“We’ve been coming down here for years,” said Leslie Sancier on the banks of South Wolf Creek during the opening day of Bear Yuba Land Trust’s Rambler Trail.
Leslie and her husband, Michael Hooker, are the new Trail Adopters of the 0.4 mile Rambler Trail near the community of Alta Sierra.
Residents of Clover Valley Road since 1979, Leslie and Michael raised their three children here and have seen a lot of changes in the neighborhood over time. The family spent so much time playing in the creek looking for wildlife, picking berries and exploring the old abandoned sky blue Rambler, neighbors used to call the kids “creek critters.”
When the Land Trust became owners of the 35 acre Clover Valley Preserve in 2014, Leslie and Michael knew their backyard playground would be in good hands.
For years, Leslie and Michael cleaned up trash dumped over the steep embankment. When volunteers started building a trail at the new preserve, Leslie and Michael jumped at the chance to become official Trail Adopters.
“I was so excited when I saw that the Land Trust got it. We’ve been here so much. We just feel a kinship to this area,” said Leslie.
Learn more about the Land Trust’s Adopt-A-Trail program.