Blue Point Mine/Black Swan Diggings EquiTrek
Presented by the Bear-Yuba Land Trust, January 2012 The ride started at Blue Point Mine, once one of the richest hydraulic mines in the state - though all that now remains of the multi-million dollar industry are looming escarpments and lush...
Yuba Narrows Ranch Acquisition Approved
Sacramento, Nov. 17 - At their fall meeting, the California Wildlife Conservation Board, in concert with the Trust for Public Lands, voted unanimously to acquire the 528-acre Yuba Narrows Ranch, ensuring that this significant property, with...
Day of Celebration
Friday September 2 was a champagne-popping day at Excelsior! The California Department of Fish and Game is now the proud owner of the Yuba Narrows Ranch, 530 acres along the Yuba River which will now be permanently protected as open space....
In the News and Online
- California Swan Festival: It’s not just for the birds
Chris Kaufman, Appeal-Democrat, November 14, 2015
- A “rewarding project”
Matthew Renda, The Union, Sept. 20, 2012 - Video: Black Swan land the Yuba River, Nevada County, CA
The Union, Sept. 19, 2012
- Land conservation benefits from economic downturn
Peter Fimrite, San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 30, 2011 - Developers’ bust proves a boon for land trusts
Peter Fimrite, San Francisco Chronicle, Oct. 19. 2009 - The Excelsior Project on YouTube
- The Excelsior Project on Facebook – Become a Fan!
- Blog: The Excelsior Chronicles
- Photo Tour of The Excelsior Project – by Peter Rashkin
Additional resources about the region, local history and the environment
- Bear Yuba Land Trust
- Smartsville and Timbuctoo
Extensive excerpt of book by Kathleen Smith and Lane Parker, with many old photos - The Smartsville & Timbuctoo Project
- Smartsville Church Restoration Fund
- Calling Back the Salmon: Tsi Akim Maidu Tribe Celebrates Indigenous Peoples Days
- Giant Gold Machines – Hydraulic Mining
“Nature here reminds one of a princess fallen into the hands of robbers who cut off her fingers for the jewels she wears.” - Hydraulic mining – Wikipedia
- Hydraulic Gold Mining in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains