Fifteen miles north of Truckee lies a gem of a meadow complex, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, that has recently been protected from the threat of subdivision and incompatible development. In the last few days of 2008, Perry Norris of the Truckee Donner Land Trust, Dave Sutton of the Trust for Public Land, and others were working diligently, against the odds of a State budget that was in crisis, to secure the land deal that included a 982-acre parcel in Perazzo Meadows. This acquisition is one of the first major successes of the Northern Sierra Partnership, a coalition of five nonprofits working together to improve and enhance the ecosystems, communities and the economy in the northern Sierra.
Perazzo Meadows was acquired in a land deal that included two other parcels: a 400-acre parcel northwest of Castle Peak at the edge of the Paradise Valley and a property near Collins Lake, in Yuba County. ‘The 982 acres owned by Siller Brothers Inc. has been on the Land Trust’s radar since the mid-90s,’ Norris said. ‘This specific acquisition took place about four years from the time we began discussions with the seller to the close of escrow. It was a complicated deal.’
The Land Trust had aspirations of acquiring other substantial acreages owned by Siller Brothers Inc. in the region, but funding was scarce and the landowner was reticent to sell. Norris notes that ‘these other properties were sold to developers and converted into resort subdivisions.’
The Perazzo deal was made more complicated when the California State budget crisis came to a head at the end of 2008.
When the California Pooled Money Investment Board froze all bond-funded projects on December 18, 2008, four years of hard work almost vanished into this air. The Perazzo-Castle-Yuba land deal had to close by December 31, or the whole thing would dissolve. Despite this major roadblock, the deal went through. Funding totaling more than $3.6 million was acquired from four separate State agencies: the Wildlife Conservation Board, the State Water Resources Control Board, the State Resources Agency – River Parkway, and Cal Trans Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program. Norris adds that it’s ‘pretty amazing to secure funding from four separate state sources.’
Perazzo Meadows is part of a larger land-pattern called the Sierra Checkerboard. The parcel was private property surrounded by public lands. ‘It was important to protect for its resources alone; the quality of a landscape like Perazzo Meadows speaks for itself,’ Norris said. ‘But the thought of residential development, on it or along the Jackson Meadows Road, would have diminished the recreational qualities of a popular destination for locals and visitors.’
Development on private inholdings within the National Forest alters the forest structure, interrupts ecological processes, including increasing the potential for invasive species, disease and insect infestations, and increases fire danger. The High Sierra Rural Alliance recently announced the settlement of a lawsuit that they brought against Sierra County and Sierra Pacific Industries, in which they challenged the County’s approval to rezone over 7,000 acres of forested lands from a zone which limited development to a zone that would encourage development. This rezoning would have allowed more development along properties adjacent to Perazzo Meadows.
The Perazzo Meadows property is located just west of Highway 89 North, on the south side of Little Truckee Summit. National Forest Route 07 (Henness Pass Road), the road that takes you west to Webber Lake, across the crest of the Sierra, and on to Jackson Meadows Reservoir in the Yuba River Watershed, runs along the north side of the property.
The Little Truckee River sinuously meanders east through Perazzo Meadows before turning south along Highway 89 and then into Stampede Reservoir. The 982 acres that were just protected, which is part of the larger Perazzo Meadows complex, provides more than 2.5 miles of riverine and montane riparian habitat, and 100 acres of wet meadow habitat. The area surrounding the gorgeous meadow complex is primarily upland habitat that includes lodgepole pine, white fir, red fir, Jeffrey pine, and aspen stands.
The acquisition of this property is so valuable because it contains high-mountain meadow habitat, a river and wetlands.
Having such diversity in the habitat is important because it provides house and home for a rich diversity of species. The Pacific Rivers Council identified the Little Truckee River as a conservation priority of great importance to the integrity and persistence of Sierra Nevada aquatic diversity.
The waterways through Perazzo Meadows are rich in fish species native to the Lahontan Basin; there may be as many as six species in the Perazzo Meadows area. The Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi), a Federally-listed threatened species, was lost from the main stem of the Little Truckee River in years past. However, the Little Truckee River is widely discussed as a watershed with potential for reintroduction.
Perazzo Meadows is home to diverse riparian and terrestrial species as well. The willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii), a neotropical migrant bird species listed as endangered by the State of California, is known to occur along the banks of the river. Other wildlife species that are known to occur or have a high potential of occurrence in the Perazzo Meadows system include pine marten, mule deer of the Loyalton-Truckee herd, mountain lion, and possibly the elusive wolverine.
The successful conservation of this property is important for recreation as well as for the ecosystem. Perazzo Meadows is a great place for camping, hiking, bird watching, wildlife viewing, fishing and cross-country skiing. John Svahn of the Truckee Donner Land Trust said, ‘A new trailhead and trail with interpretive signage will be constructed on the property, providing public access to the Little Truckee River. The parking lot will also be expanded and signs will be put in to educate the public about the region.’ Additionally, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the Truckee River Watershed Council, a restoration project will return the river to its remnant course and improve habitat for fish.
The Perazzo Meadows parcel is the last private parcel in the entire Perazzo Meadows complex. The rest of the meadow complex is entirely within public lands and can be managed for extensive wildlife habitat, fire risk, and recreational amenities in the Tahoe National Forest. This complex is still within the checkerboard land ownership pattern – alternating between public and private lands – which fragments ecosystems and makes land management tricky.
‘It is worth noting,’ adds Norris, ‘that we are not done in the Little Truckee River watershed. With our partners we have nearly another 3,500 acres under contract in this watershed alone, which is in addition to 1,800 acres the Land Trust acquired above Independence Lake and just donated to the United States Forest Service.’ The purchase of Perazzo Meadows protects another swath of land where the native creatures may once again flourish.
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