Placer Conservator Awardee
Daryl & Sue Oest
Daryl and Sue Oest were both born and raised in Auburn. They’ve known each other since they were kids, and married in 1971. They have two grown sons, Lucas and Loren, and one grandchild. Sue had no prior experience of the agricultural world. It wasn’t until she was pregnant with her first child that the reality of “marrying a cowboy” sunk in. Daryl, on the other hand, came from a long history of ranchers, starting with his great-grandfather Peter Oest in the 1850s.
The Oest Ranch specializes in Angus Cross beef cattle, and is approximately 940 acres along Hwy 49 north of Auburn and in the Clipper Gap area. Daryl and his family were the first true ranchers to work with PLT to permanently protect their land. This has been done through five phases of agricultural conservation easements, starting with the Oest Ranch Lake Clementine Preserve in 2009, and now in the final steps of protecting the full 940 acres. The Oest Ranch was inducted into the California Agricultural Heritage Club at the 2011 State Fair, honoring the family for 150 years of agriculture; and was also awarded the Distinguished Service Award at the 2018 Placer County Farm Bureau dinner.
Daryl has played an active role in the local agricultural community. He has served as the President for both the Placer County Farm Bureau and the Tahoe Cattlemen’s Association. Daryl was also elected to the United States Agricultural Stabilization Conservation Service representing Placer County for multiple terms. Daryl loves spending time outdoors and enjoys sharing it with others by guiding hunting trips in Utah each fall for deer, elk, and moose.
Sue has taken more of a supporting role in the family business, and has fond memories of feeding groups of helpers during branding season. On top of working a variety of local jobs, Sue enjoys working with her hands painting, sewing, and was a founding member of the Foothill Quilters Guild. Looking back, Sue is happy and content knowing that her sons were raised in a down-to-earth lifestyle. She cherishes the time they spent with their father and grandfather, learning to value the land for its beauty and natural resources.
Daryl and Sue are supporters of PLT and have donated a significant amount of money to help protect additional agricultural lands in Placer County for future generations. “Being a rancher is hard work, but spending time in beautiful open space and working with animals makes it worth it. That’s why it’s important to us to protect our land, our wildlife, our agricultural heritage, and our family’s history. It’s been great working with Placer Land Trust in protecting our land, and we’re honored to be chosen as Placer Conservators.”
Volunteer of the Year Awardee
Jeri Juergenson
We are honored to present our 2018 Volunteer of the Year award to Jeri Juergenson, although her service to Placer Land Trust began long before that. Jeri has been one of our hike docents since the beginning of the program back in 2011, along with volunteering for numerous other events. Jeri is a long-time resident of Auburn, living near our Big Hill and Harvego Bear River Preserves where most of our hikes take place. Her local knowledge, combined with her outdoor recreation experience all over the world, has made her an ideal hike leader and trainer for our new volunteers and docents. Directly and indirectly, Jeri has shared Placer Land Trust’s mission and preserves with hundreds of participants, making her an instrumental part of our story. No matter what she’s doing, Jeri’s love of the land shines through, and it’s contagious. “The hikes not only expose people to the beautiful oak woodlands, savannahs and wetlands surrounding us, but I hope to instill an appreciation for and a motivation to preserve nature, agriculture and wildlife in Placer County.” We thank Jeri for sharing her passion with so many for so long!
Land Steward of the Year Awardee
Doug Johnson
Congratulations to Doug Johnson, the recipient of our 2018 Land Steward of the Year. Doug joined our volunteer team in 2016 as both a trail steward volunteer and a hike docent. Doug gained valuable trail experience by volunteering for several summers with the Tahoe Rim Trails Association and completing their Crew Leader Training program. He has put these skills to good use with Placer Land Trust by repairing and maintaining trails on our Big Hill Preserves. Doug’s meticulous attention to detail, great organizational skills, and ability to work independently has made him an invaluable asset to our Lands Team. He has groomed our trails, making them safer and better prepared to handle inclement weather, and has helped install several trail amenities that make them more enjoyable for trail users. As a docent, Doug is very safety-conscious, preferring to take the “sweep” position to keep all hikers in his view. Doug is a humble volunteer with a big heart and Placer Land Trust is honored to have him share his time and talent with us!
Presenters
Gregg Fishman (emcee)
Gregg Fishman has “never met a microphone he didn’t like”, and generously volunteers as a master of ceremonies for nonprofit events in our region. Gregg currently serves as the Board President for SMUD, has been a news reporter and anchor at KFBK and KGO Radio, and has served as the public information officer and/or communications coordinator for SMUD, California ISO, and California State Association of Counties. Gregg grew up on a farm and has great respect for what land trusts do to protect land for future generations. Gregg has lived in the Sacramento Region for almost 40 years, and has spent a lot of time in Placer County—including experiences on our local trails.
Gregg is former board member for the Arden Park Recreation and Park District Board and a frequent volunteer for the Sacramento Tree Foundation. He leads a neighborhood tree program that has planted more than 2,000 trees. We thank Gregg for his generous role in the 2018 Placer Conservator!
Cameron Michaels (auctioneer)
Cameron Michael is one of Northern California’s preeminent fundraising auctioneers and special appeal/fund-a-need experts. With more than 20 years of benefit and auction experience, Cameron brings his unique charm, excitement and humor to events benefitting a myriad of deserving non-profits across the region. He holds a BA from UC Davis and a JD from Humphreys School of Law, and is working towards the prestigious Benefit Auction Specialist (BAS) designation from the National Auctioneers Association—a designation which is currently held by only 20 auctioneers in California. Cameron joined California’s premier benefit auction firm, KLM Auctions, in 2009.