Harvego Bear River Preserve
Quick Facts:
- 1,773 acres of blue oak woodland and riparian habitat
- Protected since December 2010 through a public-private partnership between Placer County, the trust for Public Land and Placer Land Trust as well as private donations
- Working cattle ranch
Placer Land Trust and Trust
for Public Land Successfully protected 1,773 acres of the spectacular
Harvego Bear River Preserve (formerly known as "Bruin Ranch") in 2010!
Check our calendar for upcoming public access opportunities. In 2012, we will offer docent led hikes every other month on the 2nd Saturday.
With support from Placer County, the Wildlife Conservation Board and hundreds of people who love Placer County's natural wonders, Harvego Bear River Preserve (Harvego BRP) has become a permanent resource for current and future generations. This working cattle ranch includes oak woodlands and grasslands, and over three miles of Bear River frontage. The views from Bald Rock Mountain on the property are spectacular, and the diverse wildlife on the property is amazing.
Connection and Protection
What makes Harvego BRP so unique – in addition to its size and resources – is its location. Placer Land Trust created the Northern Foothills Partnership with the Bear Yuba Land Trust and The Trust for Public Land in 2009 to strategically connect and protect the most important landscapes in the foothills of the Bear and Yuba rivers. Harvego BRP is located right at the heart of existing and proposed conservation projects of the Northern Foothills Partnership.
In previous years Placer Land Trust permanently preserved 1,700 acres directly adjacent to Harvego BRP: Garden Bar Preserve, and our Big Hill Preserves (Liberty Ranch, Taylor Ranch, and Kotomyan Preserve). We’re working with several other area landowners to add another thousand acres to that total. Also, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is working with Placer Land Trust to connect and protect several hundred acres of BLM land adjacent to Harvego BRP and on both sides of the Bear River. The Bear Yuba Land Trust has already preserved thousands of acres across the river, and is under contract to connect these lands to Placer Land Trust's preserved lands and Harvego BRP.
Support Placer Land Trust's Trail Fund by making a donation today and writing "Trails" in the comment field!
Providing for the Future
We’re working with Placer County and others to create a one-of-a-kind public trail system in this area from Harvego BRP on the Bear River to Hidden Falls Regional Park on Coon Creek. Imagine a public wilderness trail amid a protected landscape of ranch lands, open woodlands, forests, creek and ponds. Along the way, we’ll be protecting the cultural resources of prehistoric Native American peoples, the Maidu and Nisenan, as well as a Basque ranching heritage and Gold Rush history. If all this sounds good to you, please make a donation or give us a call to see how you can help!
Placer Land Trust is currently working with Placer County on a management plan that will accommodate public access and develop a trail system to allow people to enjoy Harvego BRP freely while allowing for forest management, carbon sequestration, habitat restoration and enhancement, and continued livestock grazing. However, this process will take some time; please stay tuned as our recreation plan develops and in the meantime:
Check our calendar for upcoming public access opportunities.
Harvego Bear River Preserve Picture Slideshow in HD