South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL)

Forty years ago, the South Yuba River Citizens League began caring for the South Yuba River by advocating for dam removal and gaining Wild and Scenic protection. Today, their work encompasses the entire Yuba River watershed – from the Sierra crest to the valley floor. To celebrate SYRCL’s fortieth anniversary, they commissioned a film from […]

Nevada City, CA — In November 2019, Rise Gold submitted a project description to reopen the Idaho-Maryland Mine with the hope of extracting gold on the 119-acre New Brunswick site.    SYRCL has been researching the project since then. We have concluded that the reopening of the Idaho-Maryland Mine poses a significant threat to our […]

Started in 2002, Quiz Night is the annual spring fundraiser for the South Yuba River Citizens League’s (SYRCL) Youth Environmentalist of the Year scholarship and its year-round River Education programs. Each year, SYRCL awards a $4,000 scholarship to support a local college-bound student who has demonstrated a commitment to the environment and is on their […]

Nevada City, CA — Since 2002, the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) has offered a $4,000 scholarship to a graduating senior pursuing a degree in the environmental field (science, advocacy, education, art, communication, technology, sustainability, etc.). This year the deadline for students to apply is February 24, 2023. In order to be eligible for […]

Nevada City, CA – Through Growing Green for the Yuba, SYRCL’s goal is to inspire the community to engage in sustainable and ecologically sound cannabis cultivation in the Yuba River watershed. On January 11th from 5:30 to 6:45, join SYRCL, with guest speakers from the Nevada County Cannabis Alliance, at Nevada County Media at 355 […]

Nevada City, CA – The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) and the University of California, Santa Cruz are looking for community input on issues surrounding river health, fisheries, and fish passage at Daguerre Point Dam on the lower Yuba River. SYRCL is exploring ways to restore access to habitat for salmon and other native […]

Nevada City, CA – Do you want to do more to help protect the place that you love? Do you want to do some hands-on activism for a cause you believe in? The South Yuba River Citizens League is always looking for dedicated and engaged volunteers to help us protect and preserve the Yuba River […]

Nevada City, CA – After nearly a dozen years with SYRCL, and five years at the helm of the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL), Melinda Booth will step down as Executive Director following the 21st anniversary of the Wild & Scenic Film Festival in February 2023. Booth served in a number of leadership roles […]

Nevada City, CA – From September 12th to the 24th, with the help of over 400 Yuba River loving volunteers donating more than 1,220 hours, the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) was able to remove over 10,600 pounds of trash and recycling from 23 sites in the Yuba River watershed. This year’s Yuba River […]

Nevada City – Registration is open for the South Yuba River Citizens League’s (SYRCL) 2022 Salmon Expeditions on Sunday, October 16th and Saturday, October 29th. Join SYRCL’s River Science staff, trained naturalists, and river guides from H2O Adventures for a float trip down the lower Yuba to see spawning salmon. The day on a raft […]

The Yuba River still needs your help shedding the waste that has built up over the summer and SYRCL would love to welcome you as a volunteer. Sadly, last Saturday, September 17th, SYRCL had to cancel its 25th Annual Community-Wide River Cleanup event at the last minute because of extremely hazardous air quality conditions. It […]

Nevada City, CA — The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) is canceling its Yuba River Community Cleanup today as well as its Volunteer Appreciation Party at Bridgeport. This decision was made because of the extremely hazardous air quality conditions Saturday morning, September 17. “The health and wellbeing of our volunteers and staff come first,” […]

Nevada City – The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL), a watershed conservation organization based out of Nevada City, is leading Salmon Expedition rafting trips for Yuba and Nevada County 3rd through 12th graders. We are currently looking for volunteer salmon naturalists to help these students get the most out of this incredible outdoor education […]

Nevada City, CA –Ten years after the Truckee Donner Land Trust and partners purchased Van Norden Meadow (Yayalu Itdeh in Washoe) to save it from development, the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) and the Tahoe National Forest (TNF) have broken ground on actions to restore the meadow.  The project began on August 8, 2022. […]

Nevada City, CA — The South Yuba River Citizens League’s Annual River Cleanup is turning 25 this year. Each September since 1997, as part of a larger cleanup effort called California Coastal Cleanup Day, SYRCL has organized an annual Yuba River Cleanup event uniting the community to remove the trash that sadly builds up throughout […]

August 4, 2022 – Today, a panel of judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overruled the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), re-establishing California’s right to protect water quality in the Yuba, Bear, and Merced River Watersheds for the next 40 years.  One of FERC’s primary duties is licensing and inspecting […]

Nevada City, CA –The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) was awarded $3.746 million from the Wildlife Conservation Board’s Forest Conservation grant program to implement Phase One of restoration of Van Norden Meadow (Yayalu Itdeh in Washoe) in partnership with Tahoe National Forest (TNF). The 485-acre meadow is located at the headwaters of the South […]

Nevada City, CA – The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) proudly announces Vanessa Richards as the 2022 Environmentalist of the Year Scholarship awardee. Each spring, SYRCL offers a $4,000 scholarship to a graduating high school senior who plans to pursue a degree in the environmental field. On Thursday, May 12, SYRCL hosted an Award […]

Nobody wants to see the beautiful Yuba river get trashed. Nobody wants to see a catastrophic wildfire erupt in the river canyon. And, least of all, nobody wants to see any more injuries or deaths happen at the river.   Did you know that you can step up and do something to help lessen the possibility […]

Nevada City, CA – The South Yuba River Citizens League’s (SYRCL) RiversLab Program invites community members to join in a science-based discussion about a variety of subjects that relate to the Yuba River watershed. SYRCL will host two more virtual RiversLab sessions that are free and open to the public. The goal is to improve […]