North Fork of North Fork American River Preserve

Quick Facts:

• 320 acres of steep forested canyon land near Emigrant Gap
• Protected in 2019 through support of Emigrant Trails Greenway Trust
• Includes approximately 1.2 river miles of the North Fork of North Fork American River, which feeds a federally-designated “Wild and Scenic River”
• Protection will help prevent unsustainable forestry practices, provide watershed protection, and protect a wildlife corridor and high-quality habitat for wildlife, including threatened species

Conservation Values

This property consists mostly of steep canyon land, with no recent logging activity, and a diverse forest including Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, canyon oak, black oak, and live oak. Elevation ranges from about 4000 feet atop Sawtooth Ridge down to the river at about 2500 feet. The highest priority conservation value of the property is the protection of approximately 1.2 river miles of the North Fork of North Fork American River, which flows through the middle of the property. This is a cascading reach of river at high flows, with pools and drops at lower flows.

The property provides an intact forest buffer between logging activities on adjacent lands and the river. Placer Land Trust’s acquisition of this property protects it from being purchased for clear-cutting. The North Fork of North Fork American River is a major tributary to the Wild and Scenic portion of the North Fork American River, and protection of this land also contributes to water quality protection for a key public drinking water supply downstream.

There are roughly 15-20 river miles of the North Fork of North Fork between Lake Valley Reservoir and its inflow to the main North Fork of the American River; only four or five of these river miles are through private lands, with the rest being public National Forest land. Thus, acquisition by Placer Land Trust protects 20% of the remaining privately-held land in this watershed. Situated in Tahoe National Forest, the preserve will be managed in close cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service.

Critical wildlife habitat

There are also known occurrences of the foothill yellow-legged frog within the river corridor. Once thriving across their range, this frog has disappeared from more than half its historical localities due to a variety of threats including habitat destruction and pollution. Several nests of the near-threatened spotted owl have also been recorded within 1 mile of the property, on both sides of the canyon. Protection of this land safeguards valuable habitat for these impacted species.