Placer Land Trust is very pleased to announce that we have permanently protected an 11-acre addition to the Bailey North Fork Preserve on the North Fork American River. The new parcel is located south of Interstate 80 at Alta, and can be accessed from the public Green Valley and Euchre Bar trails.
The parcel was donated by the family and heirs of Matt and Betty Bailey, and will be permanently protected as natural and recreational land. Placer Land Trust protected the original 40-acre Bailey family parcel in 2016, but there were some title conditions relative to the 11-acre parcel. Those conditions were recently resolved in order for Placer Land Trust to take full and clean title to the 11-acre parcel, increasing the size of the Bailey North Fork Preserve to 51 acres of scenic canyon land.
The preserve is named in recognition of the Bailey family’s multi-generational work to protect the American River. Matt and Betty Bailey were leaders of a decades-long effort in the 1960s and ‘70s to protect the North Fork American River, culminating in 1978 when a 38-mile stretch of the river was awarded with the National Wild & Scenic River designation.
“Our connections to the North Fork American River span a long period time and run deep,” said Heidi Youmans, one of the Bailey heirs who donated the land to Placer Land Trust. “Our family places importance on the value of natural landscapes and the multitude of ways such places contribute to quality of life for current and future generations. Donating this land to Placer Land Trust is simply the right thing to do.”
Both the 40-acre and 11-acre portions of Bailey North Fork Preserve are connected by public land managed by the U.S. Forest Service and can be visited by the public. The preserve is situated near the end of the Green Valley Trail, a trail made public by the Towle family of Alta as part of the broad ongoing effort to protect land and river access in the Giant Gap area of the North Fork American River. Views of Lover’s Leap and the river gorge make the trail to the preserve a popular one. The new 11-acre addition to the preserve includes a beautiful swimming hole that can be reached from the trail.
“The American River is beautiful and sacred in so many ways,” said Placer Land Trust Executive Director Jeff Darlington. “We are indebted to all people who care for the lands along the river, including our Native American community and the Bailey family, and we pledge to protect this watershed for the benefit of all living things now and in the future.”
Placer Land Trust will manage Bailey North Fork Preserve in a way that preserves its ‘wild’ status, benefiting wildlife and protecting the river (and thus the quality of our drinking water), while maintaining open access for public recreation.
“Placer Land Trust is something I believe in with my whole heart,” says Lisa Balmain, the Bailey family member that worked most closely with Placer Land Trust on the donation. “Thank you for all that you do for the people who love this beautiful country, and for the animals we are privileged to share it with.”
Funding for the ongoing stewardship of Bailey North Fork Preserve was obtained through a grant from the Emigrant Trails Greenway Trust and pooled contributions from donors to Placer Land Trust’s 2020 Placer Conservator auction.
