The Truckee Donner Land Trust has announced the 691-acre acquisition at the headwaters of Carpenter Valley outside Truckee, according to an email from the Trust.
Surrounded on three sides by peaks rising to nearly 9,000 feet, the property is remarkably pristine, remaining intact for a variety of wildlife that rely on the connected habitat between the Sierra Crest and the meadows in Carpenter Valley. It was under private ownership for more than a century by a family that prioritized stewardship of the natural landscape, according to the Land Trust website.
The property includes a beautiful seasonal waterfall that can be seen from afar on Red Mountain, granite cliffs, mixed-conifer forests and riparian habitat. Containing two streams that form the headwaters of Prosser Creek, this property is critical for protecting the watershed and the health of the meadows of Lower Carpenter Valley downstream. Recently wolves and a wolverine have been spotted in the vicinity.
For now, Upper Carpenter Valley is accessible via cross-country travel from Warren Lake along the Sierra Crest in summer – or by a ski down from the Land Trust’s Frog Lake Backcountry Huts in winter. The property is not accessible through Lower Carpenter Valley. There is private property between the two parcels and trespassing is forbidden. The Land Trust plans to create better access from Frog Lake and Red Mountain to Upper Carpenter Valley in the future. | truckeedonnerlandtrust.org
