The scenic NID-owned English Meadow, in the upper Sierra, has been going through some hard times lately. Officials say the 380 acres, at the 61-hundred-foot elevation, above Jackson Meadow Reservoir, is currently experiencing excessively dry soil conditions. But NID Assistant General Manager Greg Jones says they’re finally getting ready to begin restoration work next year. It’s on the headwater of the middle fork of the Yuba River…

At their meeting today, the NID Board of Directors is expected to adopt a formal resolution for the program. Jones says funding will be leveraged through a one-point-two million dollar grant from the Wildlife Conservation Board.

Jones says work also includes the utilization of woody debris and soil material to repair headcuts and fill excavated drainage ditches. In addition, there will be 180 acres of understory thinning on the slopes surrounding English Meadow, to improve forest health and decrease the risk of extreme wildfires, which has the potential to disturb the watershed and wildlife habitat.