ELIZABETH CARMEL
A PARTNERSHIP FOR THE NORTHERN SIERRA
Few regions can compare with the Northern and local sources, among them recent land,
Sierra Nevada in richness of recreational, scenic, water, and infrastructure bonds passed by
and natural resources. Stretching from Lassen California voters. But the need is great, and pri-
National Park in the north to south of Lake Tahoe, vate funds will be essential to match and aug-
the region serves as a mountain playground for ment the public money. The goal is to coordi-
millions of Californians, with parks and public nate conservation strategy and conserve the
lands that attract visitors from across the globe. It highest-quality habitat, recreation, and water-
is home to rich biodiversity and crucially impor- shed lands while building sustainable economies
tant wildlife habitat. Its immense forests sequester in local communities.
immense amounts of CO that would otherwise In addition to TPL, the partners include
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contribute to global warming. And its rivers sup- The Nature Conservancy, the Feather River
ply 65 percent of California’s water, as well as Land Trust, the Truckee Donner Land Trust,
RICHREIDPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
water for the growing cities of northern Nevada. and the Sierra Business Council. The Morgan
But this resource-wealthy region faces serious and imminent Family Foundation played an important role in bringing the
degradation, as poorly thought-out development threatens to groups together and in advancing the effort.
overwhelm historic communities, disrupt wildlife habitat, pol- TPL’s work with the Northern Sierra Partnership is based on
lute rivers and lakes, and block access to public recreation sites. a 20-year track record of protecting land across the region. To
In October, TPL joined four other organizations in announcing date, TPL has helped conserve more land in the Northern Sierra
the Northern Sierra Partnership, an unprecedented effort to stimu- than any other nonprofit—more than 145,000 acres.
late conservation and private fundraising with the goal of protect- For more information on the Northern Sierra Partnership
ing at least 100,000 acres across the Northern Sierra during the and TPL’s work in the Sierra Nevada and across California, go to
next five to ten years. Public funds are available from federal, state, www.tpl.org/california.
