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Sierra Watch Offers Planning Principles for Donner Development Decisions

Tom Mooers
Executive Director
Sierra Watch

For better and for worse, individual land-use decisions add up to shape the Sierra we enjoy – and pass on to future generations. Faced with a development proposal, people too often throw up their hands, label it inevitable, and decision makers are left with nothing to talk about but the color of the golf carts.

But, sometimes, big development ideas – even big, bad development ideas – can encourage us to step back and remember what’s really important about our favorite Sierra places. In 1964, when Lake Tahoe was threatened with a bridge over the mouth of Emerald Bay, people parlayed objections to that proposal into a broader discussion about the Lake and into a bi-state commitment Keep Tahoe Blue.

Last year, landowners Foster/Syme revealed initial development plans for their 3,000 acres of Donner Summit. The development threat is real – roughly 1,000 units of resort development, a new ski resort, and substantial urban infrastructure carving up one of the great iconic landscapes of the West. The immediate response was encouraging. Local residents raised ‘Save Donner Summit’ banners faster than you could say ‘Notice of Preparation’.

In the months that followed, people have increasingly lifted their eyes from the specific development proposal, looked around at Donner Summit, and asked: What do we love about Donner Summit? What values and resources do we need to defend from development? To preserve for posterity?

To provide answers, Sierra Watch partnered with Sierra Club to engage a team of legal and planning experts to research the resources of the region. Their findings fostered a set of Planning Principles – key points designed to elevate the debate on Donner Summit.

On April 10, eight leading Central Sierra conservation organizations joined us in sending a letter to Placer and Nevada County officials, urging them to “incorporate these principles in your planning process”.

Donner Summit Planning Principles

Donner Summit Values and Resources

1. Natural Heritage: Recognize the importance of Donner Summit to the broader Central Sierra and downstream ecosystems.

2. Biological Resources: Protect the wide array of habitat and the incredible range of biodiversity on Donner Summit.

3. Wetlands and Meadows: Protect the wetlands and meadows of Donner Summit.

4. Forests: Expand permanent protection of Donner Summit forest resources.

5. Water Resources: Improve and maintain the water quality of Donner Summit’s lakes, creeks, and rivers.

6. Cultural Importance: Preserve the history and scenery of Donner Summit as the portal to California and as the region’s primary recreational and economic resource.

7. Challenging Climate: Recognize the challenging climate on Donner Summit and the impact of climate change on the region’s landscape and resources.

Donner Summit Development Issues

1. Existing Development: Protect the values of the existing Donner Summit communities.

2. Water Supply: Size Donner development to existing water sources and projected impacts of climate change.

3. Wastewater Treatment: Protect Donner Summit water quality from increased sewage outflows and polluted stormwater runoff.

4. Transportation and Roads: Prevent additional traffic from clogging regional roadways and diminishing the quality of the Donner Summit experience.

5. Fire Safety: Prevent leapfrog development and ensure fire-safe planning.

6. Commitment to Conservation: Expand permanent protection of Donner Summit resources.

7. Community Planning: Collaborate with regional jurisdictions and local residents to create a community vision for Donner Summit and update General Plans accordingly.

The range of issues at play, from back country ski trails to downstream water supplies, demonstrates the importance of the Donner Summit Region to the Sierra Nevada and beyond.

By maintaining a principled approach to Donner development decisions, based on timeless values and a unique sense of place, Sierra Watch will ensure that we don’t lose the region’s forests – and creeks and lakes and trails and wildlife – for the trees.

Tom Mooers, Executive Director, Sierra Watch. He has worked as an advocate for land conservation in California for fifteen years. Before joining the staff of Sierra Watch in 2001, Tom worked as Field Director for Greenbelt Alliance in the San Francisco Bay Area and as Assistant Executive Director of the League to Save Lake Tahoe. Tom is also a graduate of the Green Corps, Field School for Environmental Organizing and the University of California, Los Angeles. He lives in Nevada City with his son Wes and their dog, Trudy.

Sierra Watch is a non-profit organization working to protect the incomparable natural resources and unparalleled quality of life in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. For more information, call (530) 265-2849, email Tom Mooers at tmooers@sierrawatch.org.

Posted on April 12, 2008

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