Sierra Nevada Alliance

It coordinates volunteer programs and has formed the Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership as part of the state’s AmeriCorps program. ²

SNA provides organizational support for its alliance members by providing advice, helping building consensus among the members, lobbying state and local government, and helping publicize environmentalist policy. ³

History

Environment Now, a private foundation created by Frank and Luanne Wells, sponsored Sierra Now, a conference to address the environmental degradation in the Sierra Nevada region described by a series of Sacramento Bee reports. ^{4 5}

As a result, the Sierra Nevada Alliance (SNA) was created to coordinate 40 local member groups to pursue the Sierra Now recommendations leveraging funding from California Volunteers, an office of the California Governor which was formed in response to the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993. ^{6 7 8}

Priorities

Climate change, resilient forests, watershed protection, and restoration are the three priorities of the Sierra Nevada Alliance. Towards those priorities SNA has initiated the Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership and the Sierra Corps Forestry Fellowship Program and committed to advocacy programs to drive legislative action on their agenda. ^{9 10}

SNA has issued reports, developed toolkits and guides for their public relations efforts, organized a climate march and secured adoption of environmentalist energy declarations by several communities. ¹¹

The Sierra Corps Forestry Fellowship Program and advocacy efforts have been initiated to work towards restoring forest ecosystems and protecting forests from development, fires, and disease in an effort to counter increased fire danger and job losses. ¹²

Efforts to resist logging, build environmentalist energy, reduce carbon emissions and clear debris from logged-over and disease ridden forests have led to economic downturns in the communities ostensibly served by the alliance while increasing the risk of forest fires. Recent efforts to stop further development of logging roads near wilderness areas will further limit access for firefighters and the public. ¹³

Leadership

Board president Doug Carstens is the managing partner of Chatten-Brown & Carstens LLP, an environmental law firm in Southern California with a long record of support for local organizations to enforce environmental laws. He participated in the public acquisition of parklands in Southern California and in opposing a strip mine project in the Sierra Nevada. ¹⁴

Laura Beaton, vice president, is an environmental activist turned attorney. She previously worked as an associate attorney for Earthjustice, a left-of center environmental group focused on legal actions to halt oil and gas development, prohibit coal-fired power plants, and enforce water laws. ¹⁵

Executive director Jenny Hatch has previously worked in erosion control, wildlife management, and watershed restoration. ¹⁶

Board member Julia Kim is climate and energy program director at the Local Government Commission, a state-funded Sacramento advocacy group working with local communities to address climate change, water use and the conversion to renewable sources of energy and reduce carbon emissions. ¹⁷

Funding

Funding comes primarily from the State of California thru California Volunteers and minor contributions from individuals, foundations and sponsors. The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, Arntz Family Foundation and Patagonia (through 1% for the Planet) contribute along with The Sierra Nevada Conservancy, Sierra Watch, and the Sierra Fund, founded by Drummond Pike (also founder of the left-progressive Tides Foundation). ^{18 19}

New funding for a forestry workforce development program from The Sierra Nevada Conservancy (a California state agency) was obtained in the 2018-2019 fiscal year. ^{20 21}

Finances

Sierra Nevada Alliance’s 2017 revenue was $903,211 with grants and contributions contributing $904,815of which government grants totaled $715,749 (79.1%). ^{22 23} Expenses were $926,340 of which $693,498 went to salaries and benefits and $70,626 to Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership. ^{24 25}

Net assets at the close of the year totaled $108,075. ²⁶