Style El Dorado County and Foothills; October 2018

cause & effect
Center for Sierra
Nevada Conservation
Speaking Up for the Voiceless
by JANET SCHERR // photos by DANTE FONTANA
Each winter, a herd of migratory
Pacific mule deer returns to a
23,000-acre range in the Sierra
Nevada. When the herd’s winter home
was in danger of being developed as a dirt
bike park 30 years ago, a group of local El
Dorado County residents joined forces
to stop it. Discovering that by speaking
up they could make an impact, the small
group continued to take on issues that
threatened the area’s wildlife habitat.
Today, the Center for Sierra Nevada
Conservation (CSNC) remains active in
advocating for local, state, and federal
policies that will better protect the
Eldorado National Forest’s voiceless: its
wildlife and water resources.
“The mid-’80s was a time when there
were many threats to our public lands,”
says Karen Schambach, one of CSNC’s
founders. “At the same time, the Eldorado
was in the midst of creating a new forest
plan designed to guide the forest for the
next 15-20 years. We wanted to create a
way for citizens to engage in the planning
process.”
Since then, CSNC has influenced many
land use decisions with the health of the
forest’s wildlife and watersheds in mind.
In recent years, it shifted to a more active
role in watershed restoration, creating an
effective program with grant funding and
a partnership with the Eldorado where
volunteers do physical work to repair
damaged watersheds.
“Watersheds face death by a thousand
cuts, quite literally,” Schambach asserts.
“We perform weekly restoration projects
with about 50 volunteers. Some people
come to help almost every week, others
once a year. Our small projects don’t
require heavy equipment; we use rakes,
shovels, and hoes to fill ruts, build
water bars, and disguise unauthorized
vehicle intrusions before they become
established and turn into serious
watershed threats.” In turn, volunteers
are rewarded with a day in the forest
where they learn about watershed
protection, wildlife, and plants and enjoy
the company of like-minded people.
The projects were designed and led by
two AmeriCorps volunteers: Ben Jenkins
and Kaitlin Raven. “[The organization]
began having SNAP (Sierra Nevada
AmeriCorps Partnership) volunteers in
2014,” explains Schambach. “Ben and
Kaitlin are our fourth generation of
AmeriCorps leaders. They’ve finished
their terms this fall and how we will take
a break from restoration projects.”
One of CSNC’s numerous
accomplishments was changing the way
the U.S. Forest Service regulates off-road
vehicles (ORVs). The group advocated for
the effects of ORV use to be analyzed,
and then for action to be taken to manage
the damaging use accordingly. The result
of this local effort became the Travel
Management Rule, a national regulation
that requires the U.S. Forest Service to
monitor ORV use on forest roads and
trails, protecting wildlife habitats and
watersheds.
CSNC’s work is funded by the State
Off-Highway Vehicle Division of State
Parks, the Rose Foundation, California
Alpine Club Foundation, and by member
dues and fundraisers.
Schambach is optimistic for the future
of CSNC’s work and encourages nature
enthusiasts to help be a voice for the Sierra
Nevada. “We’re always looking for people
with an interest in our national forests to
join us!” sierranevadaconservation.org
20 styleedc.com // OCTOBER 2018 // /styleedc /stylemediagroup /stylemediagroup /stylemagedcf