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Sierra Foothills Forever: Preserving Spears Ranch

Visitors to Spears Ranch enjoy a refreshing rest alongside Coon Creek Photo by: Phil Schermeister

By Angela Ballard

Their bald, blue heads bobbed in unison. As I neared, the wild turkeys fanned their tails and clucked. Then, with a flurry of gobbles, they strutted away. I'd already spotted what I thought were boar tracks, and now I'd spooked a flock of turkeys. What next? "I saw a black mountain lion once," a former owner of this ranch had told me. "People joke it's like Jurassic Park out there. You never know what you'll find."

Spears Ranch, located in the western Sierra Nevada foothills of northern California, is less than an hour drive from downtown Sacramento and just minutes from Auburn. The Trust for Public Land recently purchased 961 acres of the ranch for a new regional park. Residents from Auburn, Sacramento, and beyond will be able to hike, ride horses, and cycle through pristine blue oak woodlands, over rolling hills, and along nearly three miles of Coon Creek.

In December 2003, through a unique public-private partnership with Placer County and the Sierra Business Council, the Trust for Public Land purchased 961 acres of the Spears Ranch from the Spears Family Trust and conveyed it to Placer County for permanent public protection. Other partners included the California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Resources Agency, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Spears family.

Photo by: Phil Schermeister

One of the things that often amazes visitors to Spears Ranch is that it is so close to cities, yet it feels untouched. That feeling has become increasingly rare in the Sierra foothills. During the past 30 years, the population of the Sierra Nevada region has tripled. As more people move to the western foothills, development pressures increase. Anyone who has driven Interstate 80 between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe in the past few years can attest to the rapid growth. Subdivisions and retail complexes seem to spring up overnight, dramatically changing the unique foothills landscape. Fortunately, through the protection of Spears Ranch, a significant piece of the countryside will be preserved.

Mike Reeves, a Trust for Public Land project manager who worked to protect the ranch, says, "I'm from Placer County and have witnessed its growth. I believe that in my lifetime, Spears Ranch will provide what could become scarce in this rapidly expanding area: a natural setting and a chance to get out on the land."

Robert Weygandt of the Placer County Board of Supervisors agrees, calling Spears Ranch the equivalent of a national park. The property, he says, is an example of the natural resources the county hopes to safeguard, and its purchase is a model for partnerships to preserve open space.

California poppies in bloom Photo by: Phil Schermeister

The $3.5-million purchase was made possible through local, state, and federal funding as well as private philanthropy. The bulk of the funding came from the Placer Legacy Open Space Trust Fund, which includes donations from county employees and the public, and was created through the Placer Legacy Open Space and Agricultural Conservation Program to help protect the county's diverse landscapes.

"This is a landmark purchase, not just for Placer County, but also for the Sierra Nevada," says Jim Sayer, President of the Sierra Business Council. "Placer Legacy is a model for how to protect important natural assets and quality of life in the Sierra's fastest growing area."

David Sutton, program director for TPL's Northern California Programs, adds: "Placer County deserves congratulations for having the insight to create Placer Legacy. We hope that the program's success will inspire other counties to follow Placer County's lead and create funding sources to protect open space and agricultural resources."

Photo by: Phil Schermeister

I visited the ranch in spring. The grasses were lush, the earth soft and aromatic. The creek was cold and rolling swiftly. A cattle path beckoned me to ramble and search for the waterfalls and swimming hole where the Spears children once sought refuge from summer heat.

Julia and Curly Spears bought the ranch in 1979 after moving from the San Jose area. Curly passed away in 1999, leaving Julia the 1.5-square-mile ranch. She and the rest of the family didn't want to see the land developed, and now are pleased to extend their family legacy to the residents of Placer County.

"It's been a wonderful piece of property for us," says 80-year-old Julia. "It was a chance to get away. I think my husband would have been happy about it becoming a park. It's going to be great for the county. I hope I'm around long enough to see the things that they are going to do with it."

"I'm going to take my boys there," adds one of Julia's sons, Ron Spears. "They'll know that it belonged to their grandparents ... and that they helped preserve it." Spears Ranch will open to the public in about two years, after the county completes capital improvements, management plans, and an analysis of environmental impacts. Planned recreational improvements include trails and small bridges over Coon Creek.

"The protection of Spears Ranch is key to protecting wildlife habitat and adding to public open space in the Sierra Nevada foothills," says Reed Holderman, executive director of the Trust for Public Land-California. "It is only through a tremendous effort by everyone involved that this remarkable landscape has been protected for future generations."

Excerpt from Spring 2004 California newsletter.