Preserve Clover Valley

Jessup University recently announced the purchase of over 400 acres at Clover Valley, a neighboring nature preserve that remains one of the last undeveloped low-foothill valleys in the rapidly urbanizing Sacramento valley. The purchase is the first step in permanently protecting Placer County’s only significant open space in Rocklin, just 25 miles north of Sacramento.

Jessup’s Institute for Biodiversity and the Environment (IBE) continues to partner to preserve the Clover Valley area for future generations. Placer County Board of Supervisors and the City of Lincoln, along with a private foundation, contributed $2.25m to secure the transaction.

Jessup will own and manage the land while Placer Land Trust and Placer County jointly hold and monitor a conservation easement that permanently prevents subdivision development, and harmful land uses. If conserved and not developed, this area will serve students and the surrounding community with both educational and recreational opportunities.

While specifics of the agreement continue to be negotiated, the University is excited about outcomes for students and the local region. “Clover Valley is a beautiful, unaltered landscape and it is our hope that we can help preserve it for future generations to study and to experience the profound wonders given to us to enjoy by a loving and gracious Creator,” said President John Jackson.

With spring just around the corner, Jessup students are gearing up to gain hands-on educational experiences from this expansive space that is home to woodlands, grasslands, wetlands and various habitats that support diverse wildlife. “Clover Valley will be a living laboratory for Jessup and other schools in Placer County and beyond, both for education and for actual ecological and conservation science research,” said Dr. Michael McGrann, associate professor of environmental science at Jessup and head of the growing University’s IBE. “The property is a unique representation of the ecosystems of the Sierra Nevada foothills.”

With the support of Placer Land Trust, Jessup’s IBE will develop a management plan to protect the natural and cultural resources of the preserve, utilize the preserve for education and research, and identify potential restoration activities. Managed public access for recreation is a component of the plan, provided the aforementioned objectives are met.