Yuba Watershed Institute

03/26/2026

🎙️ KVMR News covered the three wildfire prevention grants totaling more than $3 million recently awarded to Yuba Watershed Institute and Nevada County OES, funding critical fuels reduction work in the South Yuba River Canyon. YWI Executive Director Chris Friedel and Nevada County OES Director Alex Keeble-Toll share details on the Round Mountain, South Yuba Rim, and Town of Washington projects. Give it a listen!
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The Yuba Watershed Institute and the Nevada County Office of Emergency Services have been awarded more than $3,000,000 to reduce wildfire fuels in the South Yuba River Canyon.

03/24/2026

The burning of machine-piled logging slash on the 'Inimim Forest Restoration Project may start next Tuesday (3/31) or Wednesday (4/1). The piles are located off of Jackass Flats Rd, Silverthorne Ln, Kadaheska Wy, and North Canyon Rd on the San Juan Ridge. There may be localized smoke impacts from the operations.

EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management plans to conduct prescribed fire operations in the ‘Inimim Forest located east of North Columbia in Nevada County. Mechanical pile burn operations were scheduled to start on Monday, March 16, and may continue through June. Timing of the bur...

03/17/2026

Wildfire prevention is coming to the South Yuba canyon on a scale we haven't seen before. Three new projects will treat nearly 600 acres on the canyon's north rim, south rim, and upper reaches — protecting homes, evacuation routes, and communities from Nevada City to Washington. Proud to be partnering with Nevada County OES on this work.

NEVADA CITY, CA — Three state grants totaling over $3 million will fund wildfire prevention across nearly 600 acres of overgrown forest surrounding the South Yuba River canyon, protecting homes, evacuation routes, and an isolated river community with only two roads out. The Yuba Watershed Institut...

03/16/2026

Standing Dead: Overstocked, Overgrown, Overdue — Film Premiere & Expert Panel

Date: March 28
Time: 2–4 PM
Location: Don Baggett Theater, Nevada Union High School, Grass Valley

Join us for the premiere of the documentary Standing Dead: Overstocked. Overgrown. Overdue., followed by a panel discussion with wildfire experts and community members who experienced Butte County’s North Complex Fire.

The film explores how dense forests and heavy fuel loads drive extreme wildfire behavior and what that means for western Nevada County and the Sierra Nevada. After the screening, experts will discuss what our community can do now to reduce wildfire risk and make our forests less flammable.

Admission: Free with advance RSVP. A $20 suggested donation will be accepted at the door (space permitting).

Panel moderated by Pascale Fosshoeller, Editor of YubaNet.

Presented by the Wildfire-Ready Coalition of Nevada County.
Documentary by Riparian Studios LLC.

Learn more, RSVP, or become a sponsor here: https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/jNHmZINi-jgLDUg1aH-Iig

10/16/2025

🔥 Help Bring the Goats to Round Mountain! 🐐

This fall, the first-ever goat grazing project on BLM lands at Round Mountain will launch to reduce wildfire risk, protect local homes and forests, and keep our community safer.

A herd of 100–300 goats and sheep will work their way across 1–5 acre paddocks, carefully browsing down brush and ladder fuels that feed wildfires — a natural, low-impact way to maintain the shaded fuel break above the South Yuba Canyon.

But this community benefit won’t happen without your support. We need help covering the costs of herding, fencing, and water transport so the project can begin on schedule in October 2025.

“Our goats thrive on the very vegetation that poses a fire risk, making them the ideal workers for this project.”
— Tim Van Wagner, First Rain Farm & Land Stewardship

Every contribution brings us closer to launching this important step in local wildfire resilience.

👉 Donate today to support the goats: gofund.me/fa86bba1e

📄 Learn more about the project: yubawatershedinstitute.org/projects/round-mountain/goat-grazing

05/27/2025

Recently, the Yuba Watershed Institute, led by their Executive Director Chris Friedel, hosted the Yuba Forest Network for a tour of their ‘Inimim Forest Restoration Project. The purpose of the tour was to compare forest health treatment methods of various ages and explore the complexities of collaborative restoration projects.

