This event is currently full. To join the waitlist, click the button at the bottom of this page.
When: Sunday, November 16th, 2025 at 9:00am
Location: Laursen Bear River Preserve, North Auburn
Whether you are a beginning or expert birder, you are invited to join us as we stroll quietly through a variety of foothills habitats, including open meadows with brush piles, open oak-grass woodland, and denser fir-oak habitat. 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 and is led by Sarah Roeske.
Please bring your binoculars to this outing!
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 on-site if needed, but no water.
Who should attend: This event is open to all levels of birders; no prior experience necessary, and more advanced birders are welcome too. This hike is recommended for people ages 12 and older who can hike at a slow to moderate pace. Sorry, no dogs are allowed unless they are service animals due to the potential conflicts with livestock and wildlife. We expect to be done around 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 happy to accept cash or a check at the event in an envelope with your name written on it.
Registration:
- Space is limited to 12! Please only register if you will be attending so that you don’t take a spot away from someone else.
- 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 Thursday prior to the event unless the event fills first.
- If you signed up and can no longer attend, please contact Elia by email.
Participants must sign a release of liability. Please complete it by noon the Friday before the event. One form per adult. Parent signature is required for children under 18. Please note, this does not register you for the hike. To register please scroll down. Link to waiver:
About Laursen Bear River Preserve
This preserve includes a working cattle ranch and protects critical unfragmented oak woodlands in the Bear River watershed. It is part of one of the last relatively “wild” areas in western Placer County and 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. PLT reserves the right to cancel an event in cases of extreme weather, bad air quality, rain, or other conditions beyond our control.
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.
