Cultivating Watershed Resilience at the Urban-Agricultural Interface: Advancing Watershed Health, Fire Resilience, Regenerative Urban Agriculture and Community Stewardship

This funding will be used to rehabilitate a degraded flood irrigated 15-acre pasture that flows into Alum Creek and the Truckee River, through native grass seeding, regenerative grazing and watershed protection practices that reduce erosion, nutrient runoff and wildfire risk. It will support native seed production for post-fire restoration and provide seasonal housing for prescribed grazing herds. As a demonstration site led by Reno Food Systems, this project includes hands-on education, workforce training and partnerships with UNR’s Desert Farming Initiative, Cooperative Extension, FFA and 4-H. Over 500 volunteers and community members will engage in stewardship activities that preserve our precious agricultural lands, protect our vital watershed, restore ecological function and serve as a replicable model for sustainable land management.

This project will reverse those impacts through regenerative grazing and hydrological improvements that directly support water quality. Managed rotational grazing will prevent overgrazing, increase plant cover and improve soil structure and infiltration. Weeds will be controlled through mechanical and biological means, eliminating chemical runoff. Collapsed irrigation ditches will be redesigned and rebuilt to reduce erosion and ensure efficient use of Truckee River water. These practices will reduce sediment, nitrogen, phosphorus, total dissolved solids (TDS) and E. coli entering local waterways.

TMWA Benefit:

Priority II Watershed Improvements: Addresses watershed health by implementing regenerative land management practices on a parcel through which flood irrigation flows directly enter Alum Creek, a designated 303(d) impaired waterway due to elevated temperature and TDS. These flows continue on to the Truckee River upstream of the Glendale Water Treatment Facility, making improvements on this site especially impactful. Through the integration of rotational grazing, erosion control improvements, riparian buffer enhancement and native vegetation reestablishment, the project aims to reduce sedimentation and lower water temperatures before flows reach the creek and river. These nature-based solutions are innovative in that they utilize working lands to perform ecosystem functions typically addressed through engineered systems. By demonstrating that regenerative grazing and low-impact water management can significantly reduce pollutant load while enhancing soil health, the project serves as a model for upstream interventions that reduce the burden on municipal water treatment infrastructure.

Priority IV Re-Forestation & Re-Vegetation Projects: Directly supports regional wildfire resilience and post-fire restoration through innovative strategies. The project centers on the strategic re-vegetation of a degraded upland pasture located in an urban-agricultural interface—a key ecological transition zone which when well managed can create lasting ecological benefits. This site will be restored using a carefully selected mix of drought-tolerant native grasses, pollinator-friendly species and soil-stabilizing shrubs. These deep-rooted plants will stabilize soil, reduce erosion, increase infiltration, support pollinator populations and suppress invasive species—thereby reducing fuel loads that contribute to catastrophic wildfire spread.

These efforts will also moderate land surface and runoff temperatures, increase water retention, and buffer the landscape against wind, snowmelt and drought—enhancing overall watershed resilience and establishing a green firebreak within a high-risk urban-wildland interface.

Priority VI Stewardship & Environmental Awareness: This project is deeply rooted in community engagement, environmental education, and skill-building. RFS operates an active education and demonstration farm on-site, welcoming thousands of visitors annually—including school groups, volunteers, customers, elected officials and neighbors. The expansion into the south pasture will significantly enhance these efforts, offering hands-on workshops and citizen science projects focused on pasture management, regenerative grazing, animal husbandry and pollinator habitat restoration. The project also serves as a workforce development platform. Through our internship/apprenticeship programs, we provide structured on-the-ground training in regenerative agriculture, holistic grazing, soil health practices and ecological restoration.