Author Archives: admin
DSAA Forum on the future of Van Norden – A very productive day (with a little fact checking)
On Saturday, April 18th, a forum on Van Norden lake and meadow was presented by the Donner Summit Area Association (DSAA) at Sugar Bowl and was well attended. As a presenter at the forum I would like to sincerely thank … Continue reading
Why Lake Van Norden is so special to the Donner Summit Valley
We had an amazing encounter on Lake Van Norden this week that really brings home why the lake is so special to the Donner Summit Valley. In this incredible year where we have already been kayaking on the lake twice, … Continue reading
Bringing New Conservation to Donner Summit Valley
Conservation efforts in today’s changing world are experiencing a wave of new ideas. This change in traditional thinking was recently discussed in a New York Times article and is also championed by the authors David Cole and Laurie Yung in their … Continue reading
Despite our best efforts, the struggle continues…
This site has been quiet for a number of months now, but we want you to know that it was not because we had reduced our efforts. Quite to the contrary, we have been concentrating our efforts on a proposition … Continue reading
Lodgepole Meadow?
Preserving wild places may require more human intervention. This somewhat counter intuitive statement is the thrust of an opinion article in the New York Times by Christopher Solomon a few days ago (click here to read the article). The article … Continue reading
Jim Morgan favors increased water storage in the Northern Sierra
In the last week a few people have forwarded to us an article by Jim Morgan, a dedicated and prominent environmentalist in the Northern Sierras and the president of the Northern Sierra Partnership’s Governing Council. The article was apparently being sent … Continue reading
Dr Charles Goldman Weighs In on Van Norden Lake & Wetlands
You have read a lot of information on this site that we have prepared. We thought you might want to hear what some others have to say about preserving Van Norden Lake and its wetlands. Dr Charles Goldman is a … Continue reading
The “Blue Paper” and an open letter to Truckee Donner Land Trust
In the past few weeks we have spent a considerable amount of time investigating the claims that have been made by the U.S Forest Service and the Truckee Donner Land Trust (TDLT) to support their drastic action of draining Van … Continue reading
The “Report” – If you don’t read anything else, READ THIS
Download pdf of this post The entire controversy over draining Van Norden Lake and wetlands is based on the contention that the Van Norden dam has been classified a “significant hazard” and as such the US Forest Service refuses to … Continue reading
Donner Summit Valley Habitats
We have spent a lot of time on this site extolling the virtues of the lake and wetland habitats that Van Norden Lake provide. You can find out more about the value of wetlands from the large body of literature … Continue reading