More than one year after losing our office and laboratory to the Jones Bar Fire, Sierra Streams Institute (SSI) has a new place to call “home” again. We want to show you how we rose from those ashes. So, we invite you to come to celebrate with us and see our new space.
Please join us this Saturday, October 23; stop by any time between 3-6 PM at our office at 117 New Mohawk Rd, Suite H, Nevada City. While we will be primarily outside, due to COVID restrictions, we will have tents set up to stay dry. Refreshments will be provided! Be sure to bring your mask for small group office tours, all your pressing ecological and scientific questions, and a cup for refreshments.
After two decades of work in the watershed, we’re excited to share what we’ve learned over the last 20 years, what we have planned for the next 20, and how you can be a part of our next chapter. We will be reflecting on and sharing about our many different programs. We started out focusing on water quality monitoring of the Deer Creek watershed, which continues to be central to our work. The data we collect helps inform us about our ecosystems’ health and new issues that may arise in our ecosystems. Still, we have expanded to do so much more.
We have ongoing research on the community health impacts of exposure to legacy contaminants from gold mining to better understand how our community can be healthy while living in Gold Country. To help with the current drought and wildfire risks our community faces, we are conducting research into best practices for land management and fire recovery. We have many ongoing restorations projects throughout the watershed that help to provide critical habitat for local animals. Our new youth education program has youth from around the county out in the forests collecting forest health data to inform future restoration projects. And, we have many opportunities for the public to learn more about our local ecosystems with a California Naturalist Training program and several science speakers planned for the near future.
As a community and citizen science organization, YOUR input plays a critical role in guiding our future. We strive to provide programming and conduct research that meets the needs of our community. While we have a lot to share, we also want to use this opportunity to hear community feedback. So please join us this Saturday to hear more about the work that is happening in your backyard and how you can get involved!