Almost There! Outdoor Classroom for Quincy's Kids
Thanks to the Rick and Tiffany Leonhardt Family, a generous local donor, and a state grant, FRLT will soon purchase the Leonhardt Learning Landscape in Quincy.
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May 4, 2011: Landowner Rick Leonhardt, with Paul Hardy and
Jason Moghaddas, signs the option contract to sell the
Leonhardt Learning Landscape to FRLT. |
Good news! Today the Feather River Land Trust is a giant step closer to purchasing the Leonhardt Learning Landscape. The 42-acre property just across the street from Quincy Jr./Sr. High School will provide a unique, living classroom for students of all ages, for generations to come.
Learning Landscapes is a unique partnership among FRLT, regional schools, and local landowners to conserve natural "outdoor classrooms" within a 10-minute walk of every public school in the Feather River Watershed and to support their educational use.
With the Leonhardt property just a short walk from both the high school and Quincy Elementary, students will have hands-on learning and stewardship experience with the property's extensive meadow, riparian, and wetland habitats. These habitats support a diversity of native fish, frogs, birds, and other wildlife including Sierra Nevada mountain beavers, nesting sandhill cranes, and unique songbirds like the willow flycatcher and yellow-breasted chat.  | |
The Leonhardt Family on the QHS Learning Landscape at dawn.
Photo by Shannon Morrow. |
In March, FRLT was approved for funding from CalTrans to purchase the ranch. Even prior to the purchase, Rick and Tiffany Leonhardt signed an MOU with FRLT to allow educational use for local school children. Now we can ensure that the Learning Landscape is protected forever. The new sense of ownership is already making a difference. Since hearing the news about the CalTrans grant, Learning Landscapes Coordinator Rob Wade shares, "I took 55 kids out on the Leonhardt Ranch today. I had the opportunity to break the good news to a group of 6th graders who will have six more years of education and stewardship on that land. It definitely impacted our time out there."
And kids won't be the only ones who will benefit. FRLT plans to work with local trails groups and the Quincy Community Services District to extend Quincy's bike path across the property to Spanish Creek and Gansner Park, providing a 3-mile recreation loop. The property is a fantastic place to watch birds.
Funding for the $300,000 purchase will come from the CalTrans Environmental Enhancement Mitigation Program and a generous donation from Cindy and Grant Edwards of Quincy, with a significant bargain sale donation from the Leonhardt Family. We anticipate closing the purchase by September. We are truly grateful and excited for our community!
Thank you and stay tuned!
Paul Hardy
Executive Director
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strategically important lands in the Feather River region, and to steward their
ecological and cultural values for current and future generations.
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