The Yuba Watershed Institute (YWI) has organized a workday to help save large legacy trees from wildfire. The trees are located in the ‘Inimim Forest, the community forest of the San Juan Ridge.

One of the YWI’s goals is to preserve and restore a component of old forest habitat in our watershed. The ‘Inimim Forest has remnant stands of very large trees, and we will be clearing small vegetation from their drip lines.

The workday is scheduled for Saturday, November 18, 2017 from 9 am to 3 pm. Meet at the North Columbia Schoolhouse (17894 Tyler Foote Crossing Rd, Nevada City, CA 95959) to carpool to the worksite.

Bring work gloves, clippers, handsaws, water and some snacks. A picnic will follow the workday.

Forest ecologist Dr. Jo Ann Fites-Kaufman will explain what she has been discovering on the ‘Inimim Forest during recent surveys conducted as part of an update to the Bureau of Land Management’s management plan for this area.

For further information call Bob Erickson at 530-292-3777

Register today for the 20th Annual Yuba Watershed Fungus Foray and Wild Mushroom Exposition!

Purchase tickets now to avoid waiting in a long line on the morning of the event.

More information about this year’s Foray.

This summer, the Yuba Watershed Institute is updating the management plan for the ‘Inimim Forest, which we manage collaboratively with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

We are looking for a small crew of volunteers to help us with assessing the condition of the forest on the different parcels of the ‘Inimim (see map above).

If you want to help us, and learn about the ecology and management of your local forests, please contact chris@yubawatershedinstitute.org.

We will be surveying several days a week (usually 7:30 am to 1 pm) for the next few weeks in August. You will not be required to attend all dates, and no prior knowledge is required.

The Yuba Watershed Institute presents:

May 27th, 2017, 10 am – 2 pm

North Columbia Schoolhouse Parking Lot
17894 Tyler Foote Crossing Rd, Nevada City, CA 95959

This workshop will focus on the techniques and ethics of collecting plants for submission to an herbarium. Participants will begin the process of creating herbarium specimens in the field, learning how to collect different types of plants, which data and details to document, and how to best present and preserve these collections for future study and for archiving what grows in Nevada County on the San Juan Ridge.

Why do this? The range, distribution, and taxonomy of plants are often determined by what is represented in the herbaria. Herbaria are museums of preserved plants which archive the plant life of specific locations. These archives allow current and future scientists to have access to actual representations of the plants from our area for many purposes, including conservation and protection.

Please bring a lunch and water, and wear clothing and footwear appropriate for hiking short distances on and off trail. You will need a small note book and we will provide plant presses and digging implements (please bring your own equipment if you have it).

Donation of $10 suggested. RSVP Recommended.

For more information contact:
Wendy Boes, 530-559-6314, wlbcarrot@gmail.com

Join the Yuba Watershed Institute (YWI) this Saturday for another opportunity to “tend the wild” in the ‘Inimim Forest, your local community forest stewardship project.

Come have fun, learn about forest ecology, and help keep our forests healthy. We will be pulling broom at “Lonesome Lake,” an ecologically fascinating place at the edge of the North Columbia diggings.

This event is part of the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County‘s Scotch Broom Challenge, an annual effort to reduce the impacts of this invasive plant.

Date: Saturday, April 8
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (snacks provided)

Meeting Location:
North Columbia Schoolhouse Cultural Center (parking lot)
17894 Tyler Foote Road
Nevada City, CA 95959

We will be meeting in the Schoolhouse parking lot at 9 am for registration and a brief orientation to the work day. Then we will carpool to the work site to pull Scotch broom.

Bring water, work clothes, sturdy shoes, and layers. Snacks, gloves, and tools will be provided. This is a rain or shine event.

Please RSVP to Chris Friedel at chris@yubawatershedinstitute.org, or call (530) 955-1822.

Why remove Scotch broom?

Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) is a highly invasive non-native plant species. It was introduced to California as an ornamental plant in the 1850s and has since spread to cover more than 700,000 acres in the coastal and Sierra Nevada foothill regions of the state.

This plant is considered a pest for the following reasons:

• Scotch broom is highly flammable and acts as a “ladder fuel,” spreading wildfire from the ground to the tree tops.
• Displaces native and beneficial vegetation, forming dense stands which impede the movement of wildlife and degrade habitat quality.
• Can impede the growth of trees in forested settings.
• Spreads quickly – one shrub can produce up to 15,000 seeds after two years of growth.
• Seeds can live in the seedbank for over 80 years!