March 15, 2016 Our planet is a superorganism, composed of an intricate network of biogeochemical processes. Each component of these processes plays an irreplaceable role in making this planet home. The terrestrial biosphere (which includes the soil) absorbs carbon, and the oceans take part in the greatest exchange of actively Read more…
3/08/2016 Vernal pools derive their name from the Latin vernus meaning spring. Perhaps this is the season when they were first noticed, with their showy wildflower displays. They are actually intermittent bodies of water; wet during a portion of the year but bone-dry during the balance of the year. Their Read more…
1/24/2016 Brownie Troop 550 from Placer County visited Taylor Ranch Preserve for a nature hike, and lucked out with a beautiful day, but still plenty of mud to “tough it out” through. They spent several hours learning about nature, the work of PLT, and about the importance of giving back Read more…
1/29/2016 Boy Scout Troop 121 2016 started out with some much-needed rain, but that didn’t stop a few youth groups from enjoying all that the outdoors have to offer. In January, Boy Scout Troop 121 camped at our Taylor Ranch Preserve to learn how to prepare for winter camping at Read more…
Placer Land Trust is pleased to announce that an additional 36 acres of one of Placer County’s oldest cattle ranches has been permanently protected. Earlier this month PLT worked with the Oest family of Auburn to voluntarily place an agricultural conservation easement on the northernmost portion of Oest Ranch, near Read more…
Michael Driscoll has built a life around taking good care of himself, others, and the world around him. Placer Land Trust (PLT) is honored to have the support of people like Mike and his wife, B.J., who first donated in 1999, and have been consistent PLT members since 2008. Mike Read more…
During the second week of March, as winter comes to a close in Mexico, locals are bombarded with a flurry of orange and black, exploding from the trees in what is the spring migration of the Monarch butterfly. The Monarch butterfly migration is nothing short of incredible. They are the Read more…
It’s a beautiful spring day and you decide it is a wonderful opportunity for a picnic with loved ones. You go into the kitchen to prepare the outdoor feast and begin to assemble the materials for sandwiches. You reach into the produce drawer, to pull out the lettuce and tomato, Read more…
Side Hill Citrus Farm agrees to conservation easement By: Gus Thomson of the Auburn Journal Rural Placer County mandarin grower Rich Ferreira said he’s seen the land around him slowly gentrified over his lifetime. With deep roots in the soil that grows mandarins, lemons and other citrus crops so well Read more…
Have you met hiking docent, Karl Mertz? If you’ve spent any time on Placer Land Trust’s preserves, you may have met our busy volunteer, but even if you haven’t met him on a hike, you’ve very likely benefited from his many volunteer efforts as a geologist. Most people become geologists Read more…