Our Headwaters Tour on June 21-22 returns in person for the first time in four years and seats are filling up quickly! Don’t miss your chance to venture from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada to Lake Tahoe to examine water issues happening upstream that can dramatically affect communities downstream and throughout the state.

The quality and availability of drinking water for millions of Californians depend on the health of Sierra forests that have been ravaged by a series of historically destructive wildfires and a series of multi-year droughts despite an epic snowpack this year. In all, 30 percent of the state’s developed water supply originates high in the Sierra.

This 2-day, 1-night tour starts and ends in Sacramento and travels up the American River watershed, around Lake Tahoe (where we stay overnight) and down the Yuba River watershed.

Some planned stops along the way include:

• Tahoe & Eldorado national forests
• UC Berkeley’s Blodgett Forest Research Station
• American Rivers meadow restoration project site
• Blue Forest Conservation pilot project site
• UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center
• New Bullards Bar Reservoir

During the tour, we will explore the effects of fire on water supply and quality, forest management research and practice, California’s tree mortality epidemic, meadow restoration and climate change impacts.

NEW! Optional pre-tour whitewater rafting trip

New this year, tour participants are also invited to join an optional whitewater rafting trip on the South Fork of the American River June 20! Expert guides will lead a group down the South Fork’s Lower Gorge to experience the excitement, challenge and direct connection to a watershed. The memorable adventure is perfect for novice paddlers and experienced river runners alike. 

Seating is more limited on this tour than any other we offer, so don’t delay. Find more tour information and registration details here.