to manage and enhance conserved lands, including:

• Launching a 3-year Fire Recovery initiative, guided by a team of experts, to work with nature to restore 18 properties impacted by the Dixie and Beckwourth Complex fires
• Managing our 5 preserves (3,647 acres) across the watershed for water, wildlife habitat, sustainable agriculture, outdoor classrooms, and community access
• Monitoring conservation easements on 23 properties each year (over 28,600 acres) to ensure the terms of the easement are upheld
• Continuing to partner with the Jefferson Center for Regenerative Agriculture for long term soil monitoring at Heart K Ranch to inform our land management for regenerative grazing, soil health, and biodiversity

Connect: restoring relationship to land and place

Despite scaling back our on-the-land events this year due to the pandemic and wildfire season, you helped us improve community access at our preserves and connect people of all ages with nature, including:

• Hosting virtual and on-the-land events to connect people with the wonder of the Feather River region, including a wildflower walk with FRLT member/botanist John Stebbins and a virtual birding workshop with FRLT founder and biologist Paul Hardy (watch the video)
• Installing new benches at the Leonhardt Ranch Trail in Quincy, improving parking at Mountain Meadows Gateway Preserve near Westwood and opening a new West Entrance with 2 miles of interpretive trails at the Sierra Valley Preserve
• Supporting K-12 outdoor learning for 2,500 school children on our Learning Landscapes outdoor classrooms across the watershed.
• Hosting a national 4 day K-12 Leadership Summit (virtually) through our Learning Landscapes program with environmental ed staff from 16 land trusts across the U.S.
• Engaging Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partners in land stewardship, wildlife monitoring, and public outreach, growing the next generation of conservation professionals

Only because of YOU

None of this would have been possible without YOU, our community of supporters, partners, and visionary landowners. Because of you, we’re on track to conserve a total of 120,000 acres, protecting and restoring some of the Sierra Nevada’s most climate-resilient landscapes. Thank you!