Our Mission
To preserve the beauty and biodiversity of the earth and to provide programs so that children may know the wonder and joy of nature.
The Preserve System
Our growing preserve system safeguards forests, deserts, mountains, rivers, and coastlines through permanent land conservation and active stewardship.
Conservation Projects
Beyond our preserves, we lead and support conservation initiatives that protect connected landscapes, wildlife corridors, rivers, and public lands.
AP Ranch Acquisition
This 14,177-acre acquisition in Siskiyou County, CA will expand Beaver Valley Headwaters Preserve to more than 20,000 acres.
Wild Cherry Canyon
More than 2,000 acres on California's central coast in San Luis Obispo County.
All Acquisition Projects
Explore our current land acquisition projects and learn how you can help conserve land for future generations.
Rewilding Nature
Across the West, rivers have been dammed and diverted, wildlife corridors severed, and native species pushed to the brink. Explore our work to restore wildness and ecological balance.
Visit a Preserve
Our preserve system welcomes more than 1.5 million visitors each year to protected forests, deserts, mountains, rivers, wetlands, and coastlines across California and Utah, with preserves and programs open to the public free of charge.
Community Programs & Events
From guided hikes to photography workshops to summer activities for kids, The Wildlands Conservancy's free community programs & events offer something for everyone.
School Field Trips
Free field-trip programs give students hands-on outdoor learning experiences that foster curiosity, scientific discovery, and a deeper connection to the natural world.
About The Wildlands Conservancy
About Us
Our Core Principles & Beliefs
Meet Our Team
Career Opportunities
Join the Wildlands team.
Our Financials
The financial information provided here is derived from our audited financial statements.
Rana Creek Preserve
With its iconic California oak woodland landscape, a journey through Rana Creek Preserve is like going back in time before highway traffic, strip malls, and power lines marred coastal California.
Wind Wolves Preserve
Wind Wolves Preserve is in an ecologically unique region where the Transverse Ranges, Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, western Mojave Desert and San Joaquin Valley influences converge.
Mission Creek Preserve
Located in a transition zone between the Sonoran and Mojave deserts, the 4,760-acre Mission Creek Preserve has a rich species composition with flora and fauna representing both deserts.
Pioneertown Mountains Preserve
The 25,500-acre Pioneertown Mountains Preserve descends from the high piney 7,800-foot ridges into the Pioneertown Valley.
Whitewater Preserve
Whitewater Preserve is 2,246 acres surrounded by the Bureau of Land Management’s San Gorgonio Wilderness and includes the year-round Whitewater River.
Two Rivers Preserve
Two Rivers Preserve is an awe-inspiring landscape within an ancient volcanic caldera full of glacial moraines, river-carved canyons, mountain meadows, and grand vistas of the Sierra Nevada and Sweetwater Mountains.
West Walker River Preserve
Situated in the Antelope Valley farming community, just off highway 395 in the Eastern Serra town of Coleville
Eel River Canyon Preserve
Given its location along the Grand Canyon of the Eel river, where the National Wild and Scenic Eel River carves its way through a deep and wild gorge
Emerald Waters Reserve
The 3,036-acre Emerald Waters Reserve is split between Humboldt and Trinity Counties and fronts on the Eel River for 4.5 miles.
Spyrock Reserve
The 5,832-acre Spyrock Reserve has five miles of frontage on the National Wild and Scenic Eel River in Mendocino County.
Beaver Valley Headwaters Preserve
The 6,094-acre Beaver Valley Headwaters Preserve in Siskiyou County protects two-and-a-half miles of the East Fork Scott River, providing habitats for Coho salmon, king salmon, and steelhead trout.
Eel River Estuary Preserve & Sounding Seas Dunes Reserve
The southern estuary of the Eel River in Humboldt County contains a diverse array of habitats and a grand arena of life
Seawood Cape Preserve
Seawood Cape encompasses 128 acres including almost a mile of California’s world famous rugged rocky coastline that is replete with barking sea lions and basking harbor seals.
Bearpaw Reserve
Bearpaw Reserve is 600 acres of steep, spectacular mountains with a seasonal 110-foot waterfall. Vegetation includes incense cedars, ponderosa and coulter pine, chaparral, and oracle oaks.
Bluff Lake Reserve
Located at 7,600 feet, Bluff Lake Reserve has towering pines, a 20-acre lake, a meadow, and majestic outcrops of quartz monzonite.
Galena Peak Wilderness Reserve
In 2018, The Wildlands Conservancy separated the 1,280-acre Galena Ridge from its Oak Glen Preserve, positioning this rugged rocky landscape to be managed like the adjoining San Gorgonio Wilderness.
Oak Glen Preserve
Nestled in a glen, situated at 5,024 feet, in the shadow of 8,700-foot Wilshire Peak, lies The Wildlands Conservancy’s 909-acre Oak Glen Preserve.
