Project at a Glance

• Year conserved: 2015

• Acres: 10,115

• Project partners: The Nature Conservancy, American River Conservancy

• Owned by: American River Conservancy and Tahoe National Forest

• Things to do: Hiking, fishing, horseback riding

Conservation History & Values

In 2015, The Nature Conservancy and the American River Conservancy teamed up with the Northern Sierra Partnership to acquire 10,115-acres at the headwaters of the American River. Located between Granite Chief Wilderness and the Wild and Scenic North Fork American River Canyon, the property was the last large private in-holding along the Sierra Crest south of Donner Summit and included a section of the popular Western States Trail.  After completing the acquisition, the conservation partners decommissioned 28 miles of dirt roads, built 6.8 miles of new trail and restored 13 acres of meadow before transferring 3,347 acres to the Tahoe National Forest for inclusion in Granite Chief Wilderness.

The American River Headwaters property lies due west of Lake Tahoe on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, where the North Fork and Middle Fork of the American River are born. Surrounded by lands of the Tahoe National Forest, the property includes mountain meadows that provide critical summer habitat for deer herds and old growth red fir, ponderosa and jeffrey pine forests that support sensitive species including American marten, California spotted owl, northern goshawk and the pine grosbeak.  Snow and rain that falls in the American River Headwaters flows west into French Meadows and Hell Hole Reservoirs, major sources of drinking water for northern California.

Recreation & Restoration

The property lies at the heart of an important network of trails that serve both hikers and equestrians. The annual Western States 100 Endurance Run and the Tevis Cup equestrian event both pass through the property.

After transferring approximately one-third of the property into the Granite Chief Wilderness in 2016 as noted above, the American River Conservancy, which now owns and manages the property, launched a multi-year restoration project on the remaining lands with the goal of enhancing forest conditions in this critically important watershed.  The project involves decommissioning unneeded roads to reduce erosion and enhance water quality, and thinning forest stands to improve conditions and make the forest more resilient to wildfire and climate change.

The American River Conservancy is implementing this restoration initiative with support from The Nature Conservancy. The Nature Conservancy is also working with the U.S. Forest Service, Placer County Water Agency and a host of other partners to implement a similar restoration effort on adjacent lands owned and managed by the Tahoe National Forest (see our French Meadows Project). The two projects are an excellent example of private and public landowners working together to restore a watershed.