NEVADA CITY, California, August 24, 2017 – Starting in late August and continuing through October, the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) and Tahoe National Forest (TNF) will be working to restore stream and wetland habitat across the 50-acre Loney Meadow. This project is part of a joint effort by SYRCL and the TNF to restore meadows within the Yuba River watershed to protect headwater streams that support water quality and supply, as well as wildlife and plant habitat throughout the region.

The Loney Meadow Restoration Project has three main goals:  (1) improve plant and wildlife habitat; (2) recharge groundwater; and (3) reduce stream erosion.

“This is a great opportunity to restore our important and rare alpine meadows,” said Karen Hayden, District Ranger for the Yuba River Ranger District. “While it will look messy during this restoration work, the end result will be a better, healthier meadow.”

This project is being completed in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, SYRCL, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Forest Foundation, Sierra Nevada Conservancy, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Earthwatch, Nevada County, and UC Davis.

Located in the Grouse Ridge area, Loney Meadow is part of a larger meadow complex that drains into the Canyon Creek sub-watershed. Road building, fire suppression, and historic grazing and logging activities have heavily impacted meadows in the Sierra Nevada. In Loney Meadow, these activities have resulted in a downcut stream channel, destabilized stream banks, loss of habitat, lowered water table, and encroachment by non-native species. According to Rachel Hutchinson, River Science Director at SYRCL, “The benefit of restoring this meadow will allow us to reinstate resiliency to one of our most treasured ecosystems, while protecting our headwater resources.”

If you are planning to visit the area during September and October, please expect to encounter limited parking and intermittent trail closures for specific sections of the trail around Loney Meadow. Bowman Road may be closed for repairs this fall; please check the Tahoe National Forest website for more information (www.fs.usda.gov/tahoe).

For more information on the Loney Meadow Restoration Project, please visit www.yubariver.org or contact:  Rachel Hutchinson, Science Director, SYRCL, rachel@syrcl.org or Luke Rutton, Hydrologist, Tahoe National Forest, lrutten@fs.fed.us.