High-elevation wet meadows in the Sierra Nevada are crucial components of headwater ecosystems and have many important aesthetic, ecological, and hydrological values. They support many endemic plant and animal species, sustain stream flows, buffer damaging flood flows, and may represent an important regional SOM and C sink. These areas are also important for livestock use. The impacts on these wetland services are not well defined as studies report both positive and negative effects. Soil characteristics are important indicators of site quality and function. Exploration of soil properties in relation to livestock utilization levels will provide important guidelines for grazing practices that maintain the integrity of these systems while sustaining the livestock industry in the Sierra Nevada region. Nineteen meadows in the Sierra National Forest were selected to represent a range of meadow conditions and grazing utilization levels. In each meadow, soil samples were collected from dominant vegetation cover types and analyzed for total C and N, bulk-density, SWC, pH, available P, particle-size distribution, SOM pools through density fractionation, and extractable NO3--N, NH4+-N, DON, and DOC. These physical and chemical characteristics are early indicators of change in long-residence-time organic matter fractions that control soil water- and nutrient-holding properties, C sequestration, and other soil quality parameters that underlie sustainability. The results of these studies will be used to determine the sustainability of this important system as a grazing resource.