NICHOLS PRESERVE, GOLD RUN
135 ACRES ALONG THE WILD & SCENIC
NORTH FORK AMERICAN RIVER
Placer Land Trust partnered with the American River Conservancy and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and landowner Jim Nichols to preserve 135 acres of beautiful scenic land on both sides of the North Fork American River near Gold Run..
Nichols' land was acquired as part of PLT's "Giant Gap Project" and transferred to the BLM for inclusion in their Wild & Scenic Area, thus ensuring consistent and efficient management and protection by BLM for the public benefit.
The BLM manages the North Fork American River Wild & Scenic Area, so designated in 1978, to ensure quality habitat, open space protection, and public recreation. Nichols' property is within the Wild & Scenic River corridor, and BLM will manage the land in accordance with its Wild & Scenic designation.
The purchase of Nichols' land was made possible through a grant from the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation's Preserving Wild California initiative.
The primary purpose of the Giant Gap project is to work with willing sellers to protect lands within the North Fork American River Wild & Scenic corridor. Acquisition of these lands will result in the protection of the American River Canyon's scenic beauty and wildlife habitat, the protection of water quality, and the enhancement of public recreational access to the river canyon.
Placer County's American River Canyon, particularly the Wild & Scenic corridor of the North Fork American River near Giant Gap, rivals Yosemite and Lake Tahoe for dramatic Sierra Nevada landscapes. Although the area is threatened by habitat fragmentation and incompatible land use, much of it is still relatively wild and pristine, providing diverse habitat for a number of important species.
"This is a spectacularly rugged and steep section
of the river canyon," said Alan Ehrgott, Executive Director of the
American River Conservancy. "The Wild & Scenic corridor is relatively
bereft of roads and other human incursions, and as a result it appears today
much as it must have appeared 150 years ago to the first wave of immigrants
coming to California for the Gold Rush."
Preservation of privately held lands such as the Nichols property will eliminate the haphazard pattern of private inholdings within the Wild & Scenic Area, permanently restrict harmful activities, and result in more cohesive and effective ecosystem management by BLM. In addition, the project will protect public recreation opportunities that exist on scenic trails on the canyon rim and along the river's course.
The goals of the Giant Gap project also include preservation of Native American and Gold Rush history and culture, and plans to protect water quality by cleaning up damage from hydraulic mining. Support for the Giant Gap project comes from the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation's Preserving Wild California project, the United Auburn Indian Community, the Tides Foundation's California Wildlands Grassroots Fund project, BLM, Placer Legacy, Emigrant Trails Greenway Trust, and members of Placer Land Trust and the American River Conservancy.
To return to the list of Placer Land Trust lands preserved, click here.
 Placer Land Trust 11521 Blocker Drive, Suite 100 Auburn, CA 95603 (530) 887-9222 info@placerlandtrust.org |