Ten years after its purchase to save it from development, restoration work is finally underway for Van Norden Meadow. At 485 acres, it’s one of the largest meadows on the west side of the Northern Sierra and is considered critical for water storage and quality, wildlife habitat, and forest resiliency. The project is a partnership between the South Yuba River Citizens League and the Tahoe National Forest, which assumed ownership in 2017. SYRCL’s River Science Project Manager, Alecia Weisman, says the meadow has been significantly altered from years of intensive human utilization, such as fire suppression. Also, hydrologic modifications from dams and roads….

click to listen to Alecia Weisman

Weisman says the first phase this year includes filling stream channels, which will greatly enhance the hydrology…

click to listen to Alecia Weisman

Weisman says healthy, functioning meadows can also store as much carbon, acre-for-acre, as a rainforest. Tree removals also start this year and finish next year, the final year of the restoration project.