Home to 60 percent of California’s animal species and almost half of its plant species, the Sierra Nevada is an extraordinary region of statewide, national, and global significance. California’s reservoir and aqueduct system, fed by Sierra Nevada rain and snow, provides more than 60 percent of the developed drinking and irrigation water. It also produces 70 percent of the state’s hydroelectric power. In addition, Sierra’s forests contain almost 50 percent of the state’s total forest carbon and are uniquely suited to help meet California’s greenhouse gas reduction goals. The Sierra also hosts more than 50 million recreational visits per year.

The Region’s watersheds and communities are facing unprecedented risks. Wildfires are moving faster, burning more extensive areas, and are burning at far higher severity than in previous times. Much of the Region has also suffered unprecedented tree mortality from unhealthy overgrown forests, drought, and the ensuing insect epidemic. At the same time, many Sierra Nevada meadows and streams are degraded and in need of restoration and protection. 30x30CA is essential to help us regain Sierra’s ability to sequester carbon in its forests, protect the state’s water supply, provide wildlife habitat, and sustain an economy based on sustainable recreation.

We all can help protect this special place. Visit takecaresierra.org to discover the region’s varied landscapes, the history of its indigenous peoples, and to learn how you too can help take care of this place.

Where the Sierra & Cascades meet, this area includes Modoc, Trinity, Lassen, Plumas, Yuba, and Sierra counties. The protection of this area is critical for building climate resilience. Its regional priorities include conserving and restoring the Feather River Watershed, the Sierra Buttes/Lakes Basin, the Hallelujah Junction Wildlife area, the Sierra Valley, the Northern Sierra Nevada Crest, and the blue oak woodland habitats at the western slope.

The Lake Tahoe region is home to the largest alpine lake in North America and one of the most spectacular lakes in the Sierra – Lake Tahoe. This area includes Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, and Alpine counties. An area of high biodiversity richness, this place is critical for wildlife connectivity and building climate resilience. Its regional priorities include the conservation and restoration of the several watersheds present in the region – important water sources for California and Nevada.

Here, you find the majestic Yosemite and the tallest trees in the world: the giant sequoias. This area includes Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Mariposa, and Madera counties. Its regional priorities include the protection of a web of high-quality conservation lands that extends from the headwaters of the Tuolumne, Merced, San Joaquin rivers up in the Sierra down through the western foothills. These are critical corridors for wildlife refugia and for building water and climate change resilience. 

Eastern Sierra is a region of superlatives; home to the highest and lowest elevations in the continental U.S., the oldest trees in the world, and a rugged landscape bejeweled with ancient saline lakes, meadows, granite peaks, valleys, and desert. This area includes Mono and Inyo counties. Its regional priorities include the protection and restoration of Conglomerate Mesa, the Bodie Hills, Long Valley, Bridgeport Valley, and Mono Lake and its tributary creeks.

The Southern Sierra region stretches from the peaks of the Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Mountains to the San Joaquin Valley floor. This area includes Fresno, Tulare, and Kern counties. Its regional priorities include strengthening the Tehachapi Linkage, creating robust habitat corridors along key watersheds, such as the San Joaquin, Kings, Kaweah, Tule, Deer Creek and Kern rivers, and connecting riparian corridors on the Valley Floor with conserved areas.