Guest Post: Greening Up a Former Dairy Meadow in the Heart of Truckee
by Matt Freitas, Program Manager; Deidre Monroe, Intern; and Allison Holmes, Conservation Assistant with the Truckee River Watershed Council
Right in the heart of Truckee across from the Villager Nursery sits a little meadow with a not so little problem – McIver Dairy Meadow.
McIver Dairy Meadow used to be a vibrant functioning wetland, but over time due to development, grazing, and recreation, the meadow has become degraded. Without a properly functioning wetland or floodplain to slow, infiltrate, and filter runoff, water from this site is flowing untreated directly into the Truckee River. When the Truckee River Watershed Council’s water quality monitoring estimated 2 tons of sediment were being contributed from this site annually to the Truckee River, it was clear something had to be done.
With our partner, the Town of Truckee, we are going to restore four acres of wetland habitat while maintaining access for public uses and protecting historic buildings in the meadow.
Project Benefits
Improve habitat quality
Improve water quality
Re-water dry portions of meadow
Protect the foundation of a historic dairy barn
Prevent continued erosion
By enhancing meadow function, water from precipitation will be naturally filtered, decreasing the amount of sediment that otherwise ends up in the Truckee River. This means better fish habitat, cleaner water, and an overall healthier ecosystem for us to live in, preserving what we love so much about our mountain home.
The project will start in September 2019 and be completed mid-October. During construction the shoulder area across from the Villager will be closed. At times there may traffic control for Donner Pass Road. Look for and respect all signage during restoration. Read more about this project on our website.
It takes a dedicated team to do what we do. Thank you to our partner the Town of Truckee.
Thank you to the funders who are making this work possible – the donors of the Truckee River Watershed Council, Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, Our Truckee River Legacy Foundation, Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, Town of Truckee, and the Community Foundation of Western Nevada Truckee River Fund.