Why the Sierra Nevada
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada is California’s magnificent backbone. Its incomparable wild lands – home of Yosemite and Sequoia parks – still need protection, restoration and wise management.
Immortalized by Ansel Adams’ iconic photos, the Sierra Nevada dazzles with snow-capped peaks, sapphire lakes and ancient sequoia that have guarded it for millennia. Now this American treasure needs us to guard its wild lands and permanently restore its legacy.
Yosemite. Sequoia. Mt. Whitney. They are some of the iconic places that make the Sierra an American landmark like no other.
Yet there’s also magic in more subtle outdoor experiences: remote cathedral peaks glimmering with alpenglow or a bear family scampering across a wildflower meadow.
Visitors from around the world also visit the Sierra Nevada for its trout-rich streams, winter sports and ancient sequoia forests where some trees are thousands of years old.
Why the Sierra Nevada?
With more than 12 million acres of federal public land, the Sierra Nevada is a vast and diverse range, extending 400 miles from north to south.
But the Sierra’s raw beauty faces threats such as:
- Development
- Heavy recreation use including off-road vehicles
- Mining and other commercial businesses
- Climate change
- California’s 38 million residents
Work we’re doing
The Wilderness Society California team is focused on preserving key wilderness for recreation, wildlife and water supplies.
Our other goals are to:
- Help develop forest management plans to improve their health.
- Restore thousands of acres that will improve wildlife habitat, safeguard water supplies, lower wildfire risk and boost local tourism.
- Improve forest health by identifying illegal or eroding dirt roads that can be reclaimed by nature.
Our partners
The California team is working with its local and national partners on the above projects.
Why Wilderness
Wilderness is a precious resource with many human, natural and economic benefits that we need to protect.
WildAlerts
Be the first to hear about important campaigns, victories and features related to enjoying and protecting wilderness by joining our email and mobile WildAlert network.
mywilderness
Hear artists, activists and adventurers share what the ownership and legacy of these American wildlands means to them.
Monday, May 20, 2013The Forest Service proposed a ban last year on horizontal drilling, also known as fracking. Their decision will determine how this forest is managed for at least the next decade.
Monday, May 20, 2013National Trails Day on Saturday June 1st provides numerous opportunities to hike, run, and horseback ride on a trail near you.
Thursday, May 16, 2013Visit us in the Eco-Village at this summer’s Dave Matthews Band concerts.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013Yet, here we are, with people and the government unable to stop furloughs, job losses, and lower revenue to keep the government functioning. Our public lands have certainly not been spared from this indiscriminate budget ax.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013But Alaska’s Sen. Lisa Murkowski refused to accept that decision. She and residents of the tiny community of King Cove are fighting to have the decision overturned.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013Birdwatchers travel from far and wide to northwest Colorado to see male sage-grouse strut their stuff in hopes of attracting a mate. Early spring is prime season to catch these timid grouse dancing on the lek and shaking their tail feathers through organized tours.
Smart Steps to Establish a Responsible Program for Renewable Energy on Public Lands
Since its first day in office, the Obama Administration has made rapid and responsible expansion of renewable energy a top priority. The public lands have played a major role in achieving early goals, but only because of focused effort to correct decades of inattention and inactivity toward developing renewable energy as a major component of the nation’s energy mix.
Expanding energy development to meet the growing needs of America must be balanced with protecting vital wild places.
The Wilderness Society has launched a new quarterly report "By The Numbers" to track how many acres of American land have been protected by Congress and the Executive branch, and how many acres have been leased out to energy development.
April 24, 2013
Dear Senator:
Monday, May 20, 2013Gov. Sean Parnell’s plan to ask the Alaska Legislature for $50 million to look for oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is incompatible with the reasons the refuge was established, and would cause significant harm to a vital and irreplaceable American landscape.
Friday, May 17, 2013A draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area and Dominguez Canyon Wilderness near Grand Junction, CO would improve land management efforts and provide a sustainable path for the area over the next 20 years.
Thursday, May 16, 2013The Wilderness Society today applauded the U.S. Senate for passing the Rio Grande del Norte National Conservation Area Establishment Act out of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
The Rio Grande del Norte National Conservation Area Establishment Act (S. 241) – sponsored by Tom Udall (D-NM) and co-sponsored by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) – would protect as wilderness roughly 13,500 acres of the Cerro del Yuta and 8,000 acres of the Rio San Antonio areas.