Coloma · El Dorado County · California
Since 1989, American River Conservancy has permanently protected over 30,000 acres of forest, oak woodland, meadow, and watershed in the upper American and Cosumnes Rivers — the slope where the Sierra meets the valley.
What 37 years of land conservation looks like, in numbers
30,000+
Acres permanently protected
Since 1989 across two watersheds
15,000+
Acres ARC actively manages
Stewardship work every week
7,178
Acres at El Dorado Ranch
Future first State Wildlife Area in the county
757 / 272
Salmon Falls Ranch / Wakamatsu Farm
Open to visitors today
Protected lands
A working portfolio of foothill landscapes — from heritage farm to working trail to the largest oak-woodland conservation in El Dorado County.
7,178 acres of blue oak woodland and grassland, acquired in five phases since 2012. The county’s first State Wildlife Area when complete.
Visit the page
Site of the first Japanese colony in the United States, established June 8, 1869. A working farm, learning campus, and pilgrimage in one.
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The trailhead at Salmon Falls Ranch — 757 acres of multi-use trail connecting to the South Fork American River.
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Phase 5 · In progress
Stand on the Phase 5 hilltop and the rolling oak-covered hills seem to go on forever — the single largest area of protected blue oak woodland in the county. We have worked steadfast since 2012 to acquire and permanently protect this 7,178-acre property over five phases. Phase 5 is the last step.
$8.5M
of $14M secured
$5.5M still needed to complete the acquisition.
What we do
Every acre we protect is the start of a relationship — with the land, with the people who love it, with the next generation that inherits it.
Acquire and permanently protect the lands and waters that matter most to the watersheds — and to the two million people who live downstream.
Learn moreRestore meadows, repair trails, monitor water quality, manage forest fuel — the work that keeps protection meaningful year after year.
Learn moreNGSS-aligned field trips at Wakamatsu Farm, Nature Camp every summer, California Naturalist certification, and Climate Stewards.
Learn moreLand stewardship is the recognition of our collective responsibility to retain, manage and enhance the quality and abundance of our land, air, water and biodiversity.
Get involved
Trail workdays at Acorn Creek, river cleanups, participatory science on bluebirds, phenology, water quality, and more.
Learn moreOpen Farm Days at Wakamatsu, the trailhead at Salmon Falls Ranch, weekly hikes and classes — see what 30,000 protected acres look like.
Learn more$50 a year supports the next acquisition, the next workday, the next field trip. Plus a $30 discount on the Acorn Creek annual pass.
Learn moreOrganic-cotton Death Otter apparel, hats, bottles, cedar bluebird boxes, and 45 natural-history books. Every dollar above cost funds the mission.
Learn moreRivers and land — for life.
ARC is a member-supported 501(c)(3) land trust. Every acquisition starts with a conversation, every stewardship project starts with a workday, every donation buys an hour of permanence.
