Reno nonprofit acquires Grizzly Creek Ranch for $5.5 million

RENO, Nev. — Sierra Nevada Journeys has acquired the 515-acre camp Grizzly Creek Ranch in nearby Portola, California, for $5.5 million.

“We are deeply grateful to our donors, program partners, volunteers and employees for investing in our mission and the youth we serve,” Eaton Dunkelberger, CEO of Sierra Nevada Journeys, said in a Jan. 6 statement. “We raised $5.57 million with the generous support of our dedicated 56 donors.”

For the past 12 years, Sierra Nevada Journeys, an outdoor science education nonprofit based in Reno, has helped more than 190,000 youth explore nature through science.

Most students that participate in Sierra Nevada Journeys’ programs come from high-need communities across Northern Nevada and Northern California.

Located on Big Grizzly Creek, Grizzly Creek Ranch — roughly an hour northwest of Reno in the Plumas National Forest — boasts 26 buildings at camp with a lodge, 16 cabins, four yurts, an administration building, two outdoor amphitheaters and an outdoor pool.

It was originally built in 2003 by the Sierra Health Foundation.

“We chose to support Sierra Nevada Journeys’ endeavor to purchase the camp as they will preserve Grizzly Creek Ranch for its best and highest use,” Lynn Campbell, North Central Area Representative of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (Ret.), said in a statement. “Using the exceptional land and water resources at Grizzly Creek Ranch as their outdoor classroom, they will be providing youth, especially those from disadvantaged communities, the opportunity to become the next generation of environmental scientists and land stewards.”