The Yuba Forest Network (YFN) is a forest health collaborative comprised of groups whose goal is to accelerate the pace and scale of forest health initiatives throughout the Yuba and Bear River watersheds. YFN emphasizes cross-boundary collaboration and stakeholder engagement through quarterly meetings and public events to promote the sharing of resources and collaborative learning. Outreach is further amplified by organizations such as SYRCL through public education on forest health, fire ecology, and climate adaptation, including specific programs for youth and private landowners.

Read more here: https://buff.ly/SWRjUrE

05/14/2025

https://www.fondriest.com/news/wildfire-prevention-in-the-sierra-nevada-region-with-the-yuba-watershed-institute.htm

The YWI's work has been highlighted in this publication. Check it out... there are some good photographs of some of our recent work at the Little Deer Creek Landscape Resilience Project near Nevada City, as well as some shout-outs to local contractors we've worked with: First Rain Land Stewardship and GP Development and Land Clearing.

The Yuba Watershed Institute has been monitoring and managing the forests and water resources of the Sierra Nevada region for decades

05/08/2025

It's starting to feel like summer and taking a dip in the South Yuba River may be tempting, but the water is FAST and COLD and too dangerous for swimming! Stay alert, stay out, stay alive, and help spread the word to visitors who may not know the dangers.

Flows on the river will be somewhat higher than seasonal normals as snowmelt accelerates and ALL the water is being released only into the South Yuba, due to PG&E's Spaulding powerhouse repairs. Flows have been within 1,000 to 2,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), but PG&E expects flows to rise and peak at around 2,500 cfs this week.

Photo provided by PG&E shows South Yuba River near Bowman Lake Road in 2024

Está empezando a sentirse como verano y darse un chapuzón en el río Yuba Sur puede ser tentador, ¡pero el agua está RÁPIDA y FRÍA y demasiado peligrosa para nadar! Mantente alerta, mantente fuera, mantente con vida y ayuda a difundir el mensaje a los visitantes que quizás no conozcan los peligros.

Los caudales del río serán algo más altos de lo normal para esta época del año a medida que se acelera el deshielo y TODA el agua se está liberando únicamente al South Yuba, debido a las reparaciones de la central eléctrica Spaulding de PG&E. Los caudales han estado entre 1,000 y 2,000 pies cúbicos por segundo (cfs), pero PG&E espera que los caudales aumenten y alcancen un máximo de alrededor de 2,500 cfs esta semana.

Foto proporcionada por PG&E que muestra el río South Yuba cerca de Bowman Lake Road en 2024.

05/07/2025

Hazardous fuels from our Little Deer Creek Landscape Resilience Project were turned into biochar as part of this pilot project (a partnership between Nevada County Office of Emergency Services and Pacific Gas & Electric).

05/07/2025

We invite you to join us on a tour of 'Inimim Forest prescribed fire and fuels reduction treatments on Thursday, May 15. We are going to compare the effects of different treatment methods and see how the forest has responded a few year later.

The Yuba Forest Network will be hosting our first field tour of 2025! On Thursday, May 15, we will meet at the Columbia Schoolhouse on Tyler Foote Rd at 9:30 am and will conclude at 2:00 pm. This tour will explore Yuba Watershed Institute's 'Inimim Forest Restoration Project. If you are interested in joining sign up at https://buff.ly/BNCb4wc

11/02/2024

We are excited to announce the 27th annual fungus foray tickets will be available to purchase very, very soon. We will be at North Columbia Schoolhouse Cultural Center on December 14-15. The group size will be smaller than ever, and the speakers are all excellent mycologists working in this remarkable field. The FUNDIS crew will be present as well to document our citizen science event in herbarium collections and DNA analysis! A full information drop next week.

06/28/2024

Residents who have lived in Nevada County’s San Juan Ridge for a decade or more certainly recognize how thick the forest vegetation has become, and efforts to cut it down