TRUCKEE DONNER LAND TRUST The Truckee Donner Land Trust preserves Summer Newsletter 2016 and protects scenic, historic, and recreational lands with high natural resource values in the Volume 47 greater Truckee Donner region, and manages recreational activities on these lands in a sustainable manner. Updates on: Carpenter Valley; page 3 Van Norden Dam; page 6 Black Wall; page 8 A Thank You to our Donors; page 12 Carpenter Valley. Photo by Susan Johnson. Summer 2016 Newsletter Page 2 FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT Dear Friends, This year is already proving to be a watershed year in the 25-year history of the Land Trust. We are in the midst of yet another high-profile campaign at Carpenter Valley that will result in the permanent con- servation of over 1,320 acres immediately contiguous to Tahoe Donner. This acquisi- tion will open up beautiful and pristine land for recreation and restoration that was not previously accessible to the public despite being immediately adjacent to a huge seg- ment of our population. Like campaigns before them, including Royal Gorge, Waddle Ranch Preserve, and Webber Lake, these large scale acquisitions are dependent upon The Brown family from left to right: Owen, Jeff, Wesley, Laura, and Anya. Photo by the engagement of the local community to Bob Cunningham. ensure not only the acquisition of the land, Board is similarly comprised of diverse and accom- but its long term care. plished individuals who dedicate considerable time Additionally, as we continue to have remarkable and energy to the Land Trust. Like the staff, we have success in conservation throughout the region, the recently expanded our Board to include profession- Land Trust finds itself as the steward of tens of thou- als with expertise overseeing specific elements of our sands of acres throughout the region that have been operation. preserved from development, and must immediately Finally, the Land Trust is nothing without you, the be monitored and cared for. We are in the process of donors and volunteers who keep us running. Without establishing long-term management and funding plans your passion and support, we would be unable to do that will help us restore and preserve the quality of our work. Thank you for your continued support - the land for future generations. However, the annual now and into the future. giving and membership program are critical to sustain- ing the Land Trust and meeting our operational and Most sincerely yours, stewardship commitments. While these initiatives are ambitious, the organi- zation remains focused on pursuing other conserva- tion projects aligned with our mission throughout the Jeff Brown region as opportunities arise. We are not risk-averse in Board President wading into challenging or competitive acquisitions. The Board will continue to direct staff to aggressively seek to conserve land in perpetuity that enhances the environment and our enjoyment of this great area. The Land Trust is run by a staff of remarkable and talented individuals who share a passion for our mis- sion. While still a lean and nimble team, the staff has grown and evolved in recent months to ensure that every opportunity is handled with skill and care. Our Summer 2016 Newsletter Page 3 CARPENTER VALLEY Carpenter Valley is one of the least known and most spectacular places in the northern Sierra Nevada. Tucked in the folds of the Sierra, immediately north of “Carpenter Valley is one of the most exquisite Tahoe Donner and Euer Valley, Carpenter Valley has been in and pristine valleys in the northern sierra. private ownership since dairyman William Carpenter and What luck that we still have a chance to his wife Julia settled there in the 19th century. While de- scendants of the original settlers still own upper Carpenter conserve it! We hope that everyone who Valley, the Land Trust is now working with The Nature cares about conserving the amazing natural Conservancy and the Northern Sierra Partnership to raise landscapes around Truckee will help. The the $10.4 million needed to purchase the eastern end of the Valley and protect its extraordinary natural values for future clock is ticking. We need to raise another generations. $3 million in private contributions over the next First identified as a priority for protection in The 12 months to preserve this incredible property Nature Conservancy’s Sierra Nevada Ecoregional Assessment (1999), Carpenter Valley is one of the healthiest meadows in forever. To find out how you can help, please the northern Sierra. The valley supports many native birds, contact Kathy at [email protected] or including the threatened willow flycatcher. The valley’s Elliott at [email protected].” high water table and extensive willow shrubs, rushes, and sedges provide excellent nesting habitat for this State listed bird. The landscape also supports a wealth of other bird and – Lucy Blake, President animal species, from northern goshawk to bald eagle, mule Northern Sierra Partnership deer, mountain lion, and black bear. Summer 2016 Newsletter Page 4 CARPENTER VALLEY My introduction to Carpenter Valley was in 2002. