Our field scientists get to go to places that a lot of us will never have an opportunity to see. So when they are out in the field they often have some unforeseen obstacles that is not reflected in our scientific work. Well welcome to Stories From the Field, where […]
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While we mentioned some of our amazing volunteers and their accomplishments through the past year, we wanted to share some highlights of 2025. SSI saw an increase in total volunteer hours with a total 1,547 in volunteer hours across departments doubling our volunteer hours from 2024. We also welcomed 18 […]
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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 […]
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This year our lab team leveled up the way we collect benthic macroinvertebrates (BMI) in the field. They 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. These small bugs […]
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We know you’ve all been wondering who the mysterious, illusive new intern is here at SSI. Hello, my name is Safari Davis. I am 16, and a current junior at Ghidotti High School in Grass Valley. I have lived in many places, but I’ve been in Grass Valley the longest, […]
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First Rain Land Stewardship Services, part of First Rain Farms, is an exciting grassroots land stewardship group that SSI has been partnering with for forest health work as part of our Wildlife Conservation Board-funded Sierra Foothill Forest Climate Resilience Project. First Rain provides fuel reduction crews, prescribed burn services, and grazing […]
Read More >Written by: Quinn Tamo, SSI Intern Our Chemistry lab intern, Teran, is a Nevada County native. This fact shows itself through her love of our streams and water systems. She loves to work with water and in the chemistry lab, which is practically all water work, because of our various […]
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Hello! My name is Katelyn Mae Nisbit. I am 20 years old and a senior at Sacramento State, aiming for a major in Environmental Science, and was a field crew member for SSI this summer. My favorite colors are green and pink. Growing up in a small kind-of-rural town, there […]
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Hedge Parsley (Torilis arvensis) Written by Alex Lerch Have you ever taken a walk off the beaten path in the Sierra Foothills and found your shoe laces, socks, and maybe even your pants with plant seeds that stick like Velcro? If you have, then Hedge Parsley (Torilis arvensis) needs no […]
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Written by Jessica Herrmann We’re well known for our river monitoring of Deer Creek and Bear River, but this year we’ve been busy. I am REAL busy expanding our monitoring sites all over Northern California through the Delta Project. During the summers of 2025 and 2026, SSI is collecting both […]
Read More >Sierra Streams Institute is happy to introduce Ryan DeMasters and Cassiopiea Pryor as our Summer Field Crew Leads! Ryan and Cassi have been busy leading teams all over the Northern Sierra to collect data on the health of our streams and rivers. Ryan grew up in Wilton, CA and is currently […]
Read More >Written by Quinn Tamo, SSI intern “I consider myself creative before anything else.” – Madeleine Kemp, volunteer with SSI Madeleine is a summer intern here at Sierra Streams Institute (SSI) and a valuable one at that. Her passion was mostly for art, agriculture, and science when entering community college. An […]
Read More >In the Spring it is hard not to be bombarded by the vast blooming yellow flowers of Scotch Broom. Whether you love or hate the sight, these species of invasive plants are problematic to wildfire prone areas like Nevada County. So let’s take a deep dive into the problem with […]
Read More >Sierra Streams Institute is expanding our office and taking over the entire second floor of our building. We are really excited to move into this space as it has gotten a little tight in our current office. We are looking for some furniture donations to help outfit our new space. […]
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