Nevada City, CA — March 23, 2026 — The Yuba Watershed Institute (YWI), in collaboration with Sierra Streams Institute (SSI), will host two public field tours this April showcasing completed forest restoration work in the Little Deer Creek watershed on Banner Mountain.
The free, guided tours will give community members a firsthand look at fuels reduction and forest health treatments implemented between 2024 and 2026.
Tour Dates:
- Tuesday, April 7 at 4:00 PM
- Saturday, April 11 at 10:00 AM
Meeting Location:
Nevada County Sportsmen parking lot
11296 Banner Mountain Trail, Nevada City
Participants will walk through treated areas and observe before-and-after conditions following hand and mechanical thinning. The tours will also highlight early understory response and explore how these treatments influence wildfire behavior and forest resilience.
“We’ve treated about 200 acres of forest on Banner Mountain, reducing hazardous fuels around homes, evacuation routes, recreational trails, and Nevada City’s water infrastructure,” said Chris Friedel, Executive Director of the Yuba Watershed Institute. “These field tours give the community a chance to see that work firsthand and understand what a healthier, more resilient forest actually looks like on the ground.”
The Little Deer Creek Landscape Resilience Project is led by YWI, with planning support from Sierra Streams Institute and implementation across lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), land owned by Bear Yuba Land Trust (BYLT), and a privately owned property protected by a BYLT-held conservation easement. Funding for the project was provided by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy.
The tours will last approximately 1.5 hours and involve a relatively easy walk on dirt trails. Attendees are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes and bring water.
Contact
For more information:
https://www.yubawatershedinstitute.org/projects/little-deer-creek