This outing is full and registration is closed. For more hikes and events, please visit our Calendar page.
Date & Time: Saturday, March 9 at 8:30am
Location: Laursen “South” Bear River Preserve, North Auburn
About this event: Whether you are a beginning or expert birder, you are invited to join us as we stroll quietly through a variety of foothills habitat, including open meadows with brush piles, open oak and grass woodland, and denser fir-oak habitat on this recently acquired property. Our trained docents will help you look and listen for year-round residents and migrating songbirds. We’ll practice basic birding identification skills and will get to know the common residents of the diverse habitat of this beautiful preserve. This is a partnered event by Placer Land Trust and the Sierra Foothills Audubon Society.
Distance and difficulty: This will be an easy outing with about 1.5- 2 miles of walking, mostly on trails, a bit across fields with minimal hills; some uneven terrain. Some of the walking may be off trail in tall grass. The event will be about three hours long. There is a porta-potty but no water on site.
Who should attend: This event is open to all levels of birders; no prior experience necessary, and more advanced birders are welcome too. Younger children are not advised unless they can stay quiet. Sorry, no dogs allowed unless they are service animals (due to the potential conflicts with livestock and wildlife). Enrollment limited to 12 people. We expect to be done by 11:30 to noon.
This is a free event; however, donations help make these activities possible! We suggest a donation of $10 per person or $25 for a family. You can donate during registration, and we’re also happy to accept cash or a check at the event in an envelope with your name written on it.
Registration:
- You may only register yourself and members of your immediate household.
- People outside of your household must register themselves.
- Deadline to sign up is 5pm on Friday prior to the event (unless the event fills first.)
- Space is limited! Please only register if you will be attending so that you don’t take a spot away from someone else.
- Only registered guests through Placer Land Trust are allowed to attend.
- If you signed up and can no longer attend, please contact Elia by email.
Participants must sign a release of liability available here.
Please print it and bring it with you on the day of the event. One form per household. Parent signature is required for children under 18.
About Laursen Bear River Preserve
This recently acquired preserve, which includes a working cattle ranch, protects critical unfragmented oak woodlands in the Bear River watershed, and is part of one of the last relatively “wild” areas in western Placer County. The preserve is comprised of 361 acres of blue oak woodland and about 1.5 miles of riparian habitat along the banks of the Bear River on the far north side. Learn more about this beautiful preserve here.
This activity is a wilderness outing in a natural setting. There is a port-a-potty at the parking area but there are otherwise no other amenities, benches, or water on site, so please come prepared. PLT reserves the right to cancel an event in cases of extreme weather, bad air quality, rain, or other conditions beyond our control. Heavy rain will cancel the event.
Directions to the Preserve will be emailed after registration. Check your spam folder if you do not receive the email within 15 minutes of registering.
Important Note: Our Big Hill, Harvego and Laursen Preserves, including the roads surrounding them, are not open to the public. Please help us respect the neighborhoods around these preserves by only visiting during scheduled guided activities that you are registered for. Trespassers will be prosecuted.
