Regional Treasure Category - 2020
American River Conservancy
Since 1989, the American River Conservancy (ARC) has been preserving rivers and land for life. As a non-profit community organization in the central Sierra Nevada foothills, the ARC works to preserve natural areas and cultural resources and build an enduring ethic of care, building a sustainable future for humans in harmony with nature.
The ARC values:
The ARC values:
- Protection and restoration of open space, biodiversity and habitat
- Connecting people with the outdoors
- Watershed health which we believe contributes to human and economic health
- Environmental literacy
- Building community relationships
- Collaborative partnerships and engagement with stakeholders
- Ecological and cultural diversity
- Being a high-performance organization
- Organizational responsibility and integrity
In 1989, in response to the explosive development that California is still experiencing, Alan Erghott brought together a community of concerned citizens from all walks of life that held a common belief that the treasured natural habitat and spaces of the American River needed to be protected. In April 1989, they partnered with Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park and signed a lease on the historic Kane House in the park to host offices and operate the park's Nature Center.
In 1990, this community of concerned citizens raised $360,000 to protect 40 acres of critical habitat at the confluence of Weber Creek and the South Fork of the American River. That parcel represents the first acquisition in the name of conservation for this not-for-profit organization. When land is acquired, a variety of actions can be taken at ARC. Sometimes land is immediately transferred to a partner agency; sometimes ARC maintains ownership and manages the land and other times private ownership is retained while a conservation easement is managed on said property. All these options have protections which ensure that this land will not be developed in perpetuity, meaning the protections endure over the long term and are intact through any ownership changes.
In 1990, this community of concerned citizens raised $360,000 to protect 40 acres of critical habitat at the confluence of Weber Creek and the South Fork of the American River. That parcel represents the first acquisition in the name of conservation for this not-for-profit organization. When land is acquired, a variety of actions can be taken at ARC. Sometimes land is immediately transferred to a partner agency; sometimes ARC maintains ownership and manages the land and other times private ownership is retained while a conservation easement is managed on said property. All these options have protections which ensure that this land will not be developed in perpetuity, meaning the protections endure over the long term and are intact through any ownership changes.
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