South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL)

February 14, 2024 – The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) and our partners are currently working through a tangle of water issues which stretch from the highest reaches of our beloved Yuba River all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge. This issue promises to impact how Yuba water flows into the Bay-Delta system […]

The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) held its 26th annual Yuba River Cleanup event on Saturday, September 23, 2023, from 9am to noon. SYRCL would like to thank the over 680 volunteers who donated over 2,000 hours to help remove trash from the Yuba watershed. SYRCL would especially like to thank the 27 individuals […]

Following a record-breaking winter, South Yuba River Citizen League (SYRCL) scientists were eager to check in on the success of the restoration completed in 2022 during Phase 1 of the Van Norden Meadow Restoration Project! Van Norden meadow (Yayalu Itdeh in Washoe), an important 485-acre meadow at the headwaters of the South Yuba River, is […]

The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) is calling all dog owners and nature enthusiasts! Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 9th, from 9:00 am to 11:30 am, as we come together for a fun and purposeful event aimed at preserving the beauty of our local waterways. You and your leashed dog can join SYRCL […]

The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) proudly announces the appointment of Aaron Zettler-Mann as its new Executive Director, marking a significant step in the organization’s ongoing commitment to the preservation and restoration of the Yuba River watershed. George Olive, SYRCL’s Board President, announced the board’s decision after a rigorous nationwide search.  Aaron Zettler-Mann has […]

The South Yuba River Citizens League’s Annual River Cleanup is turning 26 this year and registration to participate is open at www.yubariver.org. 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 […]

Rotary Screw Traps (RSTs) are specially designed sampling devices used to capture downstream migrating juvenile fish such as salmon and steelhead. They are large, cylindrical traps that float on pontoons. This October, two RSTs will be installed on the North Yuba River, one at Rocky Rest Campground at RM 25.6 and the other along Old […]

The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) has been involved in aspen restoration for over 6 years now, with a Yuba River watershed-wide aspen assessment completed last year. To involve our community with the work we do, we are hosting Aspen Volunteer Days on Friday, July 14 and Saturday, July 15 at 10 am at […]

Memorial Day weekend is traditionally the start of the “river season” in Nevada County, where locals and out-of-towners alike descend upon the Yuba River in droves, looking to cool down and enjoy the unparalleled beauty of area. For this reason, Memorial Day weekend is also the start of the South Yuba River Citizens League and […]

On May 16th , Governor Newsom, along with Yuba Water Agency, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) held a press conference announcing efforts to build a fish passage canal around Daguerre Point Dam and begin a reintroduction trap-and- haul effort around New Bullards Bar Dam. The […]

Living in Nevada County, you’ve probably realized that our beloved Yuba River has been “discovered”. With an estimated 800,000+ people visiting the South Yuba River State Park every year, the South Yuba River Citizens League’s River Ambassador program was developed in 2012 in partnership between SYRCL and State Parks to ensure that the Yuba River […]

In 2019, Rise Gold Corp., a private company based out of Canada, submitted plans to the Nevada County Planning Department outlining a proposal to reopen the long-abandoned Idaho-Maryland Mine – hidden away beneath the vibrant community of Grass Valley, an archive of toxic mine waste and an intricate underground tunnel system dating back to the […]

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 […]