Mother Lode Land Trust News
Ratto Ranch Earth Day "Wildflower Walk" on Table Mountain-
Tuolumne County Land Trust Press Release- April 3, 2024
Ratto Ranch Earth Day "Wildflower Walk" on Table Mountain-
On April 20, the public will have an opportunity to visit this historic private ranch, and celebrate the 10th anniversary of the conservation easement. The Tuolumne County Land Trust and Mother Lode Land Trust are hosting the event which will showcase Table Mountain and other features on the 240 acre property. The unique wildflowers, vernal pools, and geology will be explored along with the ranch operations and film history. The event begins at 10 am at 10500 Ratto Road and will end at 3pm. Glen White and Jeff Tolhurst, from Columbia College will join other topic experts in guided tours of the property.
Come prepared for a moderate hike and the weather. Bring your camera, sturdy shoes (that may get wet), a lunch, water, and other needed personal items. Please carpool if possible, since parking is limited. There will be no charge for this family-friendly event, but donations are welcome. Please arrive before 10am for the registration and orientation.
Ratto Ranch is located about 2 miles from Sonora in the Shaws Flat area. Take Jamestown Rd. to Ratto Road. The ranch is at the end of the 1/2 mile paved road. Call 209.743.2033 with questions.
Ratto Ranch Conservation Easement-
Since 1985, the Tuolumne County Land Trust (TCLT) has been working to protect special places in Tuolumne County. In 2014, TCLT completed a conservation easement protecting the natural, agricultural, and historic values of the Ratto Ranch. The organization completed a video about this project and the benefits of conservation easements. This 15 minute video is available for presentation by request and is also available for sale.
TCLT is an all-volunteer organization with non-profit (501c3) status. The board of directors meet monthly, on the 2nd Wednesday of each month. TCLT currently has openings to serve on the board of directors. The organization relies on donations and volunteers to accomplish its mission. If you are interested, please contact the land trust at; tuolumnecountylandtrust@yahoo.com or phone (209) 743-2033.
Brian Kermeen, President
Tuolumne County Land Trust
happy spring
Happy Spring!
Spring has sprung on the C&C Ranch, an MLLT 180-acre ranch in Jackson, CA. On a recent sunny March day I took an early spring monitoring walk to observe the greening up of the property and document conditions.
Monitoring is an important part of a land trust’s work. It involves the inspection of a property to ensure its conserved values are protected. Typically notes of observations and photos are taken to document conditions or changes.
This year, house finches, acorn woodpeckers, jays, geese, turkey, deer, and signs of coyote were spotted. Blue dicks, rusty popcorn flower, common fiddleneck, and buckbrush ceanothus are some of the early wildflowers in bloom.
We are getting ready to monitor the rest of our conserved properties throughout our five-county service area and are looking for volunteers to help us out. Volunteers get a chance to visit some amazing, protected areas while doing meaningful work. It involves driving to site (sometimes remote), meeting with landowners, walking around the property, documenting changes, and taking photos. Volunteers can choose which sites they want to visit. Contact Amanda if you think this is an opportunity for you (amanda.motherlodelandtrust@gmail.com).
Spring ahead at the C and C Ranch
As spring rolls in we welcome the blossoms, blooms, and the new season’s offerings. At the C and C ranch property in Jackson, an exciting season is also budding ahead.
Community garden plots are available for reservation now, and soon the site will be full of new plant starts and anticipation. To reserve a garden bed, please visit: https://motherlodelandtrust.org/community-garden
An accessible pathway from the parking lot is being planned and is slated for spring construction, making the access to the garden beds and prop house smooth. Along with the development, we are acquiring 2 adaptive trail chairs for tours of our property. Stay tuned for more details as the program dates and details are announced.
