“Linking water,
science, and people”
The Bear River near Colfax.
Bear River Watershed Group
Sierra Streams Institute established the Bear River Watershed Group with
funding from a federal grant from the federal Bureau of Reclamation's
WaterSmart program in 2015.
The Bear River Watershed Group is made up of a variety of individuals and agencies
with interests in improving the health of the Bear River watershed. These
stakeholders include watershed residents and property owners and representatives of agencies and
non-profits.
All interested stakeholders with a desire to be part of planning for the
stewardship of the Bear River are warmly invited to participate. Please
contact Kristen Hein Strohm for more information.
The Bear River is 73 miles long, stretching from just below Lake Spaulding to its
confluence with the Feather River. In total, the watershed contains
296,452 acres of land and more than 990 miles of tributaries, including Wolf
Creek, which flows through downtown Grass Valley.
Like the neighboring Yuba River, the Bear has suffered extensive impacts
from its history at the heart of Gold Country, and is one of the most
heavily managed watersheds in the state for flow, with numerous dams and
diversions. Unlike the Yuba River, however, the Bear has heretofore lacked stewardship and
not had the benefit of coordinated planning, monitoring and restoration
efforts.
Map of the general hydrology of the Bear River watershed.
Click to enlarge.
The Bear River Watershed Group has the following goals:
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Develop and implement a watershed-wide water quality monitoring plan.
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Update the Disturbance Inventory written in 2003.
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Create a consensus-based watershed restoration plan.
