The Sierra Nevada Alliance is a network of conservation

Conservation ethic

Conservation is an ethic of resource use, allocation, and protection. Its primary focus is upon maintaining the health of the natural world: its, fisheries, habitats, and biological diversity. Secondary focus is on materials conservation and energy conservation, which are seen as important to...

 groups encompassing 24 watershed

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

s of the 650 kilometer-long Sierra Nevada in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 and Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

. Beginning in 1993, the Alliance protects and restores Sierra Nevada lands, watersheds, wildlife

Wildlife

Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....

 and communities.

Mission

The network's mission is to protect and restore Sierra Nevada natural resources for future generations while promoting sustainable communities. The Alliance follows five guidelines: 1) Sustainable natural ecosystems, 2) Strong local economies, 3) Broad-based public involvement and support, 4) Rational water use and 5) A solution to a problem cannot be to transfer the problem some place else. The Alliance plays a unique role in facilitating grassroots conservation groups' and watershed groups' involvement with government agencies, public utilities and local organizations.

Programs

Several programs work for regional protection and restoration of ecosystems and economies: Sierra Watersheds Program protecting critical habitats and restoring watershed health, Sierra Water and Climate Change Campaign by participating in local and statewide planning that adapts to climate change

Climate change

Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...

, Planning for the Future Campaign ensuring county use plans in Sierra counties adequately protect wild lands, natural communities with human population growth in light of climate change, establishment (2004) and support of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy

Sierra Nevada Conservancy

Sierra Nevada Conservancy is a California state agency created by bi-partisan legislation and signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2004...

, a nonregulatory state agency, and the Ski Area Environmental Scorecard, a ski area citizen's coalition encouraging ski areas in the 11 western states to model sustainable environmental policies and practices in light of global and local climate change, and Community Group Support to facilitate communication and uniform best management practices throughout the Sierra Nevada.

A Conference of 80 or more conservation groups, collaborative watershed groups and land trusts is held annually. The Alliance is governed by a Board of Directors and the member groups. An Advisory Board of a diverse set of local, regional, statewide and national leaders provides collective wisdom.