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Nevada City, CA — Sierra Streams Institute (SSI), a leader in watershed science, restoration, and environmental education, is proud to announce the launch of its 30th Anniversary Campaign. Beginning in Fall 2025, the year-long initiative will honor three decades of community-driven science and stewardship while raising $100,000 to support the organization’s vision for the future. The campaign will culminate in a celebratory community event in 2026 at Pioneer Park.
“For 30 years, Sierra Streams Institute has worked to make science an accessible and useful process for everyone, and to protect and restore Sierra Nevada watersheds, always rooted in science and always fueled by community,” said Executive Director Jeffrey Lauder, PhD. “This anniversary is more than a celebration—it’s a chance to deepen our impact, grow our partnerships, and inspire the next generation of watershed stewards and community scientists.”
Founded in 1996 as Friends of Deer Creek (FoDC), SSI began when local residents Mary Ann Kreshka and John Van der Veen rallied volunteers to monitor and protect water quality during construction of a new bridge over Deer Creek in 1995. After hiring the first FoDC employee and long-serving Executive Director Joanne Hild, what started as grassroots monitoring evolved into a robust science-based nonprofit that now serves the entire Sierra Nevada region. Today, SSI conducts restoration and research projects across Nevada County and beyond, including the Deer Creek and Bear River watersheds, the Yuba and American River systems, and, as of 2025, the Sacramento Delta headwaters from the Pit River down to the Stanislaus.
Science Education at the Core
For more than 15 years, SSI has also been a leader in hands-on science education. Partnering with schools in Nevada and Yuba counties, SSI engages hundreds of students annually in field-based learning that connects them directly to their local ecosystems. Programs include water monitoring, forest and fire ecology, invasive species removal, and habitat restoration.
SSI also provides meaningful internships for high school and college students, many of whom have gone on to pursue advanced degrees and careers in environmental science. In addition, SSI offers adult programs such as the UC California Naturalist certification course, empowering community members to become informed and active stewards of the environment and increase science-based connections to our Sierra landscapes.
A Call to Community
As the Sierra Nevada faces increasing pressures from climate change, wildfire, and development, SSI’s work is more urgent than ever. The 30th Anniversary Campaign will highlight SSI’s history of impact, share stories from the community, and invite broad participation in ensuring healthy watersheds for future generations.
“This is a pivotal moment,” said Poyom Riles, Board President. “With the support of our community, Sierra Streams Institute can provide a pathway for our community to connect to and become a part of the place in which we live. We are going through some of the most turbulent and rapid change imaginable in all domains of life and our resilience as a species, as a culture, and as a community depends on us remembering a way of being where we belong to the place in which we live. I think most of us long for that, and that is what SSI can provide.”
About Sierra Streams Institute
Sierra Streams Institute (SSI) is a nonprofit organization based in Nevada City, California, dedicated to protecting and restoring the Sierra Nevada’s watersheds through science, education, and community engagement. Founded in 1995, SSI has become a trusted leader in watershed research, restoration, and environmental education, with projects spanning from Deer Creek and the Bear River to the greater Yuba, Truckee, and American river systems. Learn more at www.sierrastreamsinsitute.org.
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