Our History
The 1980s brought explosive growth and development to Placer County. The real estate market and business climate was soaring. A group of people close to the development process were concerned that development without guidance would lead to the eventual loss of what made the area special. That concern brought this group of like-minded people together in the living room of a Roseville home where they hatched a plan to protect the natural wonders that might be lost to unguided growth and development.
From that initial discussion emerged the Placer Land Trust and Nature Center in 1991. In 2002, we split into two separate nonprofit organizations so that each could focus on their mission. Since that time, Placer Land Trust has evolved into the premiere non-profit organization protecting Placer County’s wide open wonders, natural playgrounds, and the quality of life enjoyed by so many in the region.
Timeline
1991-1999
Placer Land Trust and Nature Center was born in 1991. Utilizing only volunteers, we protected the first four preserves, totaling 78 acres.
2000-2002
To better serve the missions of both organizations, Placer Land Trust and Placer Nature Center were split into two nonprofits. Placer Land Trust hired our first staff member, Jeff Darlington, in 2002.
2003-2004
Now strictly focused on land conservation, and with help from new conservation partners (such as Placer Legacy and the Sierra Business Council), Placer Land Trust completed five projects in just two years, bringing the total number of permanently protected acres to 354.
2005-2006
Placer Land Trust was selected to administer a vernal pool grassland conservation effort in West Roseville, and we hired our second staff member. In a short period of time, Placer Land Trust protected five more preserves, bringing the total to over 2,500 acres.
2007-2008
Placer Land Trust leveraged private mitigation funds and public grants to protect 1,792 acres of oak woodlands in the Bear River and Raccoon Creek watersheds. We also became the first land trust in the Sierra Nevada region to earn national accreditation by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.
2009-2010
Placer Land Trust conducted a capital campaign, raising $10 million to protect our largest preserve, Harvego Bear River Preserve (1,778 acres). We also completed our first mitigation project, Big Gun Preserve, protecting the largest population of endangered California red-legged frogs in the state.
2011-2012
With total acreage now at 7,171, Placer Land Trust focused on building critical relationships with AmeriCorps NCCC, US Fish & Wildlife Service, local Fire Safe Councils and REI, to name a few.
2013-2016
With 8 staff members, we conducted a successful Trails & Recreation Capital Campaign, raising over $790,000 to build 20 miles of new trails. Placer Land Trust made a name for ourself by outperforming all expectations in the regional online giving event, the Big Day of Giving (three years in a row now). And we celebrated our 25th anniversary in 2016!
2017-2019
2017 was one of our most successful years yet with 7 different conservation projects and over 1,250 acres protected. All but one were PG&E projects, and protected lakes and reservoirs where the community can recreate. In 2018, we completed the 5thand final phase of permanently protecting the entire Oest Ranch—a project nearly 10 years in the making. By 2019, our team had grown to 10 staff, and we had protected nearly 11,000 acres.
2020-2022
Our work continued through the pandemic, and we found creative ways to keep our community engaged in our mission even when we couldn’t gather in person. In 2021, we marked our 30th anniversary with a new logo, strategic plan, and office in downtown Auburn. We also set an ambitious goal of doubling our protected acreage to reach 25,000 by 2030.
2022 was record-breaking, as we protected our highest-ever acreage in a single year. It also saw our first Land Back project as we partnered with the Colfax-Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe to transfer ownership of the Yo’ Dok’im Pakan – Gerjuoy North Fork Preserve to the Tribe.
2023
In 2023, we set a new PLT record — the protection of nearly 4,000 acres of land in a single year. Three new watershed preserves marked the completion of a decade-long collaboration with Pacific Gas & Electric, which resulted in a total of nearly 7,000 acres of protected Sierra lands. We completed our first commercial organic almond orchard easement with Lincoln 595 Ranch. We also held our first prescribed burn at Canyon View Preserve, successfully treating a property susceptible to wildfire, and we began our Oak Regeneration Project to increase the number of young trees in our Blue Oak woodlands.
2024-2025
2024 and 2025 saw the expansion and growth of our community partnerships. The Auburn Symphony and Placer Land Trust collaborated on Symphony Under the Sky, our most popular community event that celebrates the intersection of the arts and land preservation. We teamed up with United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Sacramento and Northern California on a series of “Ramble and Roam” events, and community organizations joined us as “Habitat Heroes” to help remove invasive plants from Canyon View Preserve. We also partnered with the AmeriCorps NCCC Program and Placer Resource Conservation District (RCD) on multiple Shaded Fuel Break projects. We continued our work with Colfax-Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe (CTVCT) on land stewardship, cultural burn trainings, and our partnership to share skills, tools, and resources between our two organizations.
2025 also marked a monumental milestone: the permanent protection of the 402-acre heart of Clover Valley in Rocklin. Clover Valley has been under intense pressure from development for decades, while community members fought to hold off the construction of subdivisions, roads, and highways that would destroy this last wild place. Finally in 2025, working with the original landowner as a willing seller, Placer Land Trust secured enough funding and support from local foundations, local government entities, and the community to permanently protect this land through a permanent conservation easement.
2026
Both our land protection work and our community partnerships continue with great momentum into 2026 as we celebrate Placer Land Trust’s 35th anniversary year! In April, we officially completed the Owl Creek Project, a 308-acre forest conservation project near Foresthill, and our second Land Back project with the Colfax-Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe. In partnership with Placer County, we also completed all PLT-managed trail construction at Big Hill Preserve, in anticipation of opening 480 acres in North Auburn to the public for recreation. Additional trails will eventually connect Big Hill Preserve with Hidden Falls Regional Park; this process will take another year or so, but PLT and the County are working diligently to see the final connection goals realized. We can’t wait to share these exceptionally beautiful protected lands with our community — stay tuned for news about the opening!