California Trout, Truckee Donner Land Trust Awarded Truckee River Fund Grant

A view of the project area from the air, photo by Michael Wier.

California Trout and Truckee Donner Land Trust were recently awarded $26,500 from the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada for river access and restoration in the Truckee River Canyon.

The two nonprofits will work together in summer 2022 to restore and improve a popular Truckee River access point in the Truckee River Canyon along Interstate 80 roughly 1.4 miles east of the Farad Exit. Work will include bank stabilization and replanting along with improved access points to make it easier for boaters, anglers, and other visitors to get to and from the river.

"We are grateful to work with the Land Trust on this project. The Truckee River is such an important resource for all locals and visitors to the area. These are the kinds of projects we love – that have ecological benefits for the river as well as benefiting users, including anglers and boaters," said Michael Wier, Videographer and Field Reporter for California Trout.

The project will include riverbank stabilization and restoration to reduce sediment in the Truckee River, creating naturalized terraces as a stable entry for users entering and exiting the river. Eliminating some of the eroding user trails and planting willows will further improve bank stability and riparian habitat.

Already a popular place to access the river, the property is heavily eroded and the streambank undercut, contributing sedimentation to the Truckee River.

The Truckee Donner Land Trust, holder of a conservation easement on the property, sees this as an opportunity to both improve public recreation and protect natural resources in the Truckee River Canyon, an area the Land Trust has done extensive conservation work.

“We are grateful for the Truckee River Fund Grant and the opportunity to improve recreation in the canyon while also helping to protect the Truckee River,” said Daniel Joannes, Forest and Restoration Coordinator for the Land Trust. “This project will build on numerous other Land Trust conservation projects in the area, as well as restoration projects upstream from our partners at the Truckee River Watershed Council.”

Work is anticipated to be completed by the end of summer 2022.