This winter has certainly been one for the memory books, but what about the record books? With all of the rain we’ve received over the last few weeks, multiple questions have been coming up. Just how big is this storm compared to prior wet years? Is this a “drought buster”? What […]
Read More >Citizen Science
This summer, Sierra Streams Institute board member Dave Herbst worked with SSI staff, volunteers and recent graduates from UC Santa Cruz to pilot a project characterizing aquatic invertebrate biodiversity of streams throughout the Sierra Nevada, including the Yuba River. This work builds on our long-term citizen monitoring program, our partnership […]
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Summer sampling by the numbers: Summer Water Quality Summary: Between June and August, we collected water quality data from 12 sites in the Deer Creek watershed and 10 sites in the Bear River watershed. Learn more about our water quality parameters below! Oxygen is necessary for all forms of life. […]
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This past school year, Sierra Streams Institute had the joy of venturing into our local forests with over 300 3rd-5th grade students in Nevada County. The mission? Promote students’ environmental science agency, spark curiosity and increase interest in land stewardship through placed-based investigations into forest health. The program, Our Forests, […]
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The signs are related to bacteria levels. Every summer in the creeks, as the temperature increases and water flow decreases, we see an increase in bacteria at many of our monitoring sites. Some amount of bacteria is always present in creek water, but less water in the creek concentrates any […]
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Over the last twenty years, Sierra Streams Institute’s water quality monitoring program has used citizen science to assess the health of the Deer Creek Watershed and engage community members in their local ecosystems. Historically, dedicated volunteers conducted monthly monitoring along eighteen sites spread strategically throughout the watershed. Volunteers measure pH, […]
Read More >The “snowmageddon” storm of December 2021 was one to remember. Just ask the trees. Some lost branches. Some were bent over—sometimes seemingly permanently—by the weight of the snow. Many many more were uprooted, leading to the power and transportation issues we lived with for days or weeks after the storm. […]
Read More >Life of the Bottom-Feeders in the Shallows and Deeps of Streams Are you interested in learning more about the insects who inhabit our waterways? Join Sierra Streams Institute with guest speaker Dave Herbst on Tuesday March 1st at 6 PM for our latest Virtual Science Speaker Talk. Dave has been […]
Read More >When: January 8, from 10AM- 12PM, rain delay date January 9 Where: Pioneer Park Picnic Area (See map below) Questions or for more information contact Emma Walker, River Scientist, emma@sierrastreamsinstitute.org We are looking for more volunteer monitors specifically for the Bear River. Learn more about our Bear River Monitoring Here. […]
Read More >Background and History: The Bear River, flowing from its headwaters to the confluence with the Feather River, spans 73 miles. Its waters are heavily managed through dams and diversions. Though it is one of the more degraded watersheds in the area, the Bear River is one of the least monitored. […]
Read More >Youth-focused Community and Citizen Science in Nevada County What makes a forest healthy? Are our local forests healthy? Those are the questions that 3rd-5th graders from around the area are attempting to answer with the help of Sierra Stream’s Institute’s education team. Students will be working throughout the year to […]
Read More >As we reach the first anniversary of the Jones Fire, there is a lot to reflect on both the landscape and organization. Much like a forest is renewed by low severity while simultaneously being forever changed by high severity fire, by losing our office to the blaze, we were given […]
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Public health and safety have been at the forefront of many peoples’ minds this year as we are all dealing with a worldwide pandemic. There are a myriad of components that contribute to one’s health. One major factor is water. Water is one of the most critical elements to all […]
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Each June, SSI collects benthic macro invertebrates (BMIs) and algae samples at each of our monitoring sites. This data helps us understand more about the health of our streams. Since the COVID-19 outbreak in March our monitoring program has looked substantially different than normal because we cannot rely on the […]
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Robin and Cicely are sisters who have been volunteering for SSI since 2013. They have been involved in almost all of SSI’s volunteer opportunities–from water quality monitoring to the bug lab to restoration. Robin first began volunteering with SSI’s macroinvertebrate lab, and you can still find her there almost every […]
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We know that many of you may already be familiar with the concept of citizen science. However, as we move into a new year, here at Sierra Streams we wanted to take a moment to appreciate the benefits of citizen science and reiterate why it is so central to our […]
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Meet Hailey Wilson! Hailey Wilson is an enthusiastic ten-year old with a deep passion for laughter and learning. I thought it was so important to highlight Hailey in this series because she’s downright inspiring. She’s full of silliness, energy and a love of the natural world that is contagious. We […]
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Earlier this year, our AmeriCorps members set up wildlife cameras at a site in the Deer Creek watershed. We were overjoyed with what we got back. We hope you enjoy these photos as much as we have! A Great Blue Heron taking […]
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Each spring and fall, Sierra Streams in partnership with Sierra College puts on the Science Speaker Series the second Tuesday of each month. The talks focus science happening in the Sierra Foothills and Sierra Nevada range. Impact of a Warmer and Drier Future: Rangeland Ecosystems and Ecosystem Services Between 2012 […]
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