To the west of Jackson Gate road, a park and open space are being established, including a bicycle skills park thanks to a partnership with Amador Trail Stewardship. Last year the group developed the foundation for the park when they hosted a youth cycling league at the ranch. After being awarded grant funding, the group is making safety and access improvements to open the site to the public. Stay tuned for the opening dates, information on the league can be found at https://www.amadortrailstewardship.org/ambc
If you have not stopped by the garden site, it’s time to plan a visit. Upcoming events include:
Plant sale
Rose garden tours
New adventures at the historic store
The Zola Exchange is an artistic cooperative housed in the historic Chichizola family store complex, owned and stewarded by the Mother Lode Land Trust. The Zola Exchange continues the legacy of the Chichizola family by bringing community together in what was the first general store in Amador County. Zola Exchange is a place where creatives artists and makers come together to sell their creations and share their passions, Zola Exchange encompass selling spaces, class space, exhibit space and eventually museum space displaying artifacts and information about the Chichizola's.
Alicia Barber, the Creative Director and founder of Zola speaks with passion about the opening of this community resource where she says, "We look forward to providing an experience and space where people can exchange thoughts, creations, and knowledge with our community. A place where artists of all styles and experiences can come together to teach, learn and grow or simply let their creative ideas flow
Zola Exchange is open Tuesday-Saturday 11-4:30
1324 Jackson Gate Rd. Jackson Ca. 95642
For space rental, class schedules, or other
information please
E-mail zolaexchange@gmail.com
$3.4 million available for farmers looking to improve soil health!
The following exciting opportunity was forwarded to us by Anna Mariscal, the Healthy Soils Natural Resources Specialist with Amador Resource Conservation District.
Are you an agricultural producer in Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Alpine, Calaveras, Tuolumne, or Sacramento counties interested in improving your soil health? The Central Sierra Healthy Soils Program will offer free technical assistance and has $3.4 million available for direct-to-farmer grants from California Department of Food and Agriculture! To learn more and submit an interest form, check out our website: www.centralsierrahsp.com.
The Central Sierra Healthy Soils Program is pleased to share that we have received $4M in funding from the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Healthy Soils Program Block Grant in partnership with Resource Conservation Districts in seven counties in the Central Sierra. This funding is dedicated to providing free technical assistance and distributing $3.4 million in direct-to-farmer grants to improve soil health for farmers and ranchers in Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne, and Alpine counties. This project is administered in collaboration with the Placer Resource Conservation District, Amador Resource Conservation District, and El Dorado & Georgetown Divide Resource Conservation Districts.
This funding will ensure that at least one project is awarded in each of these eight counties. Additionally, at least 25% of the budget is allocated to producers who identify as Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (SDFRs), for which multilanguage assistance and services will be provided when necessary. After these requirements have been fulfilled, the remaining project funding and support will be approved on a first-come, first-served basis.
Agricultural producers operating in the counties mentioned above who are interested in receiving free technical assistance, working to improve soil health, and implementing conservation practices on their farm or ranch can fill out an interest form at the following link: Central Sierra Healthy Soils Program"
Translation services are available!
#centralsierrahsp #healthysoilsprogram #sierrafoothills #centralvalley
CDFA link: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064489252558
The Future is Now: Preserving the Mother Lode Region's Natural Heritage
The Future is Now: Preserving the Mother Lode Region's Natural Heritage
Long Gulch Ranch in Tuolumne County-Once Slated for Development Now Protected and Open to the Public
The Mother Lode Land Trust has dedicated decades to facilitating the conservation of properties for future generations, helping with the preservation of the natural beauty of the Mother Lode Region. Despite protecting over 12,000 acres, our work is far from complete, as we strive to safeguard the agricultural and natural landscapes that define our rural region. Unfortunately, critical areas of habitat and agricultural lands continue to be lost to the encroaching tides of suburban-style development.
Bay Area Development that could be the future of the Mother Lode Region
However, there is hope in the form of conservation easements (CEs). These permanent deed restrictions placed on properties by individual landowners prohibit further development, ensuring that the land remains protected even after it changes ownership. This powerful tool offers an effective means of safeguarding our region's heritage and preserving it for generations to come.
Where we see the future?
The Value of Preserving Your Land
Land holds immense value, both monetarily and sentimentally. While society assigns dollar amounts to properties through appraisals, we attribute deeply personal and communal values to the land. Recognizing the significance of both real estate and cultural values, the Mother Lode Land Trust works within these dual realms to conserve our natural treasures.
