The 2013 Placer Conservator Award Ceremony & Dinner honored the young men of Boy Scout Troop 121 in Granite Bay on November 2nd. We celebrated the boys’ hard work, four years of joint field work, and Placer Land Trusts’ alliance with Boy Scout Troop 121.
Working with the Scouts has not only improved habitat; it has inspired Placer Land Trust to put more thought into the “future generations” part of our mission statement. Proceeds from the event will ensure that we can continue to work with these Scouts and other regional youth groups in years to come.
We’re off to a running start! In fact, since the Conservator Award Ceremony & Dinner we have been able to share Swainson’s Grassland Preserve and Doty Ravine Preserve with kids from Loomis Basin Charter School. In late November, forty 7th and 8th graders spent a day collecting acorns from Doty. Then on a frosty, 37 degree day in early December, one hundred 6th & 7th graders followed up the gathering by planting the acorns at Swainsons and planting willow stakes along the riparian as well.
One of the 6th grade boys seems to have gained a lot from the field trip. He told Stewardship Manager Justin Wages in a video interview, “today was really fun, we planted the oak trees and willow trees, it helps the environment, keeps the air fresh, helps the dirt, and soil, and the animals that can live in the trees, and it was really fun…it would be cool to come back in 20 years and say hey, I planted that tree, kind of like a memory builder.”
AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) facilitated the gathering and planting of acorns and willow trees. The NCCC is a residential, team-based, national service program that engages young adults ages 18 to 24 in full-time service programs. The children from Loomis Basin Charter School worked side-by-side with the young adults in a cooperative effort that will benefit all youth of tomorrow.
We are looking for new ways to share our wealth of land. Please, spread the word to any youth organization that would benefit from playing, growing, and learning in the natural wonders of Placer County. Send them our way! Contact our office at 530-887-9222.
