Nature Preserve Opens Near Sacramento

A 130-acre nature preserve near Sacramento opens to visitors Saturday. The Cache Creek Nature Preserve has about 30 acres of wetlands, a riparian area along Cache Creek, one of the region’s largest stands of valley oaks and farm buildings more than a century old. Entry is free, but reservations are required.

Among the wildlife in the preserve are deer, rabbits, river otters, beavers and many birds--including snowy egrets, great blue herons, Canada geese, wood ducks, mallards and red-tailed hawks. An Audubon Society representative counted 53 species of birds there in one visit, according to Jan Lowrey, executive director of the Cache Creek Conservancy. The private, nonprofit conservancy runs the preserve in cooperation with Yolo County.

The farm buildings contain displays on local agriculture, and there are also several hiking trails on the land, which was donated to the county in 1998 by the A. Teichert & Son Inc. mining company. Tours take about 1 1/2 hours, Lowrey said. The preserve is near Woodland, about a half-hour drive northwest of Sacramento. To reserve a tour, call (530) 661-1070.