For many landowners, the desire to protect their properties stems from a combination of financial and emotional considerations. Conservation easements offer tangible financial benefits, such as tax incentives and potential funding opportunities. However, it is often the deep attachment to the land, the love of its natural beauty and the memories it holds, that seals the decision to pursue a conservation easement.
By partnering with the Mother Lode Land Trust, landowners can simultaneously secure financial benefits and derive personal satisfaction from their conservation efforts. We provide unparalleled support throughout the process, ensuring that your wishes are honored and your land remains protected for generations to come.
Join Us in Shaping the Future
Donated Conservation Easement near Sutter Creek
If you share our vision of preserving the Mother Lode Region's natural landscapes for future generations, we invite you to join our cause. Contact the Mother Lode Land Trust today to explore how you can protect your family's property from future development while potentially securing funding opportunities.
As part of our commitment to community engagement, we are actively conducting planning and outreach programs. Keep an eye out for upcoming public meetings in Calaveras County, where we will share insights into our initiatives and provide further information on how you can get involved.
Together, we can ensure that the future of the Mother Lode Region remains as extraordinary as its history.
Happy 2024!
As I write this short note, winter has yet to arrive in full force. But, looking back to the beginning of 2023 we know the snow can arrive with a vengeance! While the snowpack in the Sierra was record setting for 2023 we have been working hard at setting new records ourselves. Here at the Mother Lode Land Trust we have had more public engagement and more public events than ever before. Thanks to people like yourself we have had many victories in fundraising, events, outreach and new land acquisition.
Newly Protected Long Gulch Ranch
Land Acquisition
The California Strategic Growth Council approved a Sustainable Lands Conservation Program grant last month providing the remaining funding needed to permanently protect an additional 319 acres in the Pine Mountain Lake area outside of Groveland. Earlier, MLLT received the first half of the funding from Sierra Nevada Conservancy through their Strategic Land Conservation program. Together, these two agencies will make it possible to expand the existing Long Gulch Preserve to 895 acres—protecting an important agricultural resource, providing recreational opportunities for residents, and ensuring long-term conservation of habitat for great gray owl and other species.
The global headquarters for the Mother Lode Land Trust , the historic Chichizola and Cuneo Ranch has been the site of community garden expansion, a new mountain bike club, a new store manager and continued successful partnership with our partners like the Rose Garden, Amador Trail Stewardship, and Master Gardeners.
Photo by Karen Orso
Our newly acquired Erickson Ranch, an oak dotted property with beautiful views of the High Sierra and the Valley is being well used by the community. A special thanks to Karen Orso for the amazing photo of the hawk above!
This includes our partners Amador County Library, California State Library and Wild Intent Yoga who have been hosting free yoga classes on the property in Sutter Creek.
Finally, we have reached a lot of land owners with our outreach program, which is designed to help us to spread the word about our conservation efforts to folks throughout our region. Our next outreach meeting is being planned for Mokelumne Hill. Stay tuned for details!
As always, we could not do any of this without the continued support of individuals like yourself. Please consider making a tax deductible donation today!
Thank you for a great year and all your support of the Mother Lode Land Trust!
319 Acres Protected
The California Strategic Growth Council approved a Sustainable Lands Conservation Program grant last week providing the remaining funding needed to permanently protect an additional 319 acres in the Pine Mountain Lake area outside of Groveland. Earlier this year MLLT received the first half of the funding from Sierra Nevada Conservancy through their Strategic Land Conservation program. Together, these two agencies will make it possible to expand the existing Long Gulch Preserve to 895 acres—protecting an important agricultural resource, providing recreational opportunities for residents, and ensuring long-term conservation of habitat for great gray owl and other species.
Stay tuned for updates on this exciting project including when MLLT purchases the property, the Long Gulch expansion area opens to public access, and we’ll have volunteer work crew opportunities.
These big conservation wins are made possible by supporters like you. Land trusts depend on donations for the many hours of back-end work including researching conservation opportunities,negotiating with landowners, applying for land acquisition grants, and maintaining protected lands. Your continued support results in protected acres!
You Make Giving Tuesday!
