Protecting PG&E reservoirs and Maidu homelands
A Network of Conserved Lands
FRLT partnered with Pacific Gas and Electric and the Maidu Summit Consortium protect some of the most ecologically important headwater lands in the Almanor Basin.
43,000+ acres
9 properties conserved for public benefit
4 PG&E reservoirs
protected for all with conservation easements
5 Maidu properties
conserving homelands and cultural resources
Impact: 9 Properties Conserved Forever
FRLT holds nine conservation easements that permanently protect over 43,000 acres that contain Feather River headwaters, scenic lakes and forests, recreation opportunities, historical and Maidu cultural resources, and diverse wildlife and plant habitats.
These important watershed lands have been conserved through a unique partnership among the Feather River Land Trust, Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), the Pacific Forest & Watershed Lands Stewardship Council, and the Maidu Summit Consortium.
4 PG&E-owned reservoirs protected
PG&E continues to own and manage four major reservoirs—Mountain Meadows, Butt Valley, Bucks Lake, and Lake Almanor—with FRLT holding conservation easements to protect their cultural and ecological resources and to prevent subdivision and land use changes that would harm the beneficial public values. The conservation easements are on lands currently owned by PG&E—the reservoirs and their surrounding wetland, meadow, and forest habitats—and do not include lands owned by homeowners and businesses. These properties include:
- Mountain Meadows Reservoir, 7,058 acres conserved in 2018
- Butt Valley Reservoir, 2,472 acres conserved in 2020
- Bucks Lake, 2,164 acres conserved in 2021
- Lake Almanor, 29,057 acres conserved in 2023
Lands returned to Mountain Maidu ownership
In historic land transfers, important Maidu homelands have returned to Maidu ownership through the Indigenous-led nonprofit, the Maidu Summit Consortium (MSC). MSC has protected these properties in partnership with FRLT. MSC now owns the following lands, with FRLT holding conservation easements:
- Tásmam Koyóm, 2,325 acres in Humbug Valley conserved in 2019 (through partnership of MSC, FRLT, and the CA Department of Fish and Wildlife)
- Maidu Forest, 164 acres near Lake Almanor conserved in 2019
- Maidu Trail, 8 acres along Lake Almanor conserved in 2020
- Maidu Wetlands, 296 acres along Lake Almanor conserved in 2021
- Maidu Cemetery, 146 acres near Lake Almanor conserved in 2022
To learn more about the mission and work of Maidu Summit Consortium, please visit their website.
Photo by Colby Elliott
Photo by Betty Bishop
Photo by Bud Turner
Photo by Betty Bishop, all rights reserved
Photo by Katie Bagby/FRLT
Land Stewardship
As the conservation easement holder, FRLT meets with the landowners—PG&E and Maidu Summit Consortium—annually about management plans and potential impacts on each property’s special resources, and visits each property to monitor that the terms of the conservation easement are being upheld. Each conservation easement includes an endowment for monitoring in perpetuity.
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Working together to conserve headwater lands
The opportunity to conserve PG&E-owned lands for the public benefit emerged as part of a 2003 settlement agreement in which PG&E agreed to conserve more than 140,000 acres of watershed land holdings throughout California in exchange for financial bankruptcy relief. As the upper Feather River Watershed’s local land trust, FRLT was designated to hold conservation easements on over 43,000 acres of these lands and waters, permanently protecting their natural and cultural resources for the benefit of current and future generations—both human and wild.
This collaboration between FRLT and PG&E is one of the most ambitious conservation efforts ever undertaken by a land trust and a private corporation in the western United States. It represents 2 decades of work to establish a mechanism to conserve these key watershed lands.
These lands are centered in Mountain Maidu homeland. In an historic land transfer agreement, PG&E returned nearly 3,000 acres of Maidu homelands to the local Indigenous-led nonprofit Maidu Summit Consortium. FRLT is honored to partner with Maidu Summit Consortium in holding conservation easements on these lands.
Funding partners
In addition to funding from the Stewardship Council, financial support from the Bella Vista Foundation, Firedoll Foundation, Mellam Family Foundation, Morgan Family Foundation, Northern Sierra Partnership, and FRLT members has been important to sustain the Land Trust’s conservation efforts and bring them to fruition.
For more information, contact: FRLT Conservation Director, Shelton Douthit, sdouthit@frlt.org or (530) 283-5758 x1.
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Explore Conservation Successes
Lake Almanor
Conservation FocusMountain Meadows Reservoir
Conservation FocusBucks Lake
Conservation FocusButt Valley Reservoir
Conservation FocusOlsen Barn Meadow
Conservation FocusTásmam Koyóm (Humbug Valley)
Conservation Focus101 Ranch
Conservation FocusWarner Valley
Conservation FocusMaidu Cemetery
Conservation FocusHome Ranch
Conservation FocusMaidu Wetlands
Conservation FocusMaidu Trail
Conservation FocusMaidu Forest
Conservation FocusMountain Meadows Gateway Preserve
Conservation Focus
You Can Count On Us
As a nationally accredited land trust, we are built to last. We leverage your donations with state, federal, and foundation dollars and strategic partnerships to achieve the greatest possible impact for the lands, waters, and people of the Feather River region. You can count on us to make careful and effective use of your support.
