These discussions led to the development of the Quincy Library Group, which stabilized at about 30 members on the steering committee. The waters of the Feather River that rise in the mountainous area also provide the vast majority of drinking water for the State Water Project, serving ten million users in Southern California via an aqueduct. Developed hydroelectric facilities provide power equivalent to a nuclear power facility. The area is also home to the last spring runs of chinook salmon in the northern Sierra and the California Spotted Owl.
Recreation is also a growing industry.
There are 50,000 residents in the area. This five-year program was intended to bridge the gap while the Cal Owl EIS was prepared, decided, appealed and litigated. Now, four years later, the Revised Cal Owl EIS has been withdrawn, so QLG has adjusted its sights. QLG actively supports efforts to obtain the participation of southern California water users in improved watershed maintenance, which is necessary to assure the quantity, quality, and seasonal timing of long-term water supply from the Feather River system. QLG also co-sponsors, with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a study of the feasibility of manufacturing ethanol from the great excess of small trees that are the root of the area's worst fire hazard.