November 28th is Giving Tuesday
Nationwide the land trust network is rising to new levels helping landowners conserve and protect their properties for future generations. Thanks to people like you the Mother Lode Land Trust is also on the rise! We have now protected over 12,000 acres of land in the Mother Lode region of the Sierra Nevada. With a dedicated staff, board, and volunteer network we have also expanded public access and environmental education.
Our increased action and success depends on help from people like you. That is why we are asking folks to donate to the Mother Lode Land Trust on Giving Tuesday, November 28! The Amador Community Foundation will match a portion of your Giving Tuesday donation helping your dollar do even more! We have big plans for the coming year, and we need your help to make these plans happen!
Exciting Events at C&C Ranch
Harvest Party
This October MLLT held its second annual Harvest Party at the community farm at C&C Ranch in Jackson.
Thanks to all who contributed to the event’s success. The day began at the Heritage Rose Garden with a well-attended California native plants class presented by Master Gardeners of Amador County.
Participants learned about choosing and caring for native plants in their home gardens. Later, the Rose Garden committee hosted open garden day tours and a heritage rose sale to promote the use of the rare heritage rose varieties in our region.
Next, the crowds arrived to enjoy live music, great local food, vendors, pumpkin decorating, community, and mountain bike rides on the ranch.
C&C Ranch Improvements
Last week Briski Well Drilling drilled our new well allowing the expansion of the community farm at C&C Ranch. This project was the first phase of the community farm expansion project funded by the California Farmland Conservancy Program land improvement grant from California Department of Conservation. The purpose of the grant is to enhance long-term sustainable agricultural uses of protected land. The next phases of the project include new fencing and native plant, oak, and pollinator plantings. Stay tuned for more project updates!
Land use planning and private land conservation
In a perfect world there would be no need for a land trust organization like the Mother Lode Land Trust. Unfortunately, we are far from a perfect world. The need for a land trust is due to a lack of good comprehensive planning. Ideally, we could plan our cities and towns in a way that would provide for the needed open space and working lands. Our plans could maintain a sense of rural character and protect for biodiversity. But we have proven our inability to plan our communities in a way that works. Right now, in California, the richest state in the union, we see some of the largest homeless populations ever.
“Homelessness continues to grow in California: nationally, California has topped the list for the state with the largest homeless population for more than a decade. As of 2022, 30% of all people in the United States experiencing homelessness resided in California, including half of all unsheltered people (115,491 in California; 233,832 in the US).”(Public Policy Institute of California)
At the same time we also see continued fragmentation and development of our farmland. “California is losing 50,000 acres of agricultural land annually, according to the California Department of Conservation” (American Farmland Trust)
The Mother Lode Land Trust was not created to solve homeless but to conserve working lands in the Motherlode Region of California. The reasons that we are still needed, now more than ever, is the lack of long-range planning through out California. The State of California has consistently punted hard land use issues to the local municipalities.
In California, we are simultaneously failing at meeting basic housing needs and conserving finite resources. Current planning practices enable land-hungry luxury housing developments that contribute to these two leading problems of the state: homelessness and loss of habitat and agricultural land
Landowners themselves have the most durable defense against poor planning practices—conservation easements. Even governments cannot easily overturn private land that is protected by a conservation easement. On the other hand, if your land is simply designated or zoned as agricultural land then the elected officials can change that designation and zoning, even if you, the private landowner, disagree with their actions.
As we can see from the results of our sprawling car dependent communities it doesn’t appear that our planning process is running smoothly. When it comes to protecting your family’s heritage ranch, farm or working forest you cannot rely on the planning process to protect it.
This is where the Mother Lode Land Trust comes into play. We work with the private landowner to develop a conservation easement that once adopted by the two parties, and filed with the local government, the land becomes protected forever. If you are interested in finding out more about getting a conservation easement of your property please attend our meeting on October 18, at 6pm at the City Hall in Plymouth.
Jamestown California The First Outreach Meeting
I highly recommend visiting the beautiful and historic town of Jamestown, California. It is known for its quaint streets and its Railroad Museum, which has an active tourist train that offers quick tours of the rolling hills, farms, and woods on the outskirts of town. Jamestown is only an hour from Yosemite National Park and is located along Highway 49 and 108, just outside of Sonora. The Mother Lode Land Trust is here to help landowners obtain funding to conserve their land and their legacy.
