Sixty percent of California’s developed water supply originates high in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Our water supply is largely dependent on the health of our Sierra forests, which are suffering from ecosystem degradation, drought, wildfires and widespread tree mortality.

We headed into the foothills and the mountains to examine water issues that happen upstream but have dramatic impacts downstream and throughout the state. 

This 2-day, 1-night tour traveled through the Sierra Nevada foothills, into the mountains and around the Lake Tahoe Basin to learn about upper watersheds and what role they play in water supply and quality. We discussed meadow restoration, forest management and tree mortality, climate change, wildfire impacts and water quality. We visited a meadow restoration site, Lake Tahoe, El Dorado National Forest, and the Truckee and American rivers.

Stops Included:

• Lake Tahoe
• Meadow restoration sites
• UC Berkeley’s Blodgett Forest Research Station
• King Fire burn site
• American and Truckee rivers
• Sagehen Creek Field Station
• El Dorado National Forest
• UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center
• Folsom Dam

Topics Included:

• Forest management
• California’s tree mortality epidemic
• Climate change and carbon sequestration
• Water quality and urban runoff
• Meadow restoration
• Wildfire impacts
• Bioenergy production
• Habitat restoration and endangered species
• Tourism and recreation in the Sierra Nevada

Pricing Details:

Regular Price – $625 (one-person single occupancy room)

Early Bird Price – $595 if you register online by May 29.

Fee included all tour meals, transportation, materials, snacks and hotel accommodations once the tour begins. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from the tour’s beginning and end point.

Tour Start and End Point:

The tour began on June 28 at 7:30 a.m. and ended on June 29 at 6:30 p.m. in Rancho Cordova (10 miles northeast of downtown Sacramento) at  GEI Consultants - 2868 Prospect Park Drive, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670.