Sierra Nevada Alliance

Annual Report Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Together we must continue to protect the Sierra! We know you love the Sierra Nevada as much as we do. This year, we have seen our Sierra Nevada ecosystems and communities threatened like never before. With catastrophic wildfires, climate change, and being loved to death by people escaping into open spaces during the Covid pandemic, the need to protect and restore this region has never been greater. The Sierra is one of 200 global biodiversity hotspots. Protecting these habits and biodiversity are key to fighting climate change. One only has to experience the size and grandeur of the few remaining old- growth forests - to know how essential Sierra is to the future. Together with YOU, despite this challenging year, I am proud to share that we have accomplished the following: F Maintained a robust AmeriCorps program with 811 acres restored, 2,060 individuals educated, and 1,072 new volunteers recruited. Adapted educational programming and volunteer engagement opportunities to an online format in the spring, when in-person events were no longer possible. F Continued to educate and coordinate more than 40 environmental organizations across the region to ensure we elevate conservation work to its highest impact. As our work turned virtual we created a new website with a backend posting tool to serve as a hub for conservation information and resources in the Sierra, hosted monthly webinar trainings, and coordinated a successful virtual conference. F Partnered with local governments to achieve 100% community-wide renewable energy in a number of Sierra communities. F Developed a new forestry workforce capacity program for the Sierra, funded by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, that helped place Fellows with 8 organizations to coordinate forest health projects in 4 subregions of the Sierra. None of this would have been possible without YOU, and we need your help to continue these important programs! With gratitude, Jenny Hatch , Executive Director, Sierra Nevada Alliance Executive Director’s Note Jenny Hatch Executive Director 2 “The health of the land and the health of the people are tied together, and what happens to the land also happens to the people. When the land suffers, so too are the people.” - A. Brian Wallace, Former Chairman of the Washoe Tribe Alliance Americorps Member, Lexi Hager, performing restoration and monitoring in Oct. 2020.