Ellie Routt, the long-time executive director of MLLT, was the lead presenter for the community members and landowners. She gave a compelling PowerPoint presentation that sparked lively discussion about options for land conservation in Tuolumne County.
Some of the topics discussed were public access, conservation easements, and the availability of public funding. After the presentations, snacks and coffee were served, and attendees were given the opportunity to ask additional questions and to identify important conservation areas in Tuolumne County.
This is the inaugural public meeting in a series of meetings planned to take place over the next several years.We cordially invite you to our next landowner outreach meeting, which will be held on October 18th at 6pm at the Plymouth City Hall in Amador County.We are planning to hold meetings in Calaveras County in the upcoming year, and then return to Tuolumne County after the meetings in Calaveras County have concluded.
Funding Opportunities Available to Assist with Private Land Conservation
Your local land trust, the Mother Lode Land Trust recently received a grant to provide outreach and education to landowners in our service area who are interested in the financial benefits of conserving their land. Farmers and Ranchers and those who purchase land for protection are the true conservationists. As you drive our rural roads, it is those people we should think of to thank for preserving our rural character. It’s about time that funding has been made available to incentivize these conservationists for the work they already do.
For the past several years, the Mother Lode Land Trust (MLLT), has been securing funding to purchase conservation easements on private land. A conservation easement is a voluntary yet legally binding agreement between the Land Trust and the Landowner that typically restricts subdivision and development or other uses that could affect the agricultural viability and/or natural resources of a property, in perpetuity. Landowners can donate these development rights for certain tax incentives, or they can sell their development rights to MLLT. The value of a conservation easement can be around 40-60% of the fair market value of the property. MLLT also purchases and/or accepts donations of title to land for public access, wildlife preservation, watershed health, and outdoor education.
Probably the greatest benefit to working with MLLT is the assurance that your legacy will be conserved in perpetuity. You can still sell your property or pass it on to your heirs, but the conservation easement remains forever, guiding how your property is managed long after ownership has changed.
There are currently several State and Federal grant programs to help MLLT fund the purchase of a conservation easement. Between State Cap and Trade revenues and bond sales and theFederal Farm Bill there are millions of dollars available for conservation. MLLT is hosting several community workshops in our region, the first of which will be on September 27 th at the Jamestown Community Hall at 6pm. Visit our website to learn more about our workshops or give us a call. We’d love to hear from you. www.motherlodelandtrust.org or (209) 304-8804
If you are interested in learning more about our programs and how we can work together, or if you just want to learn more about MLLT and how you can become a partner in conservation, please consider joining us for this event. Our goals are twofold: Generate a list of interested landowners so we can have projects ready when funding opens up; and gather input from the community about what’s important for you to see protected.
This landowner outreach is funded by a grant from the Strategic Growth Council’s Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) program. SALC is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities.This capacity-building grant enables MLLT to develop and prepare for conservation projects at the pace and scale required to meet the State’s goal of conserving 30% of California’s land by 2030.
The Mother Lode Land Trust (MLLT) was established in 1990 by a coalition of ranchers, conservationists, and other concerned citizens to help protect foothill lands from the pressures of urbanization and development. MLLT serves Tuolumne County as well as Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, and El Dorado Counties. MLLT holds conservation easements totaling just over 11,000 acres, and owns 6 preserves totaling 1,300 acres, including the Bennett Juniper Tree near Eagle Meadow, and Long Gulch Ranch near Groveland. MLLT's mission is to protect the agricultural and natural landscapes and historic character of the Mother Lode and Central Sierraregion for the benefit of present and future generations. For more information, visit https://motherlodelandtrust.org/ or follow MLLT on Facebook.
Rally
Flying into Portland you are immediately struck with the sense of beauty, the river, forest and mountains are all clearly visible. From the airport lobby you have a striking view of Mt. Hood's magnificent peak and from the hotel I could see Mt. St. Helens and visualize what it looked like a few decades ago before the big blast! The hotel is right next to the clean and efficient public transportation system, which can take you anywhere in the city for a reasonable price. I had a little time to explore, so I went to Powell's City of Books Store, the largest Independent bookstore I’ve ever visited!
