Join the BLM and California Native Plant Society for spring tours at the Pine Hill Preserve

EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management and the El Dorado Chapter of the California Native Plant Society will offer free public guided bird tours and guided plant tours beginning in April at the Pine Hill Preserve. The tours will run from Saturday, April 13 through Sunday, May 26. There is a limit of 20 participants for each of the tours. To sign up for a tour, please visit the El Dorado Chapter of the CNPS website.    

“We are excited to provide an educational and fun way for hikers to experience nature at the Pine Hill Preserve,” says Mother Lode Field Manager Jeff Horn. “Volunteers and staff will be on hand to make this a memorable experience for all who attend.” 

Led by volunteer naturalists, each plant tour will focus primarily on the plants growing within the chaparral and oak woodland ecosystems of the Pine Hill Preserve, but will also include information about wildlife, pollinators, and geology.  

Tour locations vary per hike. Registered participants will be notified of where to meet with a confirmation email sent upon sign-up for each tour. Sturdy shoes, hat, water, a lunch or snacks, sunscreen, and insect repellant are strongly encouraged. For specific questions, please call the Mother Lode Field Office at 916-941-3101. 

Tour dates are as follows: 

• Saturday, April 13 – Cameron Park Unit Plant Hike 

• Saturday, April 20 - Kanaka Valley Bird Hike  

• Tuesday, April 23 – Observe Earth Day week with the BLM. Kanaka Valley Birds and Plants  

• Friday, May 3 – Cameron Park Unit Plant Hike  

• Friday, May 10 – Pine Hill, Plants and Pollinators  

• Sunday, May 26 – Pine Hill Plants  

The Pine Hill Preserve, established in 2001, is cooperatively managed by ten public and private sector agencies and organizations to protect the habitat for a collection of rare plants and plant communities that grow in gabbro soils of the Rescue series in western El Dorado County. Roughly ten percent of California’s native plants are found at the Preserve, which is home to nearly 750 different types of plants, including eight rare species, five of which are federally listed, and all are uniquely native to California. 

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22 to learn about and support environmental protection. Taking part in Earth Day activities supports a healthier environment and place to live for current and future generations.