I want to thank professor Andrew Oliphant and professor Sara Baguskas, my committee, for their support and guidance during writing of my thesis. I also thank all the professors and lecturers in the Department of Geography & Environment who helped me during my undergraduate and graduate journey. This project was funded by the California Climate Investments and California Department of Fish and Wildlife Wetlands Restoration for Greenhouse Gas Reduction fund and is a part of The Sierra Fund's Ecosystem and Community Resiliency in the Sierra Nevada: Restoration of the Clover Valley Ranch Project (grant agreement Q1996007). I would like to acknowledge the landowners Red Clover LLC and additional project partners that helped make this project possible, funding for the meadow restoration work came from the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Wildlife Conservation Board, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. This project takes place on the traditional homelands of the Maidu. I also thank the SFSU meadow team for help in the field. I want to thank professor Richard Street for helping me to revise my thesis. Although words are not enough, I thank my husband, Ali Iranpour, and my daughter, Arianna Iranpour, for their kindness, support, understanding and for giving me ambition to continue my education. I thank my parents in Iran whose kind words gave me hope for a brighter future. The Red Clover Valley and the Department of Geography & Environment with all its kind faculty and staff, will forever be one of the happiest places in my memory and my heart. viTable of Contents List of Tables .
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