Of course, being a city, Portland also has its fair share of homeless people and traffic jams, which are a reminder that there are still many good causes to work for, even here in Portland.
The reason I’m here is to help stop our land from being lost to development. As a report from the American Farmland Report states–"More than 31 million acres of U.S. agricultural land have been irrevocably lost to urban expansion since 1982 and an additional 175 acres of farm and ranchland are lost every hour to make way for housing and other industries.(American Farmland Trust, 2018")
After checking into my hotel, I headed to the conference center for the the Land Trust Alliance annual conference. Being the first time I'd traveled out of state since before Covid, I was astonished by the amount of people who were attending this event. Over 2,000 people from land trusts all over the United States had packed into a sizable conference room.
This is probably the golden age of the land trust movement. There are more people, organizations and money available to conserve land than ever before. There is also an astounding amount of bipartisanship consensus when it comes to land conservation. In one of the workshops offered they discussed recent polling data that showed even a majority of both major political parties support land conservation.
"Land trusts have already conserved 61 million acres of private land across the nation — more than all of the national parks combined. Help us conserve another 60 million acres by the end of the decade." (Land Trust Alliance 2023)
Now, the trick for our local, very small Mother Lode Land Trust, is how to navigate the bureaucracy and direct that money toward our tiny but critical corner of the world. Luckily, there were workshops to help with just that, especially in learning to understand the federal funding process. With the most recent Farm Bill being negotiated there is a good chance we could have 60 billion available nationwide for conservation. So hopefully our experience at this conference will help us funnel that money to our home turf.
The conference had so many workshops that I couldn't attend them all, let alone write about all of them. It was like trying to drink from a fire hose. The three day event was broken up into multiple tracts which each held multiple options. Here is just the list of the broad subjects; Addressing Climate Change, Managing Easements, Communicating Successfully, Conserving Working Lands, Doing Deals, Federal Funding, Managing Your Organization, Stewardship and Securing Support.
I or another of my colleagues will write a follow-up blog about some of the more interesting and educational events attended. But overall, I left Portland feeling hopeful about humanity and the wild world. If we can find some common ground and take action to save land, then maybe we can solve even bigger problems like the climate crisis.
Rally for the land
I started working with the Mother Lode Land Trust during the pandemic, when having easy access to fresh air was even more urgent than usual. I've learned a ton about the importance of land conservation in the past few years. I'm so excited that I'm going to be able to attend the Land Trust Alliance's annual conference in Portland, Oregon! The conference is nicknamed Rally, and this year will be the 36th annual conference. I can't wait to meet other land conservationists and learn more about the latest trends in the field.
Even the abstract numbers are impressive, but when you think about the real-world places that have been conserved and protected by land trusts, it's astounding. These places are farms, ranches, neighborhood parks, and wild vistas that are home to endangered species like butterflies and mountain lions. These millions of acres benefit people and animals every day, and they help make up the backbone of our communities and conservation areas.
This year's Rally is packed with workshops and events aimed at increasing the scale and rate of land conservation. The workshops cover everything from advanced fundraising techniques to discussions about state-of-the-art mapping processes. But, for me, the best thing about events like this is the networking opportunities. The chance to shake hands (or fist bump) with people from around the country who are working to expand protected lands. Hopefully, after the event, people from LA, Texas, or Kansas will remember meeting members of the Mother Lode Land Trust team. Ideally, this will be just the beginning of a relationship that will help bring more attention and more funding to our shared goal of saving land for future generations.
Butterflies and pollinators
Supporting Pollinators at C&C Ranch
Amador County Library, Amador County Master Gardeners, and the Mother Lode Land Trust hosted a successful Butterflies & Pollinators event on July 20th at the C&C Ranch in Jackson, CA. More than 40 participants of all ages learned about plants that support our local butterflies and planted their own mini-butterfly garden to take home.
The mini gardens are ready to take home and attract pollinators.
The California State Library generously funded this project, which included planting milkweed to support a 70-mile flyway corridor for monarch butterflies in El Dorado and Amador Counties. Mother Lode Land Trust is proud to have C&C Ranch be home to one of the flyway’s Monarch Waystations. To learn about this amazing project, visit Sierra Monarch Rescue’s website: https://sierramonarchrescue.com.
