Hope Valley Restoration Project: A Collaborative Effort

The West Fork of the Carson River meanders through Hope Valley into the Carson River Basin, providing valuable habitat for fish and wildlife and clean water for drinking and irrigation downstream. As an integral component of this interstate watershed, Hope Valley Meadow provides natural water storage, flood attenuation, cooling and filtering of water, aquatic and riparian habitat, and is a popular recreational destination for visitors from throughout California and Nevada.

American Rivers has received support from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy to assess restoration needs in Hope Valley Meadow and develop designs to improve hydrologic function and wildlife habitat within the meadow. Collaborators in the project include: the US Forest Service, Alpine Watershed Group, Friends of Hope Valley, Institute for Bird Populations, CalTrout, and the California Department of Fish and Game. The project’s overall goal is to enhance the full range of ecosystem services this highly visible and well-known meadow provides.

The project team invites interested stakeholders to participate in the design process. The Alpine Watershed Group (AWG), with the assistance from Friends of Hope Valley (FOHV), will help coordinate public meetings to solicit input and comments on conceptual restoration designs from community stakeholders.  AWG and FOHV will also be recruiting and training a core group of Hope Valley Meadow Stewards to be involved in the assessment and monitoring work

Find out more information about the restoration needs of Hope Valley in American River’s grant to the SNC and in the Upper Carson Stream Corridor Condition Assessment.

To be notified of planning meetings please email bnylen@americanrivers.org