Quick Facts:
- 80 acres of oak woodlands between Raccoon Creek and the Bear River
- Connects Big Hill Preserves with trail easement to Harvego Bear River Preserve
- Protected since August 2012. Funding for the land acquisition was made possible by grants from the Caltrans Environmental Enhancement & Mitigation Program and from Placer County. The remainder of the project costs – including long-term land stewardship – was funded by PLT membership donations, the California Wildlife Foundation, and the former landowners, Bill & Vera Johnston and John & Lugene Boyd.
Dedicated to the memory of Skip Outman
Skip worked tirelessly to help us protect land in this area, including this particular property,” said Jeff Darlington PLT Executive Director. “As much as anything, this beautiful property, which is now protected for current and future generations, is Skip’s legacy.”
Conservation Connectivity
Placer Land Trust works with willing landowners and conservation partners to protect land that connects wildlife habitat, public recreation opportunities, and scenic open space. The area between the Bear River and Raccoon Creek contains some of the last roadless areas in western Placer County.
Oak Woodlands
The area between Raccoon Creek and the Bear River represents the largest contiguous area of blue oak woodlands remaining in Placer County. Approximately 331 species of wildlife inhabit Placer County’s oak woodlands including mountain lions, bobcats, several species of hawk, rodents, snakes, owls, songbirds, etc.
Wildlife Corridors
Large areas of intact wilderness provide critical habitat for larger animal species. The oak woodlands between Bear River and Raccoon Creek form an important north-south corridor complimenting the east-west corridors formed by the rivers and the adjoining riparian habitat. Outman Big Hill Preserve lies directly west of the 321-acre Liberty Ranch Big Hill Preserve, protected by PLT via conservation easement in 2007. Placer Land Trust has now protected nearly 3,700 acres of oak woodlands and ranch lands in the Big Hill and Garden Bar areas of Placer County. Oak woodlands are iconic of Placer County, and they provide homes for hundreds of species of flora and fauna in addition to thousands of insects – one of the highest diversities of species in the world.
Recreational Trails
Placer Land Trust is working with Placer County and area landowners to create a wilderness trail system from Hidden Falls Regional Park north through the Placer Land Trust’s properties on Big Hill and to the Bear River, offering incomparable recreational and scenic values to the community and region. Outman Big Hill Preserve serves as a vital connection between the other Big Hill Preserves (Taylor Ranch Preserve, Kotomyan Big Hill Preserve and Liberty Ranch Preserve) and Harvego Bear River Preserve.
Outman Preserve is currently not open to the public. For a list of our properties that have public trails, visit our Trails page.
