Name: Oak Watering Volunteer Event
Start: 2025-07-26T08:00:00+00:00
End: 2025-07-26T11:00:00+00:00
Location: Cienega Canyon Preserve

7/2/2025 Longtime Inland Empire conservationist leaves a legacy of protecting the future with nature

In an era of massive urbanization, Shelli Lamb has spent more than four decades leading the transformation of a small government agency in a pivot to empower Inland area communities to be good stewards of the land.

6/5/2025 The concept of a gift economy and its parallel with nature

Recently, I listened to Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book “The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World” knowing I would enjoy it because I love all of Kimmerer’s work. More than this, I knew the metaphor at the core of the book was wrapped around the story of birds and berries. I love birds. I love berries. However, I wasn’t expecting to find myself pondering all that I love and the sheer abundance of these gifts.

6/3/2025 Acorns to Oaks celebrates 10 years of connecting Riverside County students with nature

On November 8, 2024, students from Banning High School’s 9th grade biology classes filed off their school bus. They followed a dirt path at the edge of Cienega Canyon Preserve in Calimesa to meet Rivers & Lands Conservancy staff. It was a cool winter morning, and the kids were subdued and still a little bleary-eyed from the early start to their day.

4/29/25 There’s a land trust near you working on land and water conservation

Land trusts throughout California work locally and in unison to create a network of protected private lands across the state. Federal agencies like the US Forest Service manage more than 45% of California’s land.

4/1/25 Training a red-tailed hawk, falconry bring a balancing perspective

On November 2, 2024, I trapped a juvenile red-tailed hawk and began the process of training. He will likely be returned to the wild after a year or two of guaranteed food, health benefits, and company housing, but he became my partner for the falconry season.

2/27/25 Why Casey’s June beetle habitat conservation in Riverside County deserts is important

An indicator of ecological health of Southern California’s desert landscapes may lie in a beetle smaller than your pinky finger. The Casey’s June beetle not only plays a crucial role in their ecosystem but it also holds the potential to reveal deeper insights into local environmental change and conservation efforts. Why is this small insect so important, and what’s at stake in preserving it?

1/31/25 Bird nesting season is a delicate time for protecting native bird populations

Spring will soon arrive in California ushering in nesting season. During this time, the diverse landscapes of Southern California become sanctuaries for a variety of bird species, each relying on safe, undisturbed spaces to breed, lay eggs and raise their young. It’s also a critical juncture for conservation efforts as the fate of these delicate beings hangs in the balance of our collective actions to preserve their homes.

1/2/25 Experiencing California’s wildlife through the eyes of a first-time visitor

Experiencing California’s iconic wildlife through the eyes of a first-time visitor is a reminder of all we must appreciate and preserve. During presentations and educational programs provided by Rivers & Lands Conservancy, we often tell the community that California is a hotspot of biodiversity. The state is home to more species of plants and animals than any other state in the nation.

12/5/24 The future of conservation lies in working together

Conservation happens on a spectrum. Often when we think about land conservation, we conjure up images of vast wilderness areas like those captured by Ansel Adams’ skilled lens. While these areas are critical to conservation, we need protected lands across the entire conservation spectrum to sustain biodiversity and people. These lands range from home gardens, urban parks and county parks, all the way to national forests and wilderness areas.

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