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Sierra Business Council
Local Contact
For more information on the Sierra Business Council, please visit www.sbcouncil.org or call (530) 582-4800.
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Rural communities have a unique challenge: implementing smart growth strategies while embracing new business opportunities, sustaining jobs, and planning for an increasing rate of growth. In the rural mountainous areas of eastern California and western Nevada, the Sierra Business Council is helping small communities meet this challenge.
The economic boom of the 1990’s placed great strain on the Sierra Nevada, bringing new residents and overwhelming local planning departments with new proposals. Growth for this region shows no sign of abating and three of the fastest growing counties in California are in the Sierras. The picturesque natural surroundings have made tourism and second home development the major economic drivers, while traditional industries such as mining and timber have dramatically declined. While growth brings many advantages to the area, it also can undermine rural communities and their quality of life. Unchecked sprawl will bring traffic congestion, a loss of open space, elevated housing costs, and the degradation of air and water quality to rural and small communities.
Launched in 1994 as many communities in the region began to recognize the need to plan for growth, the Sierra Business Council (SBC) works with more than 500 businesses, agencies, and individuals to “secure the social, natural, and financial health of the Sierra Nevada.” The SBC publishes books and tools that can inform decision makers about the threats and opportunities facing the region. Their most recent publication, Investing for Prosperity, features tactics for building vibrant rural communities with diversified economies, all of which are backed up by 40 real life case studies of people and communities who have achieved genuine success in rural settings. They also publish the Sierra Nevada Wealth Index, an analysis of the social, natural, and financial capital that sustain the Sierra region. The Index helps business owners and community leaders track important trends region-wide, from the quality of schools to healthcare access, water and air quality, job growth and personal incomes. The SBC, and its members throughout the Sierra, are committed to finding solutions to bringing economic revitalization and environmental quality to the Sierra Nevada region.
Key Partnerships Preserve Ranchland
The SBC has launched an innovative partnership to preserve the health of rural ranches and native species in the Sierra Valley, the largest alpine valley in California. Over the past two years over 20,000 acres have been protected through conservation easements — working with ranchers to help protect their way of life and good stewardship practices. Partnering with ranchers, and environmental organizations such as the Feather River Land Trust, the California Rangeland Trust and The Nature Conservancy, the SBC is demonstrating that the economic vitality of ranches is a critical component to maintaining the beauty and environmental health of the region and its many wetlands.
Old Timber Mills May Provide New Jobs
The timber industry has been a stronghold in the Sierra Nevada region for over 150 years, but most mills have closed in recent years. In an effort to help communities capitalize on old mill sites, the SBC is working in both Truckee and Loyalton. In partnership with the Town of Truckee and the California Center for Land Recycling, the Sierra Business Council developed a successful funding request for a brownfield redevelopment project on the old Truckee Mill Site and Railyard. The town was awarded $350,000 through California’s Pollution Control Financing Authority in November 2002 to plan for development in the project and negotiate with Union Pacific, the current owner. Truckee was the only rural community to get this grant. This infill will contribute to a more vibrant downtown, promote affordable housing, generate more tax revenue for the town and provide an alternative to further expansion into natural habitat. A similar process is underway in Loyalton to help revitalize the economy by securing an improved sewage system that would enable the mill to be converted into a small business park.
While smart growth is usually associated with urban areas, its principles are equally important to rural areas. As these communities continue to grow, it is critical that they prepare for the impacts of growth and do not lose the quality of life and open space that make them attractive places to live. The Sierra Business Council is helping the rural communities in the pristine Sierra Nevada protect their unique character, historic town patterns, and rural livelihoods, while encouraging increased diversification of the local economies. The SBC, its publications and ongoing programs, is a stellar model for assisting small and rural communities with growth challenges.
Updated Date: 01/27/2004
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