Page 28 - aruba-today-20170729

A28 SCIENCE
Saturday 29 July 2017

Rare birds, wildflowers: ‘Secret garden’ opens after century

By RICH PEDRONCELLI and
DON THOMPSON
Associated Press
TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — Pink
and yellow wildflowers
burst from a lush bed of
grass hidden from public
view for more than a cen-
tury. Towering trees and
snow-capped mountains
encircle the wild mead-
ow, beckoning visitors to a
largely untouched piece
of California’s Sierra Ne-
vada.
Conservation groups
bought the land in Lower
Carpenter Valley north of
Lake Tahoe and are open-
ing it for tours. It contains
rare carnivorous plants
and threatened birds and
serves as a migration cor-
ridor for other species.
Bird songs and the gurgle
of a serpentine creek pro-
vide the soundtrack in the
meadow less than 8 miles
from noisy Interstate 80.
The ground suddenly turns
spongy underfoot as visi-
tors step onto a deep bog In this Tuesday, July 25, 2017 photo, a bee approaches a spikate checkerbloom in the Lower Carpenter Valley near Truckee, Calif.
that has formed along Associated Press
parts of the valley floor.
“It literally is a secret gar- Conservancy, as part of last year, 637 acres known the Nature Conservancy. natural population has re-
den,” said Kathy Englar, The Northern Sierra Partner- as Crabtree Canyon, that The delicate wetlands are mained.
the Truckee Donner Land ship, bought more than 2 is now open to hiking and home to rare native sun- The willows provide habi-
Trust’s development direc- square miles (5 square kilo- mountain biking. dew, small carnivorous tat for 40 of the 270 known
tor. meters) from the longtime The partners have a con- plants that attract insects nesting pairs of willow fly-
The Lake Tahoe region reg- owners for $10.3 million. tract to buy a final 80-acre to sticky residue on their catchers, a small insect-
ularly draws tens of thou- The partnership bought parcel. leaves. eating bird that was once
sands of people to ski, hike 600 acres in mid-July, but The sensitive 600-acre site The North Fork of Prosser common in the Sierra Ne-
and camp, but the piece that area is so sensitive it includes “these incredibly Creek is fed by snow and vada, Wright said.
of land along a creek near will initially be open only verdant habitat areas with lined by willows and once Seasonal caretakers pro-
Truckee has been kept be- for guided visits. It includes fens, they call them, these was home to native La- tect the valley’s fragile envi-
hind locked gates along a about two-thirds of the seeps and springs,” said El- hontan cutthroat trout, a ronment and wildlife, while
winding dirt road. vast meadow. It acquired liott Wright, senior associate threatened species that dogs, horses and motorized
The trust and the Nature about half the property director of philanthropy for could be reintroduced if no vehicles are banned. q