2025 A SSI Year In Review

It has been a busy year here at Sierra Streams Institute. We wanted to to take the opportunity in the last newsletter of the year to share a snippet of the work and achievements we have accomplished this year from each of our departments. Our work could not happen if it were not for the support of such an amazing community, and as we move forward to 2026 we are excited to share more community science with you.

Science Education

On behalf of the Sierra Streams Institute Education Program we would like to send out a heartfelt thank you to our community, schools, teachers and of course our students for 15 years of outdoor science programming! Our partnerships with the community and schools have guided us on an amazing journey to learn about science and the natural world. Here is to another 15 years!

Some more accomplishments from 2025 from our Education team:

• Weathered the storm of losing two large education grants to provide outstanding watershed science programming to local schools.
• Taught the California Naturalist Class in the spring, a program we have taught for over 10 years.
• Taught the first annual Fundamentals of Stream Ecology Course in partnership with California Naturalist to a full class!
• Created a region-wide Environmental Education Opportunities Database where students can learn about the natural history of their place.
• Created a Watershed Communication Toolkit whereby students can share outdoor education experiences with other students across the watershed.
  

Restoration

Reflecting our holistic restoration philosophy and tailored approach to each restoration project, the Restoration Program weaves together the collective expertise of its staff, melding restoration ecology, forest and fire ecology, water quality, hydrology, as well as other disciplines, to maximize effectiveness and increase scientific understanding of each restoration project. 2025 was a busy year for our restoration team. Some of our major accomplishments include:

• Managed post-dam removal restoration of a 10-acre floodplain on Dry Creek (tributary to the Bear River), including planting native plants and hand pulling over 500lbs of invasive weeds, thereby improving habitat for special status species including Chinook salmon and threatened Central Valley steelhead.
• Monitored over 1/2 mile of Dry Creek and its stream corridor, including collecting benthic macroinvertebrates, measuring water quality, fish surveys, vegetation monitoring, and wildlife camera trapping.
• Constructed the Dry Creek Nature Trail, including .66 miles of ADA-compliant pathway traversing blue oak woodland and connecting to the post-dam floodplain restoration site, fostering community connection to the creek and its watershed.
• Conducted four education events at Dry Creek, on Beale AFB, reaching appx 400 students.

Creek Surveys

2025 has been a big year of expansion and we have been supported in many ways to achieve this. Creek surveys are the joy of the summer and we are always excited to provide opportunities for community members to get their boots in the water!

Some of our 2025 acheivements:

• We have expanded our survey efforts geographically. The summer of 2025 saw us complete 36 surveys in 9 major watersheds.
• We developed a new protocol for collecting BMI that involved the use of an anesthetic, giving the BMI a more humane death than in previous collections (and presented this at the California Aquatic Bioassessment Workgroup (CABW) conference)
• We made major progress towards better understanding and monitoring flow in our local watersheds (and throughout Northern Sierra) which included deploying 19 loggers Sierra wide

Chemistry Lab and Water Quality Monitoring

The chemistry and water quality lab is where water samples from SSI’s water quality monitoring program are analyzed for nutrient (nitrate and phosphate) concentrations and coliform and E. coli bacteria concentrations. The chemistry and water quality lab has also historically performed collection of soil, dust, and water samples for analysis of heavy metals concentration. Our lab accomplishments include:

• Providing free or reduced water quality tests for community members
• Starting a new project with Wolf Creek Community Alliance (funded by the Department of Toxic Substances Control) to assist with data collection, analysis, and community engagement around the Empire Mine State Park cleanup site.

The water quality monitoring program gathers data on the “vital signs” of the creek including oxygen, temperature, conductivity, pH, and turbidity concentrations. We also monitor nutrient (nitrate and phosphate) concentrations and bacteria including E. coli. By monitoring and analyzing how these variables change over time and in different parts of the watershed, we are building our understanding of what is “normal” for the creek and can better identify abnormal signals which require intervention or restoration. Some of our major accomplishments include:

• Our water quality data from 2017-2025 has been reported to the State of California for inclusion in the State’s Integrated Report, which determines waterways which are eligible for the 303(d) impaired waters listing.
• Continued monitoring of spiked E. coli levels in Little Deer Creek at Pioneer Park
• We had 34 water quality volunteer who logged nearly 400 hours of volunteer time almost doubling last years numbers.

We also wanted to give a special shout out to all our volunteers, but there are a few who need some special attention:

• Most Volunteer Hours: Teran Baker, who volunteered a stunning 72 hours! (read about Teran in her Volunteer Highlight Blog)
• Youngest Volunteer & Family of Volunteers: Nick Green and his daughter Evelyn Green, who is learning about water quality and watershed science at 6 years old!
• Longest Serving Volunteer: Julie Herrlinger who has volunteered with SSI since 2001! (read about Julie in her Volunteer Highlight Blog) 
• And finally a huge shoutout to several new Bear River Watershed Volunteers:
  • Shannon and Andy Dooley-Miller 
  • Laura Millar
  • Donna Bussinger
  • Susan Brandt

BMI Lab

This lab could not function without the support and commitment from the local community. We are thriving because of community engagement and we are thrilled to be providing insight into the world of stream invertebrates that can otherwise go unnoticed.

Some of our 2025 Accomplishments:

• We have developed a thriving community within the lab with volunteers and interns who are excited and committed to coming in regularly
• We are leading the way in cataloging BMI diversity in the Sierra Nevada with the state of California
• Lab staff researched and added an anesthetic step to minimize the pain that these invertebrates feel, and then used the method in the field all summer at sites throughout the Northern Sierra. Mali Valerio and Jessica Herrmann presented their results at the California Aquatic Bioassessment Workgroup conference, and their talk was very well received by experts in the field.

Outreach and Fundraising

Our outreach and fundraising team have been working a lot behind the scenes to launch our 30th Anniversary campaign and bring more science communication into the community. Here are are a few accomplishments from this year:

• Successfully launch a 30th Anniversary campaign focused on raising $100,00 for SSI
• Hosted a Community Event at The National Exchange Hotel
• Hosted 7 SciPubs at Gold Vibe Kombuchery

We are looking forward to more outreach opportunities in 2026 to bring science to the community. One of our major projects in 2026 will be hosting Sierra Streams Fest which will be an interactive festival combining science and art with live music this Spring.