Master Gardeners ready to help participants plant their mini pollinator gardens.
Our next event, Compost & Worm Bins, will be at C&C Ranch will be on August 17th at 9:00 AM. Participants will learn how to turn waste into garden gold with vermiculture. Master Gardeners will teach what type of worms are needed, how to harvest the compost, and how to set up a worm bin. Participants will build a small worm compost system to take home. Call 209-223-6400 or stop by the Jackson Library to RSVP.
Narrow leaf milkweed gets established at the Amador Community Garden for habitat enhancement
projects.
mllt hosted bike club
Last week, MLLT hosted the Amador Mountain Bike Club's (AMBC) first ever skills clinic at our C & C ranch in Jackson. AMBC, with help from Amador Trail Stewardship and its group of volunteers, built a small track for training, and some temporary obstacles for learning.
Photo By Bradley Booker
The clinic hosted 22 youth riders on site for 3 days, with a ranch ride and BBQ dinner to close out the mini camp. There will be another mini camp this fall, be sure to follow the group for more information.
The youth teams will continue to practice on the track and take rides on the ranch and trails in the county throuhgout the year.
If you or someone you know is interested in the youth cycling league, please visit www.AmadorTrailStewardship.org for more info.
We love offering land for public use and to further enhance our community. If you are interested in hosting an event at one of our poperties, please conatct us for details.
Partner Spotlight: Heritage Rose Garden
The Heritage Rose Garden is visited by the neighbor cat, Vinny.
Partner Spotlight: Heritage Rose Garden
Have you visited the Heritage Rose Garden (HRG) yet? This unique garden was created by Master Gardeners of Amador County, and is located at the C&C Ranch, an MLLT conserved property in Jackson. Here you will find a distinctive mix of old roses, California native plants, and heirloom plants that show visitors what can be achieved in their own gardens.
The HRG was established to fill an unmet need. Judy and Bob Dean’s extensive collection of heritage roses, many gathered from Mother Lode sites, came close to being destroyed by the Butte fire of 2015. Bob Dean approached the Master Gardeners with the idea of a “back-up” garden, accessible to the public so future generations can see the roses and learn their culture and history. These roses, many gathered from local pioneer cemeteries, old homesteads, and mining camps, are survivors, resisting drought, physical disturbances, neglect, and abuse. Along with California natives and other heirloom plants, they provide a living example of plants suited to the challenges of climate change and limited resources.
This mini-China rose was brought to California by covered wagon by Jesse Burns and Catherine Abbott in 1857. Catherine brought the rose with her from her family’s home in Arkansas before settling in Calaveras County.
The Master Gardeners now educate the public about these forgotten beauties while promoting sustainability and best gardening practices. The addition of natives and other pollinator plants makes the garden an even more effective teaching tool, by adding to biodiversity, sustainability, and year-round interest.
Narrow leaf milkweed is visited by a purple hairstreak butterfly at the Heritage Rose Garden.
Since opening in 2019, the HRG significantly expanded outreach by providing a space for classes, workshops, demonstrations, and open garden days. These totaled 24 in the last two years. In 2022, the garden had 841 visitors, and volunteers logged 2,122 hours. Master Gardeners offered classes on pollinators, pruning, pest management and natives. Attendees take away knowledge of declining pollinator populations, water conservation and soil health.
Interpretive tools were created to enhance the visitor experience. A hand constructed kiosk welcomes garden visitors at the entrance. Volunteers ensure that each plant is clearly labeled. A color brochure is available highlighting the history of each rose which enables visitors to tour the garden at their own pace. In addition to the print brochure, local high-school students created a narrated digital version as a mobile phone app to incorporate technology and enhance accessibility. A local Sacramento news station featured the garden on one of its episodes.
Many heritage roses are found abandoned on old homesites like this. Both yellow and white versions of the ‘Lady Banks’ rose are on display at the Heritage Rose Garden.
