Quick Facts:
- 160 acres along the American River canyon rim near Lake Clementine
- Protected in 2012 in partnership with the Oest family, with primary funding provided by the Emigrant Trails Greenway Trust
Protecting Working Family Lands
Placer Land Trust worked with Daryl Oest and his family to put an agricultural conservation easement on the Oest Ranch – Cold Springs Preserve. The property is located on the North Fork American River canyon rim above Lake Clementine. The preserve contains beautiful mixed oak conifer woodlands that will be used for seasonal livestock grazing, and a riparian corridor along a half mile of Clipper Creek.
Family Heritage
Placer Land Trust is proud to partner with the Oest family to help allow the Oest Ranch to be sustainable for livestock grazing, beekeeping, and other agricultural productivity. The Oests are a pioneering Placer County family that has been farming and ranching in the Auburn area since 1859. In July 2011 at the California State Fair, Placer Land Trust staff were on hand to join in honoring the Oest family as they were inducted into the California Agricultural Heritage Club for the Oest Ranch’s more than 150 years of farm and ranch productivity.
Local Agriculture
The Cold Springs Preserve is an important part of Oest Ranch’s beef production, as well as providing a home for bees producing PlacerGROWN honey. In the easement, the Oests reserved two acres for a homesite to help manage the ranch and deter trespassing, but protected the remaining 160 acres forever. Placer Land Trust’s easement prohibits development and other harmful uses but does allow for sustainable agricultural production. The property remains privately held and managed by the Oest family.
Like most working landscapes, the Oest Ranch – Cold Springs Preserve remains private property and trespassing is prohibited. Placer Land Trust does plan to lead annual ranch tours on the property.
Multiple Benefits
The protection of this property provides multiple public benefits. Livestock grazing keeps invasive species down making room for native plants, and reduces fuel loads that can lead to wildfire. Additionally, this property contains springs, drainages, and Clipper Creek, all of which feed into the North Fork American River, a vital waterway for domestic water supplies and outdoor recreation. Large areas of intact wilderness provide critical habitat for larger animal species; the oak woodlands and canyon lands along the American River in the Lake Clementine area contain critical habitat for a wide diversity of plant and animal life.
Oest Ranch Preserve is not open to the public. For a list of our properties that have public trails, visit our Trails page.
