Sierra Nevada Conservancy awards $4.6M for wildfire projects
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy has approved more than $4.6 million in funding for wildfire resilience and recreation projects across the Sierra-Cascade region, backing efforts to reduce wildfire risk, improve public access to outdoor spaces and advance future forest restoration work.
During the state agency’s recent board meeting, governing members approved nearly $1.5 million for two wildfire resilience projects and just over $3.1 million for seven recreation and tourism projects spanning several Northern and Central California counties.
Angela Avery, the executive officer of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, said the effort started in April 2025.
“Since the governor approved the early action wildfire resilience funds from the Climate Bond in April of last year, our staff has worked diligently to get investments out to our regional partners for high-priority projects that protect communities and the landscape from damaging wildfires,” Avery said in a statement.
Avery said the newly approved projects, along with future grant programs, will help address growing wildfire threats while improving outdoor recreation opportunities throughout the region.
The board approved two projects through the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Directed Grant Program to reduce hazardous vegetation in Nevada and Mariposa counties.
The City of Grass Valley received $720,000 to treat about 240 acres of forestland in the Wolf Creek and Boston Ravine areas, as well as other locations in the southern part of the city.
The Mariposa County Fire Safe Council was awarded $756,179 to reduce wildfire fuels on 192 acres near the communities of Ahwahnee, Nipinnawasee and Ponderosa Basin. The project will also retreat fuel breaks along Stumpfield Mountain Road that were first completed in 2019.
The SNC board approved seven recreation and tourism projects totaling $3.15 million to improve trails, public access and outdoor facilities in Butte, Kern, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Tehama and Trinity counties.
In Kern County, the Yosemite Sequoia Resource Conservation & Development Council received $479,263 to help relocate the Whiskey Flat Trailhead onto U.S. Forest Service land and complete environmental review work for a planned pedestrian bridge over Bull Run Creek near Kernville.
Another Kern County project, pending approval of the state budget, would provide $500,000 to the Kernville Chamber of Commerce to complete environmental planning for a future community park along the North Fork Kern River at a former Sequoia National Forest recreation site.
The South Yuba River Citizens League secured funding for work in Van Norden Meadow, including construction of a 5.5-mile loop trail with boardwalks and a viewing platform designed to improve visitor access while protecting sensitive habitat.
In Placer County, the county’s Division of Parks, Trails and Open Space received $500,000 to build a new trail connection between Hidden Falls Regional Park and the Big Hill Preserve. The project includes 3 miles of multi-use trail and three small bridges.
The South Yuba River Citizens League also received a separate grant of nearly $500,000, pending state budget approval, for additional trail improvements in Van Norden Meadow, which spans Placer and Nevada counties.
Farther north, the Watershed Research and Training Center in Hayfork was awarded nearly $500,000 to assess recreation improvement needs across roughly 300,000 acres in the Trinity Alps Wilderness and Trinity Lake region.
The Butte County Resource Conservation District received $500,000 to construct a 4.3-mile trail and new trailhead facilities as part of the Colby Mountain trail network in Lassen National Forest.
In Mono County, Mammoth Lakes Recreation was awarded $175,000 to deploy three mobile watercraft decontamination stations aimed at preventing the spread of the invasive golden mussel.
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy officials said in a news release that demand for recreation funding far exceeded available resources. The agency had approximately $4 million remaining in Proposition 68 funding for its recreation grant program but received about $20 million in requests from eligible projects.