Estero Americano Coast Preserve
Acquired by The Wildlands Conservancy in 2015 through a visionary public-private partnership—including the State Coastal Conservancy, Sonoma County Ag + Open Space, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Sonoma Land Trust, and individual donors.
Jenner Headlands Preserve
Jenner Headlands is a spectacular 5,630-acre mosaic of redwood and Douglas-fir forests, oak woodland, chaparral and coastal prairie overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Mariposa Reserve
The 800-acre Mariposa Reserve is a habitat reserve surrounded by the Cleveland National Forest. It represents the best grassland and sycamore savanna in the north end of the forest.
Santa Margarita River Trail Preserve
In 2018, The Wildlands Conservancy acquired five miles of the oak- and sycamore-shaded Santa Margarita River, one of the last free-flowing wild rivers in Southern California and the southernmost range of steelhead trout.
Enchanted Rocks Preserve
Thousand-foot-high cliffs splashed with orange, white, purple, and red tower above the John Day River as it winds through iconic landscapes graced with western junipers, herds of Rocky Mountain elk, and the verdant canyons of its many tributaries.
Speaking Springs Preserve
Cottonwood Wash carves an ancient, 42-mile pathway from the towering Abajo Mountains to the historic San Juan River.
Explore the Preserve System Map
Use our interactive map to plan your next preserve visit.
Explore Free Programs
Find free programs near you. From guided hikes to workshops, we offer something for everyone.
Donate Online
Our mission: To preserve the beauty and biodiversity of the earth and to provide programs so that children may know the wonder and joy of nature. Together, we can protect the land, heal the wild, and keep nature free for everyone.
Donate
All the Ways to Give
Since 1995, the generosity of The Wildlands Conservancy’s supporters has enabled us to call people back to the beauty, wonder, and inspiration of the natural world through outdoor education and the stewardship of some of California’s most remarkable and important landscapes.
Volunteer
Whether your passion is restoration or outdoor education, or you have a day to spare or a few hours a week, there’s a volunteer opportunity available for you to get involved and make a difference not just at your favorite preserve, but in your community.
Get News & Stories
From land acquisitions to rewilding projects to a child's first time in the wild — we share the work when there's something worth sharing. Join the Mailing List to get updates.
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Career Opportunities
Looking to join our team? Explore current opportunities with The Wildlands Conservancy.
Overview
The 800-acre Mariposa Reserve is a habitat reserve surrounded by the Cleveland National Forest. It represents the best grassland and sycamore savanna in the north end of the forest.
Important habitats include chaparral, coastal sage scrub, valley needle grass, sycamore riparian woodland, coast live oak riparian forests, and rock cliffs and outcroppings.
The reserve is important to many imperiled birds and is often traveled by mountain lions.
There are abundant displays of spring wildflowers dominated by mariposa lilies, blur-eyed grass and owl’s clover. Bedrock mortars, found in the Reserve’s rock outcroppings, are a grand place to sit on a boulder and look at a vast vista, contemplating the Native Americans who ground the live oak acorns into flour in times past.
Plan Your Visit
Contact The Preserve
Preserve Access
Accessible daily by foot, mountain bike, and horse. Park at the gate at the end of Black Star Canyon Road and proceed up the dirt road.
Admission
Free
Getting Here
Blackstar Canyon Trailhead
13333 Black Star Canyon Rd.
Silverado, CA 92676
Things to Do
Hiking
Dogs on Leash
Birdwatching
Biking
Wildlife Viewing
Wildflower Viewing
Amenities
Prohibitions
Fire of Any Kind
Hunting or Shooting
Alcohol or Smoking
Collecting
Drones
Off Highway Vehicles
Camping
Safety
Mountain Lion
Rattlesnake
Poison Oak
No Potable Water
CONSERVATION OUTCOMES
The acquisition of this property was going to be abandoned by another land trust when the surrounding Cleveland National Forest rejected taking title to the property.
The Forest Service rejected a proposed conservation easement prohibiting activities such as mining, logging, hunting, grazing and off-roading. Wildlands, appreciative of the goals of the conservation easement, stepped in and took fee title to the property to prevent the abandonment of this funded acquisition.
Make an Impact
Access to Nature is a Birthright
Our preserves are open every day, free of charge, to everyone. No barriers, no fees, no exceptions. Your gift helps us keep it that way.
Preserves
Explore More Preserves
Santa Margarita River Trail Preserve
Fallbrook, CA
Oak Glen Preserve
Oak Glen, CA
Whitewater Preserve
Whitewater, CA
Wind Wolves Preserve
Bakersfield, CA
Newsletter
Nature Unfolds: Stories & Scenes from the Wildlands
We protect land, restore ecosystems, and make sure everyone can experience the wild. When there’s something worth sharing, you’ll hear from us.
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