Sierra Institute for Community and Environment

08/03/2026

Attention contractors: Two new bidding opportunities are live on our website:
https://sierrainstitute.us/about/rfps-rfbs/

-Fossil Handthin RFB
-Sandbar Handthin RFB

Important Notice: A mandatory pre-bid tour is required to submit a proposal for these projects.

Head to our website to download the bid packets and review all project guidelines before attending the tour.

07/29/2026

Ready to make a tangible impact on forest health and community resilience? The Sierra Institute for Community and Environment is currently hiring for three distinct positions based out of Taylorsville, CA, and Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Whether you thrive in restoration project management, backcountry sawing, or forestry field crew leadership, we have an opportunity for you to protect and restore the Plumas and Lassen National Forests.

1. Natural Resource Specialist
Type: Full-time | Hybrid schedule

Salary: $55,000 to $62,000 (Entry) | $62,000 to $70,000 (Mid Level)

The Role: Lead critical stewardship projects (meadow restoration, road improvements, fuels reduction, and community wildfire protection), oversee environmental compliance (NEPA/CEQA), utilize GIS mapping, and collaborate with regional partners.

2. Wilderness Fuels Module Crew Sawyer
Type: Full-time field position

The Role: Perform hands-on backcountry fuels reduction, trail clearing, crosscut and chainsaw work, and fire prep in wilderness areas as part of our Wilderness Fuels Module field team.

3. Lead Collaborative Forestry Technician
Type: Temporary full-time (40 hours per week)

The Role: Serve as the crew lead for a Collaborative Forestry Crew. Guide technicians in hands-on timber management and restoration treatments across both public and private lands.

Full job descriptions for all three roles are available via the link in our bio.

To apply, send your cover letter, resume, and three references as one single PDF to [email protected]. Please specify the exact role title in your subject line (for example: "Natural Resource Specialist", "WFM Crew Sawyer", or "Lead Collaborative Forestry Technician") and note where you saw this posting in your email.

07/23/2026

Mid-summer field update!

Halfway through the season, our crews have been putting the mission into practice across the landscape we call home.

Various collaborative field tours have brought partners and community members out to see restoration work firsthand. Our P-crew and forestry crews have spent long days on the ground, thinning, treating, and reducing wildfire risk in the communities that need it most.

In Lassen Volcanic National Park, our botany and wilderness fuels module crews are doing careful, specialized work that protects some of the most ecologically significant land in the region. None of this happens without the people who show up for it: our staff, our partners, and the funders who believe in this work enough to invest in it. Grateful for all of it, with plenty more season ahead.

Want to support this work? https://giving.gofundme.com/campaign/694171/donate

07/09/2026

Last week, the South Lassen Watersheds Group’s Hydrology and Aquatic Habitat Subcommittee headed into Lassen National Forest to tour the Upper Butte Creek project area. With a recently signed NEPA decision in hand, Butte County Resource Conservation District welcomed partners to map out the next steps for this newly permitted landscape—spanning Jonesville, Scotts John Creek, and the Humbug-Willow road realignment.

Five years after the Dixie Fire, the focus is shifting from high-level planning to on-the-ground action. The tour highlighted the core macro themes of modern watershed recovery: navigating complex project timelines and balancing heavy restoration work—like road realignments and stream fixes—with the delicate, interconnected needs of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Roads, streams, and meadows are connected systems. Restoring them requires partners regularly visiting the landscape to see what has changed, question old priorities, and build collaborative solutions

In the field: Butte County RCD, USFS Almanor Ranger District, US Fish and Wildlife Service, CalTrout, Plumas Corp, SPI, Hybrid Indigenous Stewardship, Northern California Regional Land Trust, and Sierra Institute.

06/29/2026

What is the water telling us about Lake Almanor’s recovery? If you’ve spent time around the lake recently, you know just how much the landscape has changed since the 2021 Dixie Fire. But what does that mean for what’s happening beneath the surface?

