Saturday in the Sierra

On behalf of the Northern Sierra Partnership, we're excited that you are able to join us Saturday, June 5, 2010 for a very special event. Below you'll find information that will help you understand the details of the day. The adventures you're headed on will reveal the beauty and uniqueness of this amazing part of the Northern Sierra Nevada.

Agenda

• Fly Fishermen are paired with guides & drive to fishing locations
• Bird watchers and kayakers are paired with their guides & drive to Sierra Valley (Attendees going to directly to the Quincy area will meet at Maddalena Ranch at 9:15am)
• Brown bag lunches provided

9:15am - Departure for locations

10:15am - Birding and canoeing start in Sierra Valley on the Maddalena property. (Breakfast snacks and coffee will be available for those driving directly on their own. If driving on your own, please arrive at Maddalena Ranch at 9:15am. Please see directions below.)

12:30pm - Lunch at respective locations
 
4:00pm - Return to Cedar House Sport Hotel
 
4:00pm-6:30pm - Cocktails & hors d’oeuvres at The Cedar House Sport Hotel

Important addresses and directions

The Cedar House Sport Hotel
10918 Brockway Road, Truckee, CA 96161

Maddalena Ranch from Truckee
Take 89 N for 23.1 miles
From Sierraville take 49/89 towards Quincy for 4 miles
At Sattley turn right on Westside Rd. that turns into A23 for about 12 miles
A23 intersects with Highway 70 at Beckwourth
Turn right onto Highway 70 passing through Beckwourth
Approximately 1.75 miles past Beckwourth turn right (south) on A24 (across
from Nirvino Airport runway)
Drive approximately 1.75 miles south on A-24 to a wooden corral on the right
side of the road. Look for Feather River Land Trust banner on the
corral.

Maddalena Ranch from Quincy
Head East on Highway 70 through Beckwourth (about 1 hour).  Approximately 1.75 miles past Beckwourth turn right (south) on A24 (across from airport runway). Drive approximately 1.75 miles south on A-24 to a wooden corral on the right side of the road. Look for Feather River Land Trust banner on the corral.

Click here for a map of fly fishing and bird watching locations

Meet your fly fishing guides

Matt Gilligan
The son of a diehard fisherman, Matt began fly fishing the waters of the Eastern Sierra and Tahoe Region when he was 13. As a guide, Gilligan brings to the river over 20 years of experience fishing and tying flies for Sierra Nevada trout.

Dan LeCount
Dan works out of the Reno Fly Shop as one of the top guides in the area. He is one of the most meticulous fishermen you will meet, evident in the beautiful flies he ties and the trophy fish he consistently catches. Dan grew up in the Bay Area and is happy to call the Tahoe region his new home.

Matt Heron
Matt is a certified Federation of Fly Fishers Casting Instructor and worked for the Federation, at their headquarters in Livingston, MT, directly out of college. He currently runs the fly fishing program at the Resort at Squaw Creek in Squaw Valley, CA. Matt also guides out of the Reno Fly Shop and has countless hours logged on all of the best local waters Tahoe area has to offer.

David Lass
David runs the Truckee-Tahoe office for Trout Unlimited, a national sportsmen organization dedicated to the conservation, protection and restoration of trout and salmon and their watersheds. He worked as a fly fishing guide on the Deschutes River in Oregon and the North Platte in Colorado while attending Colorado State University.

John Marcacci
John has guided in the area for longer than some of those on this list have been alive. He knows the waters well and is a pro at improving your success of finding fish in them. Since being retired from the North Tahoe Fire Station, John has now redirected his attention back to chasing fish throughout the region.

Larry McKurtis
Larry grew up in Sierra County and knows the local conservation issues almost as well as he knows the many rivers and lakes that hold trophy Sierra trout. Larry is the Vice President of the Truckee River Trout Unlimited Chapter and a young enthusiastic personality who has guided in the area for years.

Stefan Mcleod
Stefan is the President of the Truckee River Chapter of Trout Unlimited, has guided in the Truckee area for most of his life, and is an exceptional fly tyer. He is passionate about protecting the high quality habitat and places where trout live and has a strong conservation ethic to make things happen on the ground.

Jordan Romney
Jordan is a graduate of the prestigious Clearwater Guide School in Northern California, where he learned the nuances of developing the necessary skills that produce the best results for clients on the water. Jordan is a graduate of Chico State University and has fished the waters of Northern California his entire life.


Frank Pisciotta
Frank is widely considered the ‘Dean’ of all fishing guides in the Tahoe area. Frank has operated Thy Rod and Staff Guide Service for almost 30 years in the area, making him the most experienced member of the group. Frank knows the Little Truckee River as well as anyone and he makes learning to fly fish as fun as actually catching fish.


Mike Wier
Mike Wier is a Patagonia fly fishing ambassador and has traveled the world from Mongolia to the Amazon in search of fish and the places they live. Mike is also a noted conservation filmmaker and has guided in the Tahoe area for over ten years. He is considered one the preeminent figures in the sport of fly fishing today.

Meet your bird watching guides

Darrel Jury
Darrel Jury is an Instructor in the Environmental Studies Department at Feather River College.  With a M.S. in Wilderness Management from Colorado State University and a B.S. in Landscape Architecture from Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo, Darrel has an appreciation for both wild places and desirable communities. He is on the Board of Directors of the Plumas Audubon Society and lives in Meadow Valley.

Darla DeRuiter
Darla DeRuiter splits her time teaching at Feather River College between the Environmental Studies and Outdoor Recreation Leadership programs for the past six years.  She loves her job and the opportunity it provides to take people outside to study the natural world. She is on the Board of Directors of the Plumas Audubon Society and lives in Quincy.

Ryan Burnett
Ryan is the Northern Sierra and Sacramento Valley Program Leader for Point Reyes Bird Observatory Terrestrial Division. He came to PRBO in 1997 as an intern and has studied birds on the Farallon Islands, San Clemente Island, Midway Atoll, and throughout Northern California. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology from the University of California, Davis. His current projects include studying the ecology and conservation of birds on actively managed National Forest lands in the Sierra Nevada. Ryan lives in Chester.

Jim Battagin
Jim Battagin (also known as Dr. Goose) is known far and wide for his knowledge of plants and bad advice. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley's School of Forestry, has previously worked for the Forest Service as a botanist and is currently owner of Butterfly Botanical Consultants. He plans to captain a canoe in Sierra Valley, knows the creek very well, and will remember his paddle.

Paul Hardy
Paul Hardy has been the Executive Director of the Feather River Land Trust since its inception in 2000.  He was born and raised in Portola and is a wildlife biologist by training, receiving a BS in Wildlife Biology from UC, Davis and a MS in Wildlife Biology from Arizona State University. Paul and his wife Rhonda moved back to Plumas County in 1998 and deeply care for the place they call home.