Media contacts:

Sierra Pacific Power Company

Faye Andersen, APR, (775) 834-4822,fandersen@sppc.com

TruckeeMeadows Water Authority

Jennifer Sanzi, (775) 829-2810,jennifer@o-apr.com

The Nature Conservancy

Lisa Gilbertson, (775) 771-7519,lgilbertson@tnc.org

(RENO, Nev.) Years of close collaboration among The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Sierra Pacific Power Company and Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA), has resulted in the protection of 3,350 acres of the Truckee River Canyon, located in the northern Sierra Nevada between the town of Floriston, Calif. and the Nevada state line.

"TMWA is keenly interested in the protection of the watershed and saw this collaboration as a way to protect the Truckee River and enhance the environmental and recreational values in the Truckee River Canyon corridor,"said TMWA Board Chairman, Mike Carrigan.

The three entities worked closely with the Truckee Donner Land Trust, the State of California's Resources Agency, the Wildlife Conservation Board and the California Department of Fish and Game for the past four years to structure a deal that will preserve the Truckee River Canyon, while protecting the watershed and still allowing public access to some of the property.

"We're pleased to be a part of preserving portions of the Truckee River Canyon for the enjoyment and use of future generations,"said Sierra Pacific Power Company President, Jeff Ceccarelli. "We are proud of our partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Truckee Meadows Water Authority, whose cooperation and vision helped make this project possible." 

The canyon property was recognized by The Nature Conservancy's Truckee River Project as a top priority for acquisition and includes seven miles of riverfront. The tract provides an island of outstanding cottonwood riparian forest in a sea of rocky ridgelines and a river that lacks adequate riparian vegetation along much of its length.

"The permanent protection of these lands bodes well for the future of wildlife, water supply and quality of life for residents of Nevada and California. It also demonstrates how people and organizations with diverse interests can come together behind a single vision and make it a reality"said TNC Nevada Associate State Director, Michael Cameron."This gateway between Nevada and California will now remain forever wild."

Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) is a not-for-profit, community-owned water utility, overseen by elected officials and citizen appointees from Reno, Sparks and Washoe County.  TMWA has a workforce of 160 professionals. They ensure the around-the-clock treatment, delivery and availability of high-quality drinking water for more than 330,000 residents of the Truckee Meadows. 

Sierra Pacific Power Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sierra Pacific Resources (NYSE:SRP), is the electric utility serving most of northern Nevada and the Lake Tahoe area of California.  Sierra Pacific Power Company also distributes natural gas in the Reno-Sparks area of northern Nevada.  Sierra Pacific Resources is also the holding company for Nevada Power Company, serving most of southern Nevada.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit us on the Web at nature.org. 

MEDIA: Details of this partnership, speeches from the leaders of each participating agency and an overview of the site will be presented on Thursday, June 21 at 1 p.m. at the Verdi Hydroelectric plant.