Our latest blog post dives deep into the 2025 Lake Almanor Watershed Group (LAWG) water quality data—and there is some really encouraging news!
https://sierrainstitute.us/news/lake-almanors-recovery-after-the-dixie-fire-what-the-water-is-telling-us/

06/17/2026

Ready to make a tangible impact on forest health and community resilience? 🌲✨

The Sierra Institute is seeking a Natural Resource Specialist to join our Community-Based Natural Resource Management team! Based in the scenic Indian Valley of Taylorsville, CA, this full-time role offers a hybrid work schedule and the opportunity to lead critical stewardship projects across the Plumas and Lassen National Forests. Full job description here:https://sierrainstitute.us/about/job-opportunities/

Whether you are an entry-level passionate professional or a mid-level specialist with environmental analysis (NEPA/CEQA) expertise, we want to hear from you!

What You’ll Do:
Lead & Coordinate: Oversee diverse projects including meadow restoration, road improvements, fuels reduction, and community wildfire protection initiatives.
Collaborate: Partner closely with the U.S. Forest Service, local watershed groups, contractors, and private landowners.
Analyze & Map: Utilize GIS software and oversee necessary resource surveys and environmental compliance.

The Perks:
Salary: $55,000 - $62,000 (Entry Level) | $62,000 - $70,000 (Mid-Level)
Benefits: Full health, dental, vision, life insurance, retirement match (after 1 year), and generous paid time off.

The Location: Taylorsville, CA or Hybrid. Work surrounded by national parks and forests, perfect for outdoor enthusiasts who love a close-knit, rural community lifestyle.

How to Apply:
Initial application review begins July 13th (open until filled). Send your cover letter, resume, and three references as one single PDF to [email protected] with “Natural Resource Specialist” in the subject line. Please note where you saw this posting in your email!

06/16/2026

Rare plant alert! Did you know the Mount Lassen paintbrush (Castilleja lassenensis) is an endemic species that only exists here in Northern California?

Earlier this month, we teamed up with the Forest Service and the Institute for Applied Ecology for our third and final round of planting propagated plugs to help this unique species thrive. 🏔️🌱

Want to learn more? Click the link https://sierrainstitute.us/news/mount-lassen-paintbrush-at-swain-meadow/ to read the full story! 🔗

Conserving the Rare Mount Lassen Paintbrush at Swain Meadow in Northern California

06/03/2026

We're seeking qualified contractors for the Lost Creek Crossing Upgrade in the Deer Creek watershed — a high-priority road-stream crossing project in partnership with the Lassen National Forest Almanor Ranger District.
This upgrade will replace three aging culverts with an armored low water crossing designed to restore aquatic organism passage, reduce chronic sedimentation, and eliminate road failure risk. Over 30 years, the project is projected to reduce sediment delivery to Deer Creek by more than 370,000 lbs.
Bids are due July 8, 2026. A pre-bid site tour is scheduled for June 30 at the Lost Creek Crossing on FS Road 29N19. Find the full solicitation here:https://sierrainstitute.us/about/rfps-rfbs/

06/01/2026

CAL FIRE, Sierra Nevada Conservancy, and U.S. Forest Service fund Sierra Institute–led effort to protect Plumas County communities spared by the 2021 megafire

05/15/2026

Registration for SCALE 2026 is officially open. 🌲

The Sierra to California All Lands Enhancement (SCALE) conference brings together landscape collaboratives, Tribal leaders, agency staff, and state and federal partners for two days of peer learning, honest problem-solving, and the kind of cross-boundary conversation that moves restoration forward.
This year we're gathering September 23 and 24 at The Citizen Hotel in downtown Sacramento. If you're shaping policy, funding, or on-the-ground work for California's forests and watersheds, this is the room to be in.

Early bird registration is live now: https://sierra-institute-for-community-environment.odoo.com/event/scale-conference-1/register