Each heritage rose has a story to tell. A rose in the Amador City Cemetery was weed-whacked to the ground after volunteers successfully cloned it. Two still unidentified old roses were saved from an old homestead property in Jackson as bulldozers arrived. Volunteers also received starts from a rose in Sutter Creek just before the owners doused it with weed killer. Now, with more than 70 heritage roses, other heirloom plants and numerous California natives, the community has a living piece of history to enjoy for years to come.
The garden is located at 1334 Jackson Gate Road in Jackson. Open garden days are every 3rd Saturday, from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM from May through October. Volunteers will be on site to answer questions, give tours, and show off their projects.
Out and About With the Mother Lode Land Trust
In the last week of May a team of Mother Lode Land Trust representatives checked in on our Long Gulch Ranch Preserve in Tuolumne County near the scenic town of Groveland. The Long Gulch Ranch Preserve is 575 acres of mixed conifer and oak woodlands. Originally protected for Great Gray Owl habitat, this property is also open to the public and used by hikers, equestrians and mountain bike enthusiasts. Recently we received funding approval from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, for half the money needed to acquire Phase II of the Long Gulch Ranch Preserve, an additional 303 acres that is adjacent to our existing protected property.
The Mother Lode Land Trust representatives visited the Long Gulch property on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. We walked the trails with members of the Groveland Trail Heads (A mountain bicycling club). We discussed potential recreational opportunities and the need for more trail maintenance. During this past winter we lost a lot of trees and many of these will need to be removed for better trail access. We have partnered with the Tuolumne County Resources Conservation District (RCD), and other community organizations to reduce the fuel load by removing many of these downed trees and brush. However, some of these trees may need to be removed prior to the beginning of this project.
We also met with Brian Fitzgerald, owner of the Long Gulch phase II parcels. Mr. Fitzgerald has been a very active partner throughout this conservation project. He has donated both significant time and money to help create the Long Gulch Ranch Preserve. During this site visit he showed maps of the property and discussed access issues with the equestrian center. We had good discussions with local equestrian center folks on how to improve access for trail riding on the existing and future Long Gulch Ranch Preserve.
We also discussed land management issues like illegal camping and firewood cutting with the Pine Mountain Lake representatives, the large subdivision bordering the property to the west. We plan to add additional signage to better demarcate the boundary and develop a local volunteer workgroup. MLLT agreed that additional recreational use is helpful as it means more people are monitoring the property.
We will be working in Tuolumne County in the following months as part of our outreach efforts to landowners, agencies, and agricultural organizations in Tuolumne County. Our first public workshop is scheduled for 6pm on October 18. We will be announcing the location and sending invitations in the following months, stay tuned.
MOTHER LODE LAND TRUST SEEKS CONTRACTOR
For Fencing Contractors,
The Mother Lode Land Trust (“MLLT”) is seeking bids to construct perimeter fencing around the Amador Community Farm’s community garden area. A grant through the Department of Conservation’s farmland improvement grant program has been secured to fund this project.
The Community Garden is a site on the 200-acre Historic Chichizola/Cuneo Ranch off Jackson Gate Rd. in Jackson CA. MLLT owns the property and has been thus far working with a grassroots, all volunteer group of people to develop the first phase of the community garden. This fencing project (Phase 2) will expand the garden, allowing more space to grow produce, provide a place for fieldtrips & classes, allow for the development of NRCS practices demonstration areas, and protect wetland and natural areas.
Project Specifics:
Start date: Anytime
Completion date: No later than 12/31/2023
Linear feet of fencing: 1345 +/-
Acreage: 4
Fence Height: 8’
Materials: Two 4’ sections of field fence, t-posts, some barbed wire (contractor recommendations will also be considered)
Gates: one 16’ & one 8’
Terrain/condition: flat to rolling hills, one drainage. Some heritage oaks in the fence line. Some downed trees along existing fence. Accessible by vehicle. Cattle on adjacent properties.
Contractors interested in submitting a bid should reach out to the Mother Lode Land Trust to set up a time to view the site. Bids must be in writing and you must be able to submit written invoices showing time, and materials for the grant reporting. Contractors must carry at least $1M in liability insurance.
For questions or to schedule a site visit, contact Ellie Routt.
ellie.motherlodelandtrust@gmail.com
c. 209-419-2861
