Lisa Wallace, Executive Director

 

As we continue to follow the official guidance for COVID-19, all of us at the Truckee River Watershed Council hope that you, your colleagues, and your loved ones are healthy and safe. We live and work in eastern Sierra, Nevada, and Placer Counties and we see the health and economic impacts of the pandemic throughout the community.

We continue to take comfort in knowing that we have incredible people like you in the world who are compassionate, resilient, and consistently help others.

 

Many of you have asked how you can volunteer and help us keep our work moving ahead – thank you so much for that support and interest!

Here is what we have been able to determine so far – and we will continue to evolve our programs as directives and guidance change in the next few weeks and months.

 

Adopt-A-Stream – Preserving an 18-year Data Record

Participate in important biology and chemistry water quality monitoring through our popular Adopt-A-Stream program. There are several ways to participate in watershed science:

  • Team Leader Training: In 2020, we will not have Team Leader training. However, if you have been a Team Leader in past few years, we will be in touch to see if you can help out! If you are interested in becoming a Team Leader in the future, please contact Eben
  • Chemical and Habitat Monitoring: Our volunteers have created an 18-year water quality data record and we are committed to doing all we can to keep the data set intact. In 2020, we will likely have three (3) monitoring sessions – in June through September – depending on when small group gatherings are possible with social distancing. We will not have May monitoring days for volunteer teams but anticipate that our staff will conduct the monitoring to preserve the data record. Contact Eben
  • Biological Monitoring: We may be able to have macroinvertebrate sampling days – in July through September – depending on social distancing criteria. If we miss sampling all summer, we will not be disrupting the data record. We are expecting to hold the winter lab season with all the criteria for social distancing. Contact Beth

 

Truckee River Day – It’s the 25th Year!

It was that first Truckee River Day in 1996 that spawned today’s Truckee River Watershed Council. Since then thousands of nature-lovers have shown up yearly with their gumboots, buckets, shovels and smiles to take on 100s of restoration projects throughout the watershed. Given this history, here is how it’s going to happen in 2020:

  • Steering Committee: the Steering Committee will start meeting in May via video calls and will begin site visits in June, adhering to all criteria for gathering size and social distancing.
  • Group Leader meetings: two Group Leader meetings will take place – September and October – adhering to all criteria for gathering size and social distancing.
  • Group Leader site visits: the site visits will take place in October – again, following all criteria for gathering size and social distancing.
  • Truckee River Day – October 18, 2020: We will have the 25th Annual Truckee River Day with all necessary gathering size and social distancing safety measures.
  • Contact Michele

 

River TalksGetting the dirt on the Truckee!

Like us, you love the Truckee River. And like us, you find it one of the most breathtaking places to hike, fish, swim, or simply ogle. But behind her natural beauty, the Truckee holds some disturbing secrets. Come learn about The Truckee’s troubled past—and why the watershed is the key to its future:

  • Host and/or take a ‘virtual tour’ of restoration projects – with video/Zoom meetings.
  • Meet fellow river-lovers and become part of the solution.
  • Contact Sue

Everyone reading this note is deeply connected to this community and values the beauty of nature, fresh air, clean water, and being outdoors. The power in our community is our resilience and finding ways to protect what we love, so nature and humanity can thrive together.

Please take care of yourselves during this time. Thank you for your commitment to our work – together we are FORIVER,

Lisa – on behalf of our board and staff

 

It takes a dedicated team to do what we do. Thank you to our partners who are vital to implementing the program we listed above.

Restoring meadows. Reviving forests. Saving habitats. Thank you to the donors of the Truckee River Watershed Council and our funders who make this work possible.