May 14, 2020

(Grass Valley, CA May 15, 2020) The Nevada Irrigation District manages thousands of acres of forest that is the source of our water supply. Our forest management efforts are creating healthier forests that result in greater water capture for NID customers, reduced wildfire risk for the community and a safer home for many plants and animals.

We are proud to partner with many organizations like the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, CALFIRE, the US Forest Service, CSU Sacramento, and other local experts to implement forest thinning, to restore mountain meadows, and to improve ecosystems,” stated Neysa King, NID’s Environmental Resources Administrator. “There are thousands of species present in our watershed but today, Endangered Species Day, NID would like for the community to learn about two local species: The Goshawk and the Starved Daisy,” continued Ms. King.

The Northern Goshawk or Accipiter gentilis is listed by the California Board of Forestry and US Forest Service as a sensitive species, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife listed the goshawk as a “Species of Special Concern” in 1978.
The goshawk is the largest and heaviest bodied of the three North America accipiter’s (Kennedy 2003). It is a forest dwelling raptor that forms lifelong pairs and may have as many as 9 nests in close proximity to each other.

Goshawks, a highly effective predator, prey on a wide variety of birds and mammals and its decline contributes to the unraveling of forest ecosystems and stresses other forest dependent species. If a forest is not healthy enough to support the goshawk, numerous other species will also be negatively impacted by both the lack of this ecosystem regulating predator and the general demise of forest health and integrity. Goshawks have been seen within the Yuba and Bear River watersheds, and are considered in any forest or watershed health improvement project.

Starved Daisy or Erigeron miser is a perennial herb that is considered rare in California by the California Natural Diversity Database. It grows on rocky outcrops from 6,000 feet of elevation and higher. It stands between 2 to 10 inches tall with many stems and blooms from June to October. It is at moderate risk of extinction due to a restricted range and relatively few populations. If you are lucky, you might see this rare plant in montane meadow environments. NID’s meadow enhancement projects are on the lookout for this flower and takes careful steps to protect this sensitive and rare species.

Endangered Species Day is May 15 and is an opportunity for people of all ages to learn about the importance of protecting endangered species and everyday actions they can take to help protect them. Started in 2006 by the United States Congress, Endangered Species Day is a celebration of the United States’ wildlife and wild places. The Sierra Nevada is a biologically diverse and unique region that is home to 60% of California’s animals, of which 1 in 3 are threatened or endangered.

ABOUT NID: For nearly 100 years, The Nevada Irrigation District has been delivering high quality drinking water to our customers in Nevada, Placer, and Yuba counties. NID water originates as snow melt found in 70,000 acres of high elevation watersheds near the headwaters of the Yuba River, Bear River and Deer Creek. NID stores water in 27 reservoirs later moving it through one of seven treatment plants and hundreds of miles of canal and pipe to become drinking and irrigation water for 25,000 homes, farms and businesses. The annual result is three billion gallons of high quality drinking water for our customers and 30,000 acres of irrigated land. We deliver water for life. Visit nidwater.com