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) had just finished an inventory and study of the northern Sierra’s natural resources. Carpenter Valley was listed as a “Portfolio Site,” a place of extraordinary biodiversity and importance. Jim Gaither, at the time the Chief Ecologist for TNC, and I were given permission by the late Jim McClatchy, one of the owners and a member of the famous newspaper family, to visit the Early morning mist lifts from lower Carpenter Valley. Photo by Sam Okamoto. property. Like a lot of folks, I had no Given its size, healthy geomorphic condition and hydrologic re- idea this hidden valley even existed. gime, Carpenter Valley retains a large quantity of spring runoff, releasing It was like stumbling into Shangri-La. clean, cold water back into the watercourse throughout the summer, We walked through hip high grasses, which in turn sustains high quality aquatic habitat in Prosser Creek and the Truckee River. It is, in short, an example of how a subalpine Sierra admired wildflowers, the Sierra Crest meadow should work. Federal and state officials have identified the to the west, and crawled on our bellies North Fork of Prosser Creek that bisects the meadow as ideal for the re- to the edge of Prosser Creek so as not covery of native Lahontan cutthroat trout. These federally threatened fish to scare the huge trout we observed. have been documented in the creek as recently as the late 80s and may still be present. “What do you think?” Jim asked me. The protection of this property is a key part of a larger conservation effort in the middle Truckee River basin. This basin includes the Little “It should be a National Park,” I Truckee River and Prosser Creeks, two of the largest tributaries to the replied. Truckee River. The Nature Conservancy, Northern Sierra Partnership, The Trust for Public Land, and the Land Trust are in the process of protecting Carpenter Valley may not be a over 17,000 acres in the watershed. National Park anytime soon, but in “A lot of attention is being paid by conservationists in the Truckee 2017, lower Carpenter Valley will final- region,” said Jeff Brown, the Land Trust’s Board President. Other protected properties include Webber Falls immediately down- ly be open for the public to discover its stream from Webber Lake, as well as Perazzo Meadows, Independence splendor, just as Jim and I were lucky Lake Preserve, Webber Peak, Lake of the Woods, and Cold Stream enough to do 14 years ago. Meadow. All of these properties have significant conservation values, but when assembled together, they make a big dent in protecting an – Perry Norris, Executive Director entire watershed. The project also augments the Land Trust’s portfolio of Truckee Donner Land Trust protecting meadows and headwater properties, increasingly important as California weathers its fourth year of drought. After the Land Trust purchases the property, it will own and manage it for the foreseeable future, working with public and private partners to restore and enhance the meadow’s functions and open the gate for pubic enjoyment for the first time since the property was settled in the late 1800s. The southern-most portion of the property, which includes Crabtree Canyon, is owned and managed by Tahoe Donner, with further protection ensured by a permanent conservation easement held by the Land Trust. New summer trails and Nordic trails will be open next year in Summer 2016 Newsletter Page 5 ACQUISITION Crabtree Canyon. Tahoe Donner is a great partner and contributor to the success of this important project. We invite you to connect with the campaign for Carpenter Valley to- day by joining a docent-led tour, hosting an event, or making your own Carpenter Valley financial contribution. Docent Tours The Land Trust invites you out to see How You Can Help what all the excitement is about with The Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, and the Northern our latest project. Join us for a docent Sierra Partnership are now in the throes of raising the $10.4 mil- led tour of Carpenter Valley on the lion needed to buy lower Carpenter Valley and steward it for the long-term. We anticipate that approximately 50% of the funding following dates: will be from public agencies and the balance from private donors. th th Gifts of cash or stock are welcome and may be pledged over a June 11 and June 26 st period of two years. Thanks to the leadership of several individu- July 23 and July 31 als, all private donations to the Campaign to Conserve Carpenter August 13th and August 21st Valley of $10,000 or more will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, until we reach our private fundraising goal of $5 million.