Carson River to benefit from annual work day

A chance to spruce up the banks of the Carson River is being offered thanks to the Friends of Hope Valley, whose annual work day returns June 10.

Volunteers are invited to gather at 9 a.m. at Picketts Junction in Hope Valley, at the intersection of Highways 88 and 89 in Alpine County.

Volunteers can choose from a variety of projects including watershed habitat improvement, highway cleanup and fence repair. Helpers are asked to bring work gloves, shovels, and fencing pliers.

The watershed project will consist of planting willows along the river’s west fork, a plan that has seen a positive effect on the river, organizers said.

The banks once void of vegetation are now lined with willows to stabilize the banks, preventing further channeling of the river and reducing sedimentation.

The nonprofit, founded in 1985, attracts members who share an affection for the beauty of the Sierra Nevada’s eastern slope.

Created in response to a proposal to run power transmission line through Hope Valley, it sponsors protection efforts, including preserving more than 25,000 acres of open space in Hope Valley.

On June 11, the group will benefit from a concert featuring live music by The Back Forty Bluegrass Band.

The event, complete with no-host barbecue, will be from 1 to 4 p.m. at Sorensen’s Resort on Highway 88.

The $10 admission will benefit the nonprofit. Also, the restaurant has agreed to match funds raised at the event to give to conservation efforts.

For information, go to www.friendsofhopevalley.org, or call 530-694-1701.