Garden Bar Preserve, recently preserved by Placer Land Trust, contains over two miles of riparian habitat along the Bear River.
Placer Land Trust is pleased to announce the completion of its largest conservation project to date, the 912-acre Garden Bar Preserve, situated along the Bear River northeast of Garden Bar Road in rural Lincoln.
The Trust purchased a conservation easement at below market value from the landowner to permanently protect the property.
"In addition to protecting water and air quality, this conservation easement guarantees that one of the largest remaining wilderness areas in western Placer County will be preserved for future generations," said Placer Land Trust Executive Director Jeff Darlington.
Garden Bar Preserve cannot be reached by public road, and is situated at the northern end of Placer County's largest unfragmented expanse of oak woodlands. The conservation easement will permenantly protect the property's diverse natural and agricultural values, including two miles of Bear River frontage, rolling oak woodlands, and rangeland.
"The variety of animal and plant species on the property is remarkable," said Darlington. "In the Bear River you've got fish, otters, and the rare Northern Pacific pond turtle. The property is an important migration area for the regional blacktail deer herd. The bird life is tremendous. There's even supposed to be a family of flying squirrels on the property!"
The conservation easement allows the property to continue to be used for livestock grazing, but forever prohibits development and harmful land uses and activities on the property.
Funding for the conservation easement and ongoing land stewardship was provided by the California Wildlife Foundation (CWF), a philanthropic group that works with partner organizations like Placer Land Trust to protect the state's rich diversity of wildlife species by acquiring, restoring, and managing sufficient habitat to sustain healthy wildlife populations over time.
"CWF was happy to provide funds for this important acquisition in its ongoing partnership efforts with Placer Land Trust to protect critical oak and riparian habitat in Placer County," said CWF Chairperson Patricia Schifferle.
Placer Land Trust is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in 1991 and dedicated to working with willing landowners and conservation partners to permanently preserve natural and agricultural lands in Placer County. To date the Trust has preserved 4,628 acres across Placer County for current and future generations. For more information, call (530) 887-9222 or visit www.placerlandtrust.org
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