Childs Meadow photo provided by Sarah Yarell

Grass Valley, Calif. March 5, 2019 –  The Sierra Science Series will welcome Dr. Sarah Yarnell, UC Davis Research Hydrologist, to present current research in meadow restoration with a presentation titled, An Experimental Study of Beaver and Beaver Dam Analogue (BDA) Restoration Techniques in Childs Meadow.

The presentation will be held on Tuesday evening, March 12th from 6:30 – 7:30 pm, in the Multipurpose Center, building N12-103, at the Nevada County Campus. Come early and enjoy a meet-and-greet and refreshments at 6:00 pm.

Meadows play an important role in water storage and flood prevention. However, many Sierra Nevada meadows have been transformed from multi-thread channels with annually inundated floodplains into single-thread channels that store less water, store less carbon and have reduced habitat quality for a diverse suite of meadow-associated wildlife.

Dr. Yarnell aims to understand the role of beavers and beaver-dam-like structures in restoring degraded meadow resources. This presentation will report initial findings and lessons learned on an adaptive management experiment to enhance water, carbon, and wildlife in Childs Meadow, a 290-acre meadow just south of Lassen National Park. A portion of the meadow was restored using combinations of Beaver Dam Analogues, grazing enclosures, and willow staking in Fall 2015 through Fall 2016. The project is a modified before-after-control-impact design evaluating carbon flux, water quality, timing, and storage; and effects on meadow associated birds and amphibians.

The Sierra Science Lecture Series is presented by Sierra College Nevada County Campus and Sierra Streams Institute.

Location and Parking

The Nevada County Campus is located at 250 Sierra College Drive, Grass Valley, CA 95945. Talks are in the Multipurpose Center Building N-12.

Parking is $3, and you can purchase permits at the kiosk machine at the main entrance to the campus.

For more information, contact the series coordinator, Jason Giuliani,
at jgiuliani@sierracollege.edu.

About Sierra College

Sierra College District is rising to meet the needs of our community. Sierra College serves 3200 square miles of Northern CA with campuses in Roseville, Rocklin, Grass Valley, and Truckee. With approximately 125 degree and certificate programs, Sierra College is ranked first in Northern California (Sacramento north) for transfers to four year universities, offers career/technical training, and classes for upgrading job skills.  Sierra graduates can be found in businesses and industries throughout the region. More information at https://www.sierracollege.edu/.