As all readers will surely be aware, California has been experiencing increasing fire severity and frequency in recent years. In 2020, 4 million acres were burned, and in 2021, the Dixie and Caldor fires were the first fires in CA history to hop the crest of the Sierra Nevada. So, […]
Read More >Monitoring
Over the last couple winters, Sierra Streams Institute has begun conducting targeted stormwater monitoring as a part of our normal watershed monitoring regimen. In light of the some of the recent inclement weather we’ve experienced in the Sierra Foothills, our executive director Jeff Lauder wrote an article in January 2023 […]
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As we move into spring with snow still on the ground, we wanted to revisit this topic and give a brief update on where we stand now. The atmospheric rivers have continued to provide us with rain and snow, filling creeks and reservoirs and contributing to a snowpack for the […]
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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 […]
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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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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 >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. […]
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Last week, Jeff, SSI’s ecologist and Wes, one of SSI’s AmeriCorps members, presented their work modeling water quality and climate change data at the California Water Boards Water Data Science Symposium. Using R, a programming language, they overlaid SSI’s twenty years of monthly water quality measurements along Deer Creek with […]
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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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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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AmeriCorps Week 2019 (March 10-16, 2019) is a celebration of all things AmeriCorps – from the programs and organizations that make this national service initiative possible in thousands of locations, to the members who have pledged to “Get Things Done” since the program’s inception in 1994. During this year’s AmeriCorps […]
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Each summer, Sierra Streams hosts about four interns for the summer field season. Interns can expect to monitor wildlife, monitor water quality, collect benthic macro invertebrates (BMI), collect algae samples, process samples and more! Days are spent crawling in the most beautiful streams in Nevada County collecting data that informs […]
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Our AmeriCorps River Scientist, Anna Shampain, is one of the luckiest staff members here at Sierra Streams because her work takes her out in the field quite often. Thankfully, she comes back to the office to share photos and tales so we can all […]
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A summer internship with Sierra Streams meant more to Jenny Hakala then just gaining experience in the field; it was an opportunity to explore the hidden corners of her home, Nevada County, and all of the beauty. After graduating from Nevada Union in 2013, Jenny started general education courses at […]
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In the spring, Lang and Indra Waters can be found crawling around creeks looking for Sierra Newts during their mating season. This father-son duo has made a family tradition of exploring their surroundings, learning about all of the woodland critters around them. On hiking and camping trips, Lang’s father infected […]
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