ROCKLIN, CA, April 17, 2025 – Placer Land Trust, Jessup University, and project partners are pleased to announce the permanent protection of 402 acres in the heart of Clover Valley for conservation, education, and public benefit.
Clover Valley represents of the last remaining intact sections of oak woodlands in western Placer County, and the last significant open space left in the City of Rocklin. The valley is home to a wide variety of ecosystems, wildlife habitat, and cultural resources.
“The protection of Clover Valley holds so many benefits to our community and the environment,” said Jeff Darlington, Executive Director of Placer Land Trust. “From habitat for rare and threatened species, to historic Native American heritage sites, this land is truly unique to Rocklin and our region. This project has met with many challenges, but we’ve always felt that it was vital to pursue its protection — no matter how long the odds. The unprecedented collaboration of so many local supporters and partners shows just how much Clover Valley means to our community.”
Clover Valley has been under intense pressure from development, with approvals and entitlements in place for 500+ single-family homes and a roadway across the valley floor. For decades, community members rallied together to oppose the construction of roads and subdivisions in the valley.
Starting in 2021, Rocklin-based Jessup University worked with the original landowner (a group of companies) as a willing seller, partnering with the nonprofit Placer Land Trust on an ambitious fundraising effort. The original seller discounted the sales price of the 402-acre property to Jessup significantly in 2022, and in the next three years over $10M was raised to complete the purchase and permanently protect the land.
Placer Land Trust raised $4.25M from private sources including an anonymous donor and local community members. With Jessup’s help the Trust also secured $6.37M in public grants from the Placer County Office of Education, City of Rocklin, City of Lincoln, and Placer County.
“Jessup is grateful for the tremendous support we have received from our private and public partners in this endeavor,” said Dr. John Jackson, Jessup’s President. “We believe the preservation of Clover Valley will have dynamic generational impact.”
Hundreds of people wrote to elected officials or spoke at public meetings advocating for saving Clover Valley.
After this multi-year effort, earlier this month Placer Land Trust recorded a perpetual conservation easement on the 402-acre property, permanently prohibiting subdivision and residential development and guaranteeing that the heart of Clover Valley will remain protected open space – forever.
“Being able to save this valley from subdivision and development is a huge win for our environment, our community, and for current and future generations,” said Darlington. “Placer Land Trust is so grateful to our everyone who helped protect the heart of Clover Valley forever.”
Clover Valley will provide a valuable learning resource for students of all ages in Placer County. As an outdoor classroom, the valley offers opportunities to learn about local Native American history, study nature, conduct research projects, and much more. This world-class outdoor education space will inspire curiosity, learning, and stewardship among students for years to come.
Home to Native Americans for over 7,000 years, Clover Valley was a major tribal center, and contains over 30 known significant cultural resource sites. The valley also contains critical foraging habitat for the threatened Swainson’s hawk, and another rare and threatened bird species, the California black rail, has been observed in the wetlands along Clover Valley Creek.
Placer Land Trust and Jessup are working with key partners on plans for stewardship and for educational and recreational access, which is required by the terms of the public funding agreements. When guidelines are established for safe, legal and compatible public access, and when additional funding is secured to develop and manage such access, the public will enjoy visiting Clover Valley in ways that align with the protection of the natural and cultural values of the land. In the meantime, Placer Land Trust plans to offer docent-led tours in the newly protected valley later this year.