November 29, 2021 - Mariposa, California – Sierra Foothill Conservancy (SFC) is elated to announce the closing of our newest and tenth Preserve: the 226-acre Bill and Betty Stookey Preserve of Mariposa County! We are thrilled to be celebrating this new Preserve in our organization’s 25th - year anniversary. SFC has conserved more than 50,000 acres of vital working range and forest lands, important habitats, significant places for practicing Native American traditions, scenic viewsheds, critical watersheds, public recreation areas, open spaces, and other special landscapes across the Sierra Nevada foothills in the last quarter-century. With the impactful addition of the Stookey Preserve to our network of conserved lands, SFC now owns and manages 7,665 acres of Preserve lands and holds conservation easements on nearly 43,000 acres, totaling 50,767 acres of natural lands protected now and forever.
Conserving the Stookey Preserve, a phenomenal working landscape located in southeast Mariposa County, was made possible through the immense generosity and commitment of both the Stookey Family and the California Wildlife Conservation Board which provided the integral SAVING NATURAL LANDS NOW AND FOREVER competitive grant funding for SFC to purchase the Stookey Preserve through its Forest Conservation Program.
The historic Stookey property is a gem of the local community. Located along East Westfall and Triangle Roads, the pastoral landscape and historic infrastructure are well known and loved. The surrounding community takes pride in the viewshed that the preserve provides, along with its natural, historical, and cultural resources. The preserve is outfitted with a home, barn, and blacksmith shop dating back to the 1860s. Numerous bedrock mortars used by Southern Sierra Miwuk tribe members in earlier times are found on the property – as many as 20 on a single granite slab.
Bill and Betty Stookey purchased the property in the 1970s, caring for the land, its wildlife, and its waters. After their passing, Bill and Betty’s son and daughter-in-law, Chris and Sandra, took over ownership of the property. They knew that, with Mountain Home zoning and existing housing developments nearby, future fragmentation of the property seemed likely. Consequently, they generously completed a bargain sale of the property to SFC, and then donated funds for the long-term stewardship of the property in order to ensure that the land’s natural, historical, and cultural legacy would be protected in perpetuity. “I have loved this land for over half a century,” Chris thoughtfully reflected. “We donated it to protect it forever from development, preserving the habitat for the native animals and plants that thrive in this beautiful corner of the world.”
Home to important watershed and forest lands, the Bill and Betty Stookey Preserve is part of SFC’s Jerseydale Meadow Focus Area and near other protected lands, both public and private. SFC currently holds several conservation easements in this Focus Area, three of which are also within a focus area of the Central Region of California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The preserve is also within one-quarter mile of Sierra National Forest and within seven miles of Yosemite National Park. The Stookey Preserve strategically connects a mosaic of habitat types found on and near the property including mountain meadow, wetlands, riparian corridors of the Chowchilla River watershed, and mixed conifer forest. Mixed conifer forests and water resources such as those on the ranch have powerful positive impacts on climate and water cycling patterns in the Sierra Nevada and provide immense habitat for diverse species. The property contains numerous native plant species and provides habitat opportunities for great gray owl, olive-sided flycatcher, western pond turtle, pallid bat, ringtail, porcupine, foothill yellow-legged frog, and other endemic, native, and rare species, many of which are federally or state-listed as threatened or endangered. Four ponds totaling an area of approximately four acres, along with two creeks totaling 1.5 miles, offer optimal wetland habitat and high-quality water sources.
SFC will be holistically stewarding the Stookey Preserve’s numerous natural, historic, agricultural, and cultural resources as well as offering guided public access in this special place in the near future. Hiking, wildlife and plant viewing, photography, birding, and historic interpretive tours are some of the future experiences that SFC members, students, and others can look forward to as future Hikes and Classes.
The fascinating story of SFC’s tenth preserve is the perfect example of SFC’s efforts as we work to preserve our region’s cultural and natural heritage for future generations. Please join us in celebrating this momentous acquisition by making a gift to SFC’s Year End Campaign and help ensure that generations to come will be able to connect to the land now and forever. Visit https://sierrafoothill.org/2021-year-end-donations or call (209) 742-5556 to make your gift today!
Sierra Foothill Conservancy Mission: The grasslands, foothills, and forests between Yosemite and Kings Canyon National Parks provide land for farms and ranches, a home for native plants and wildlife, and a source of clean water.
The Sierra Foothill Conservancy honors our natural and cultural heritage by protecting these resources and ensuring that present and future generations will continue to experience and enjoy the land in this region.
SFC’s Vision: From the snow-capped Sierra to the Central Valley floor, expansive landscapes, important habitats, and clean water resources are conserved and managed to ensure continuing public benefits. SFC supports a thriving land-based economy while promoting a conservation ethic that spans generations. Sierra Foothill Conservancy serves eastern Fresno, Madera, Merced, and Mariposa Counties in California's central Sierra Nevada. To learn more about SFC’s work and how to get involved, including how to conserve your lands, visit https://sierrafoothill.org.
Source: SFC
All photos taken by SFC staff
