sierra

What Snow? Final Snow Survey Yields Dry Results

Amy Quinton — Fri, 03 May 2013 00:12:18 +0000

The season’s final snow survey in California found what most expected – dry conditions. Snow surveyors found absolutely no snow on the ground at Phillips Station, nearly 7,000 feet up Echo Summit in the Sierras.

Water content in California’s snowpack is only 17 percent of normal, meaning a below average water supply this summer.

Frank Gehrke with the Department of Water Resources says despite that, most reservoirs are near normal levels for the date thanks to early winter storms.

Snow Survey Shows Dramatically Dry Conditions for California

Amy Quinton — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 01:09:06 +0000

The next to the last snow survey of the season shows extremely dry conditions for California. As Amy Quinton reports from Sacramento, it has prompted the Department of Natural Resources to call the security of the state’s water supply “threatened.”

On Valley Edition: The Sierra Foothill Conservancy; Talk With A Supreme Court Justice; End Of Life

Juanita Stevenson and Ezra Romero — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 20:40:58 +0000

This week on Valley Edition we take a hike into the foothills of Fresno County. Valley Public Radio’s Ezra Romero takes the listener on a journey through the McKenzie Table Mountain Preserve run by the Sierra Foothill Conservancy. Jeannette Tuitele – Lewis, executive director of the Sierra Foothill Conservancy, joins host Juanita Stevenson in a discussion surrounding the Valley locale, its ties to the community and future dates for preserve exploration.

Nature Preserve Near Fresno Delights Foothill Visitors

Ezra Romero — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:13:32 +0000

On the edge of a region in California known for agriculture and dairy, lays a hidden gem. A wildlife preserve with Table top foothills, that in spring are awash in color from budding wild flowers.

On Saturday, the Sierra Foothill Conservancy, a local group that manages a number of foothill preserves in the region held a special open house at the group’s largest operation.

Sierra Snowpack Below Normal; Driest Year on Record

Amy Quinton — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 23:16:57 +0000

January and February are the driest on record for the northern Sierra Nevada. As Amy Quinton reports, snowpack is well-below normal for this time of year.

Second Snow Survey Shows Below Normal Conditions

Amy Quinton — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:37:41 +0000

California snow surveyors reported Tuesday that water content in the state’s mountain snowpack is below average for the date.

The manual readings this month confirmed what many water managers expected after a relatively dry January. The water content in the Sierra snow is 93 percent of average for this time of year.

Early storms in November and December dumped snow ranging from 32 ½ to 44 inches around Echo Summit. That erased the deficit in reservoir storage. But very little snow has fallen since.

Sierra Snowpack Has Water Managers Happy, So Far

Amy Quinton — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:00:07 +0000

California’s water managers say the state has a good supply of water so far thanks to a snowy December.

The first official measurement of the Sierra Nevada snowpack showed four-feet of accumulation. Manual and electronic readings showed the water content of the snow at 134 percent of average for this time of year.

Frank Gehrke is with the Department of Water Resources. He says last year the snowpack in the area was just over one-tenth of an inch.

Lightning Caused Fires Continue to Burn in Mountains

Joe Moore — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 03:01:44 +0000

Fires sparked by lightning on Saturday continue to burn today in rugged terrain in the Sierra Nevada mountains, nearly a week after they began. In the Sierra National Forest east of Fresno the Bear Fire has consumed over 700 acres of timber between Edison and Florence Lake.

Ten smoke jumpers, four helicopters and four fixed wing aircraft are battling the blaze, which is in terrain ranging from 7,500 to 9,000 feet in elevation. The fire is currently 50 percent contained. No structures are threatened.