Homer Ranch Success Story
Community and Conservation Working Together
Cloud shadow over Homer hills
On May 27, 2004, Sequoia Riverlands Trust purchased and permanently protected the 1,819-acre Homer Ranch, acquired from Richard and Stephanie Homer. Located west of the entrance to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks near the town of Lemon Cove, the preserve includes portions of Dry Creek, unique sycamore alluvial woodlands and blue oak woodland habitat.
“This ranch provides a unique opportunity for SRT to maintain a working cattle ranch and our rural way of life,” said Sopac McCarthy Mulholland, Executive Director of SRT. “We plan to provide guided tours about the importance of agriculture and rare habitat conservation, building on the public education program already in place at our Kaweah Oaks Preserve. We also look forward to working with a local grazer who will help manage the special conservation values of this area.”
The Dry Creek area is wildly popular for its spring wildflower shows and is home to one of the largest remaining sycamore alluvial woodland communities in the world. This unusual woodland provides critical habitat for resident and migratory birds, and the Dry Creek landscape supports native species such as great blue heron, bald eagle, western pond turtle and herds of mule deer.
The conservation of Homer Ranch maintains the connectivity of land between Dry Creek and 5,000 acres of blue oak woodland already conserved on adjoining public and private property.
“My wife, Stephanie, and I decided to approach Sequoia Riverlands Trust about buying our ranch after a visit to their Kaweah Oaks Preserve,” said Richard Homer, whose great, great grandparents homesteaded the area in the late 1800’s. “We’ve always thought our ranch would be the perfect place for people to enjoy the beauty of this area and learn about a working cattle ranch. We’re proud to help future generations experience an important part of California’s history.”
SRT, working with their partner The Nature Conservancy, will use this opportunity to study the intact sycamore alluvial woodland on the Homer Ranch Preserve. “We’re excited to bring the scientific expertise of The Nature Conservancy to help research and study this unique plant community,” said Alex Mas, TNC project manager. “Very little is known about how sycamore woodlands naturally regenerate, so research at the Homer Ranch will help guide SRT’s efforts to restore sycamores at the former Dry Creek Quarry.”
The combination of biological and environmental conditions that give rise to this community occurs only rarely. Thus, while the California sycamore is not an uncommon species, the sycamore alluvial woodland community type is found in just 17 stands scattered across central California on floodplain terraces alongside intermittent rocky and braided streams. Many of the remaining stands of sycamore alluvial woodland are threatened or impaired by land use changes including dams, gravel mining and overgrazing.
Funding for the purchase of the $1.5 million dollar preserve came from the River Parkways program of the California Resources Agency, as well as The David and Lucile Packard Foundation through the Sierra Business Council. Barakat, Inc., provided additional funding. Homer Ranch is the fifth preserve owned and managed by SRT in Tulare County, bringing the total of land conserved under fee title to 3,148 acres. SRT supports local economic prosperity by keeping preserves owned and managed by the organization on the local tax rolls.