collaborations and partnerships

• American Rivers

  American Rivers protects and restores America's rivers for the benefit of people, wildlife, and nature. American Rivers is a partner organization with FoDC on projects including the Deer Creek Tribute Trail and Restoration Project and the Deer Creek Floodplain Restoration Project.

• Aquatic Biological Assessment Lab/California Aquatic Bioassessment Workgroup

  The mission of the Aquatic Biological Assessment Lab (ABL) and is to support the use of biology in California's water quality management and assessment programs. The ABL has four main programmatic units: 1. Laboratory Program. 2. Data Collection. 3. Research Program. 4. Bioassessment Procedure. The ABL develops Rapid Bioassessment Protocols and provides the professional California State Bioassessment Protocols. Friends of Deer Creek Executive Director Joanne Hild attends their yearly workgroup meetings to learn about the updated protocols and research in macroinvertebrates and other biological health indicators. She has also given presentations about FODC findings.

• California Department of Conservation

  The Department of Conservation provides services and information that promote environmental health, economic vitality, informed land-use decisions and sound management of our state's natural resources. The Department of Conservation is the funding agency through Proposition 50 (Water Security, Clean Drinking Water, Coastal and Beach Protection Act of 2002), 2007 Watershed Coordinator Grant Program. This provides funding for the Watershed Coordinator position at Friends of Deer Creek.

• The California Wellness Foundation

  The mission of The California Wellness Foundation is to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention. The California Wellness Foundation provides funding to Friends of Deer Creek under contract with the Sierra Fund, to conduct Recreational and Angler Surveys to determine exposure to heavy metal contamination from past mining practices.

• Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board

  The mission of the RWQCB is to preserve, enhance, and restore the quality of California’s water resources, and ensure their proper allocation and efficient use for the benefit of present and future generations. The RWQCB has collaborated with Friends of Deer Creek on a variety of projects, including training FoDC on mercury sampling protocols, providing funding for storm sampling, and sampling for bacterial pathogens during two studies at a local swimming hole.

• City of Nevada City

  The City of Nevada City is dedicated to preserving and enhancing its small town character and historical architecture while providing public services for our current and future residents, businesses and visitors. Nevada City and Friends of Deer Creek partner on projects including storm drain installation, the Deer Creek Tribute Trail and Restoration Project, fuels reduction in the Environs area, habitat restoration on Little Deer Creek in Pioneer Park, and EPA-funded Brownfields assessments of contaminated mine lands.

• Five Star Restoration Challenge

  The Five Star Restoration Program provides modest financial assistance on a competitive basis to support community-based wetland, riparian, and coastal habitat restoration projects that build diverse partnerships and foster local natural resource stewardship through education, outreach and training activities. With their funding Friends of Deer Creek developed an environmental education program for Forest Charter School aimed at expanding upon traditional curricula in the areas of ecology, mining history, Native American culture and history, and restoration ecology. Students are able to use their knowledge in a field setting while doing restoration work.

• Gold Country Fly Fishers

  The purposes and objectives of the Gold Country Fly Fishers is to promote fly fishing for the recreation of members, promote and support conservation of our water and fisheries resources, with particular emphasis on the "Catch and Release" ethic, to provide assistance to members in the skill and techniques of fly fishing, to publicize and promote fly fishing, fly casting, fly tying, and other related subjects, to represent organized fly fishers by maintaining liaison with sports and conservation organizations, and with regulatory agencies. FoDC and the GCFF collaborate on sampling fish populations, non-native invasive species removal, and native plant and habitat restoration in the Deer Creek watershed.

• Lake Wildwood Lake Association

  Lake Wildwood is a reservoir within Deer Creek surrounded by a gated community with a population of more than 5000. The Lake Wildwood Lake Association and Friends of Deer Creek partner on multiple projects, focusing on Deer Creek and Lake Wildwood Reservoir. This includes monitoring reservoir drawdown releases, sampling stream flows through the reservoir during storm events, and testing fish from the reservoir for mercury.

• Nevada County Planning Department

  The mission of the Nevada County Planning Department is to develop and apply land use policies and standards in ways that protect environmental resources, while promoting economic vitality. Friends of Deer Creek partners with Nevada County on the Deer Creek Tribute Trail and Restoration Project.

