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. 

This tour went 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 explore the impact of fires on California water supply and quality in the American and Yuba watersheds, as well as forest management and tree mortality, meadow restoration and climate change. Tour stops include the Yuba and American rivers, Tahoe and Eldorado national forests, meadow and river restoration sites and Lake Tahoe.

Contact Nick Gray, programs manager, with any questions via email or call 916-444-6240.

What attendees say about the tour:

What did you like best?

“Great speakers and participants. Kept the conversations flowing throughout the trip. I loved this trip!”

“I liked meeting people in the field and hearing about their work. Helpful to get a better understanding of the interconnection of fire, water and forest health.”

“The sites were beautiful and the speakers were highly qualified. I learned so m

Stops Included:

• Lake Tahoe
• Meadow restoration sites
• UC Berkeley’s Blodgett Forest Research Station
• King Fire burn site
• American and Yuba rivers
• Blue Forest Conservation pilot project site
• New Bullards Bar Reservoir
• Tahoe and Eldorado national forests
• UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center
• Folsom Dam

Topics Included:

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

Tour Started and Ended:

The tour begans on June 27 at 7:30 a.m. and ended on June 28 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.

Pricing Details:

Regular Price – $645 (one person, single-occupancy room)

Early Bird Price – $615 if you register online by May 27. Click on the orange registration button above.

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

Cancellation and Refund Policy:

Deadline to cancel and receive a refund was three weeks prior to the first day of the tour due to hotel, meal and transportation bookings. Substitutions are allowed up to five business days before the tour. Refunds may be subject to a 10% processing fee.

Continuing Education Credits:

Continuing education credits were available for attorneys for an additional fee, and may be available for water plant/wastewater plant operators and other vocations/professions.