Letter: Truckee River Watershed Council says thanks

To the community,

The Truckee River Watershed Council would like to thank the 450-plus community volunteers that spent a beautiful fall day working on 14 projects throughout our watershed on Oct. 20.

This one day of work has a long-lasting, positive impact on the watershed. Together, we:

Completed floodplain restoration Coldstream Canyon.

Erected fencing along Cold Creek to protect vulnerable trees from beavers.

Re-routed and maintained four separate trails to encourage trail use and protect sensitive wetlands, fragile streambanks and native habitat.

Continued restoration of the old Town Corporation Yard by planting plants, spreading native seeds and mulching the area.

Planted conifer trees and sugar pine seedlings to help promote healthy reforestation.

Placed gravels in Prosser Creek to improve fish habitat.

Relocated barriers on the bottom of Martis Creek Lake to eradicate Eurasian water milfoil.

Removed the remnants of an old barbed wire fence that presented a hazard for wildlife, dogs and people in Martis Valley.

Surveyed for invasive New Zealand mud snails in the Truckee River.

Restored an eroded area at the Donner Lake boat ramp to prevent further damage.

Released over 400 fingerling Lahontan Cutthroat trout in the Truckee River to help with LCT recovery.

We are especially grateful for contributions from our dedicated project partners:

The USFS Tahoe National Forest, Truckee and Sierraville; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Martis Wildlife Area; California State Parks, Donner Memorial State Park; Sugar Pine Foundation; Tahoe Donner Forestry; Tahoe Divers Conservancy; Tahoe Resource Conservation District; Town of Truckee; Trout Unlimited, along with the Feather River and Truckee Chapters; Truckee Donner Land Trust; Truckee Donner Recreation and Parks District; and our 50 group leaders.

This event would not be possible without these dedicated volunteers who give their time and energy to planning, preparing and managing the day’s restoration projects.

Donors to the Truckee River Watershed Council, Vail Resorts Echo, and the Truckee Donner Chamber of Commerce, Sierra Watershed Education Partnerships (SWEP), US Fish and Wildlife Service, Ed Lupyak, Stefan McLeod Photography.

Kathy Whitlow, Truckee River Watershed Council