• Nevada County Environmental Health Department

  The Nevada County Department of Environmental Health is the local implementing agency for a diverse range of state and local laws affecting the public health of the citizens and visitors of Nevada County. Friends of Deer Creek and the Nevada County Environmental Health Deptartment collaborate to conduct sampling and public outreach concerning the bacteria contamination at Western Gateway Park in Penn Valley, CA.

• Nevada County Sanitation District #1

  The Nevada County Sanitation District administers and maintains sewage collection systems and treatment facilities in Nevada County. There are ten zones within the Sanitation District with facilities that collect and treat 1,245,000 gallons of wastewater each day. Friends of Deer Creek and the Nevada County Sanitation District #1 are partners on a Gravel Augmentation and Habitat Restoration project in lower Deer Creek, below Lake Wildwood Reservoir.

• Patagonia

  Patagonia, through their Environmental Grants Program, has provided funding to Friends of Deer Creek for two pilot restoration projects, the Stocking Flat Pilot Restoration Project and the Deer Creek Ephemeral Stream Assessment and Restoration Project. The Stocking Flat Project was a hands on pilot restoration study investigating the claim that native species, such as Arroyo Willow and California Wild Grape, can outcompete non-native Himalayan Blackberry. This involved the help of students from Forest Charter High School. Patagonia has also provided Friends of Deer Creek with donations including field clothing and gear.

• Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund

  The Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund provides resources and leadership for creative, risk-taking philanthropy. The Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund generously donated the funding for Friends of Deer Creek to purchase a mercury analyzer. The mercury analyzer has greatly increased our capacity for mercury sampling and analysis in soil, water, and living tissue samples.

• Sierra Fund

  The Sierra Fund is a non-profit community foundation providing philanthropic stewardship and charitable support services to support environmental conservation in the Sierra Nevada region. The Sierra Fund serves as a fiscal agent and collaborator on multiple Friends of Deer Creek projects, including Wellness and Recreational Surveys, and the Deer Creek Restoration Plan.

• Sierra Nevada Alliance

  The Sierra Nevada Alliance's mission is to protect and restore the natural environment of the Sierra Nevada for future generations while ensuring healthy and sustainable communities. They do this by strengthening the work of people and organizations committed to the environmental integrity of the Sierra Nevada. The Alliance organizes and runs the Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership, through which Friends of Deer Creek has hosted two AmeriCorps members each year since 2007.

• Sierra Nevada Conservancy

  The Sierra Nevada Conservancy initiates, encourages, and supports efforts that improve the environmental, economic and social well-being of the Sierra Nevada Region, its communities and the citizens of California. The Sierra Nevada Conservancy provides funding for the following Friends of Deer Creek projects: Mercury Bioavailability and Transport in Deer Creek over Lake Wildwood Reservoir, Sierra Nevada Science Institute-Development of a Timeline and Business Plan, and the Deer Creek Restoration Plan.

• State Water Resources Control Board

  The mission of the SWRCB is to preserve, enhance, and restore the quality of California’s water resources, and ensure their proper allocation and efficient use for the benefit of present and future generations. The SWRCB has provided funding to Friends of Deer Creek through Proposition 13 & 204 Grants and collaborated with Friends of Deer Creek on the 303d listing for Lower Deer Creek, as an impaired watershed.

• Tsi-Akim Maidu Tribe

  The Tsi-Akim Maidu Tribe is dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of their people's language culture, history, heritage. The Tsi Akim Maidu Tribe and Friends of Deer Creek partner on multiple projects including the Deer Creek Restoration Plan, the Deer Creek Tribute Trail and Restoration Project, and on many local festivals and ceremonies.

• University of California, Davis

  Researchers from Peter Moyle’s Fish Lab collaborate with Friends of Deer Creek to conduct annual electro-fishing at Friends of Deer Creek monitoring sites in Squirrel Creek, Deer Creek, Little Deer Creek, and Gold Run Creek.

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

  The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and the environment. Friends of Deer Creek receive funding through the USEPA Brownfields program to perform site assessments on contaminated mining lands on city of Nevada City properties. The USEPA contributed funding to the development of the Friends of Deer Creek Bug Book, a macroinvertebrate identification manual.