The headwaters of the American River. Source: Northern Sierra Partnership
In August 2015, The Nature Conservancy assisted the American River Conservancy in acquiring the American River Headwaters, a 10,115-acre forested property in the Sierra Nevada west of Lake Tahoe. The property is situated directly upstream of French Meadows and Hell Hole Reservoirs, two critical sources of drinking water and hydropower for Sacramento and the surrounding region. The land also has high recreational value – it is traversed by the renowned Western States and Tevis Cup trails, and it supports an outstanding fishery for rainbow trout.
The Nature Conservancy and partners are implementing a landscape-scale forest restoration and research project on the property and adjacent Forest Service lands, referred to as the French Meadows Project. The Project aims to increase the pace and scale of ecologically-based forest and watershed management to reduce the risk of high-severity wildfire, protect water supply, and increase watershed resilience. The Project also includes an important research component. Led by CWAC member The Nature Conservancy, and with support from other CWAC members, researchers will test the hypothesis that thinning small trees and brush from unnaturally dense forests to reduce wildfire risk and increase forest health may increase downstream water supply.
By working with University of California researchers, local water utilities, surrounding landowners like the U.S. Forest Service, and other stakeholders, CWAC members aim to implement ecologically-based practices on a landscape scale, while identifying policy and management best practices that can be implemented in other Sierra watersheds and across the American West.
Project lead: The Nature Conservancy
Participating CWAC members: MillerCoors | Nestlé Waters North America | The Coca-Cola Company | Anheuser Busch
Additional partners: American River Conservancy | Placer County | Placer County Water Agency | Sierra Nevada Conservancy | U.S. Forest Service | University of California/Sierra Nevada Research Institute | Angeles National Forest
To learn more: Contact David Edelson, Sierra Nevada Project Director, The Nature Conservancy – dedelson@tnc.org