About Us

Sierra Forest Legacy’s mission is to engage land managers, scientists, and stakeholders in the management of Sierra Nevada ecosystems to protect and restore the unparalleled beauty and natural values of the region.  We apply the best practices of science, advocacy and grassroots engagement through coalition building to safeguard forest lands throughout the Sierra Nevada.  

The Sierra Forest Legacy looks forward to the day when California’s magnificent mountain range is restored to its full health with:

• Landscapes that reflect the natural diversity of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and provide habitat to support viable fish, wildlife, and plant communities to near historic quantities and patterns;

• Ecologically robust aquatic and riparian ecosystems, including rivers, streams, lakes and meadows;

• Forests influenced by natural disturbance regimes, e.g., fire, disease, and insects, that beneficially shape their composition and structure in patterns similar to those experienced prior to fire suppression;

• Ecological services and recreational opportunities are ecologically sustainable and provide ecosystem integrity, supporting both passive and active human use of the watersheds; and

• Management of public lands and resources in ways that allow ecological processes to act naturally upon the landscape and are based on the principles of strong sustainability.

Sierra Forest Legacy was founded in 1996, as the Sierra Nevada Forest Protection Campaign. The Campaign's partners, including The Wilderness Society, Sierra Club, Friends of the River, and the Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center, had been working independently on Sierra Nevada issues since the 1980s. The Campaign was formed with the primary goal of protecting and restoring Sierra Nevada national forests and to coordinate and focus the efforts of its member groups and maximize their effectiveness. The Sierra Nevada Forest Protection Campaign became a part of the California Wild Heritage Campaign in 1999, and in 2002 was established as an independent coalition focused exclusively on Sierra Nevada national forest issues.

In 2007, the Campaign changed its name to Sierra Forest Legacy to better reflect its expanded mission and vision of protecting Sierra Nevada forests and communities.

Sierra Forest Legacy
P.O. Box 244
Garden Valley, CA 95631
Email: craigthomas068@gmail.com