Agreement Reached To Protect Sierra Nevada Land From Home Building

The Sierra Nevada mountain range. Photo courtesy of the Sierra Nevada Alliance.

An agreement has been reached that will protect the forests in the northern Sierra Nevada from being parceled off and developed for commercial purposes.

Sierra Nevada northern forest. Photo by Sierra Forest Legacy.

In an effort that has been about four years in the making, an agreement has been reached between the Truckee Donner Land Trust, The Trust For Public Land, and the forest products company Sierra Pacific Industries will allow the company to continue logging the land near Jackson Meadows Reservoir north of Truckee, but the conservation agreement will prohibit property from being subdivided for development into homes.

The conservation agreement will mean permanent protection for the land, which includes streams, meadows, and a variety of plants and wildlife.

“These lands straddle the headwaters of four major rivers systems, which are the very heart of California’s water supply,” said David Sutton, The Trust for Public Land’s director for Northern California and Nevada.

“To get clean plentiful water out of the tap, the whole system has to be working right, but without healthy forests at the top, the water is threatened before it even begins to run downhill,” added Sutton.

The area will also still be available for recreation, including hiking, snowmobiling, and other uses. 

Jim Branham, executive officer of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, said, “Investing in projects that protect our natural resources, promote recreational opportunities, and support our local economies fits the conservancy’s mission perfectly.”

“The public who provides our funding derives multiple benefits from projects like this one,” added Branham.

The California money came from bonds approved by voters in 2006 as part of Proposition 84.

Also this week, on the opposite coast, a conservation deal was completed that will protect about 129 acres south of Decker Road in New Jersey’s Rockaway and Boonton townships.

The New Jersey Conservation Foundation will own and manage the land for natural resource protection and allowing public access for hiking and nature viewing.

The newly protected land adds to the already existing network of over 5,000 acres of protected public conservation land in this area of the New Jersey Highlands.

This newly protected land is the result of a combined effort between: The Trust for Public Land, the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and Morris County.

Most of the funding came from Morris County to buy the land priced at $1.7 million. Morris County provided $1.2 million through a grant from the Morris County Preservation Trust Fund.

Also contributing to the funding were the Johanette Wallerstien Institute and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.  

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