SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. January 14, 2018 – The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced plans to award more than $6 million in grants to restore watersheds impacted by wildfires over the next three years, in partnership with the Eldorado National Forest and the Lassen National Forest. Both forests are biologically diverse and have a variety of habitats and ecosystems, from snowy mountains to forests and meadows.
“The partnership between NFWF and the U.S. Forest Service will help restore a vital landscape and associated watersheds that were damaged by the Power and Storrie Fires,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “Our partnership with the U.S. Forest Service will not only improve the health of the watersheds associated with these two forests, but will also protect critical natural resources for nearby communities.”
The Eldorado and Lassen National Forests have partnered with NFWF to restore the watersheds and ecosystems affected by the Power and Storrie Fires. Through this program, NFWF will invest in projects that:
- Provide sustainable and lasting ecological benefits
- Promote ecological resilience to future wildfire events
- Improve forest managers’ capacity to identify and address resource management issues stemming from these fires
- Repair critical infrastructure such as trails and fuel breaks damaged by the fire, particularly where they have a discernible connection to the goals of ecological restoration.
The program’s first Request for Proposals will be available February 1, 2018. The Eldorado National Forest spans nearly 600,000 acres in the central Sierra Nevada of northern California. The forest is bordered by the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, and the Humboldt-Toiyabe, Stanislaus, and Tahoe National Forests.
“Our partnership with NFWF will help bring new partners and innovative ideas that will contribute to a healthier, more resilient forest,” said Eldorado Forest Supervisor Laurence Crabtree.
The Lassen National Forest has a range of 1.2 million acres in the northern Sierra Nevada of northern California. The forest is bordered by the Modoc, Plumas, and Shasta-Trinity National Forests.
“We are excited about the watershed restoration opportunities that will be created through our new partnership,” said Lassen Forest Supervisor Dave Hays.
The 2004 Power Fire on Eldorado National Forest burned 14,000 acres in the Mokelumne River and Cosumnes River watersheds. The 2000 Storrie Fire on Lassen National Forest burned 27,000 acres in the North Fork Feather River watershed and the Butte Creek watershed, and also burned 25,000 acres on Plumas National Forest. Combined, these two fires burned more than 65,000 acres of National Forest lands and left a significant impact on the landscapes, watersheds, and ecosystems of the region.
NFWF and the U.S. Forest Service are hosting public open houses on Wednesday, February 14th from 1-3pm at the Eldorado National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 100 Forni Road, Placerville CA and Thursday, February 15th from 10am-12pm at the Lassen National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 2550 Riverside Drive, Susanville CA to discuss the partnership and the Request for Proposal opportunity. The Request for Proposal will be available on NFWF’s website on February 1, 2018 at www.nfwf.org/norcal.