A special piece of history in the Lost Sierra
Clover Valley Ranch is a private 3071 acre working ranch north of Beckwourth in Plumas County, California. It has roots in the ranching and logging history of California,, and was part of the Clover Valley Railroad route until the 1950’s. We acknowledge the area is an ancestral homeland of many indigenous peoples, including the Maidu and Washoe.
Clover Valley Ranch is adjacent to the Plumas National Forest, and thus many types of wildlife have the room they need to be wild in the wild. Wet meadow restoration and research are underway involving a consortium including University of California, Davis, The Sierra Fund, San Francisco State University, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the United States Fish & Wildlife Service.
Wildlife abounds
Camera traps help us document who calls Clover Valley home
Research & Education
Many types of research and training are happening at Clover Valley Ranch.. A diverse research consortium has come together with a One Health approach to study the complexity and changing environments of Clover Valley Ranch. The high Sierra wet meadow ecosystem has benefitted from beaver dam analogue and rock checkdam installation as well as revegetation treatments with native plants to help restore the sponge effect of the meadows to release water for longer periods throughout the year.
Education and training happens frequently at Clover Valley Ranch. Many graduate and undergraduate students have been involved with the research projects, and short course training has been based at Clover Valley Ranch each summer. Research and training topics have included water quality and quantity changes, vegetation diversity, wildlife diversity changes pre- and post-Dixie Fire, disease ecology, greenhouse gas dynamics, livestock management techniques, and wet meadow restoration techniques.
