CLOVER VALLEY
What is it?
Located in the Northeast corner of Rocklin, Clover Valley's 622 acres are some of the last remaining undeveloped, low-foothill valleys located close to the urbanized area. This property is directly behind my home in Rocklin. The resources at Clover Valley include expanses of oak woodland (~27,000 oak trees per a 2006 inventory), grassland, meadows, woodlands, creeks, greenbelts, and riparian habitats. A 20-acre wetland created by local beavers supports California Black Rail and the valley contains Swainson’s Hawk critical foraging habitat. The perennial Clover Valley Creek supported salmonids as recently as 1985 suggesting an opportunity to restore the riparian corridor and reintroduce steelhead and Chinook salmon.
Clover Valley has also been home to Native Americans for over 7,000 years and was a major tribal center according to archeologists. This rich history is still present in Clover Valley and past field work has identified 34 prehistoric sites.
95% of the photographs I take in Rocklin are within the Clover Valley
A Plan to Remodel
An existing development agreement and associated entitlements allow for subdivision of the site into 46 large parcels containing 558 single family residential lots and the construction of infrastructure improvements that would crisscross the valley, interrupting the wildlife habitat and water quality benefits of its current condition.
New Advancements
William Jessup University (WJU), a Christian college located here in Rocklin, has teamed with Placer Land Trust (PLT) to assist with strategies to fund acquisition of 688± acres of Clover Valley to become an open space preserve. Currently approved for 558 high-end single-family homes with a roadway across the valley floor, this almost 700-acre acquisition will instead preserve the slope and valley floor landscape replete with biological and cultural resources and provide a rare recreational amenity for the City of Rocklin and beyond.
However, in order to go through with these plans, WJU will need to spend 38.6 million dollars. They are currently fundraising and pursuing local, state, and federal grant programs, as well as reaching out to prospective major donors in the region. The Placer County Board of Supervisors recently approved a $1.1 million contribution to the PLT/WJU acquisition campaign.
Jessup's Proposed CV Mission Statement
"The preserve exists (1) to protect and restore the biological diversity of Clover Valley, (2) to protect, in perpetuity, the cultural resources present in Clover Valley, (3) to provide experiential learning and research opportunities for Jessup students and faculty as well as nearby schools and colleges, and (4) to provide educational and recreational opportunities for all those who live in, and who visit, the Rocklin community."
