One of the last wildlife sanctuaries along the Lower American River is in danger of disappearing forever.

The Kassis property in Rancho Cordova is one of the last sizable areas of open space along the American River Parkway. This land is home to the river’s bald eagles, deer, bobcats, foxes, hawks, owls, and many more of the Parkway’s wild residents. Endangered Swainson’s Hawk have been spotted in the vicinity. Fisherman routinely find their way to the base of this property to stand quietly in the pursuit of steelhead. Here is where the wildlife escapes to when the river floods their homes on the American River Parkway.

The City is poised to let Trumark, an out-of-town developer, wipe out a critical refuge for wildlife to build 24 million dollar homes with river views.

The upper 21 acres of the Kassis property adjacent to Folsom Boulevard should be developed, but the lower 20 acres of wildlife habitat along the Lower American River is in the floodplain and must be preserved.

Sign the petition.

Image Source: Summer M. Tribble (daughter of David R. Tribble), CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

October 9, 2020

New deadline: October 25, 2020

The City of Sacramento is asking residents to provide their thoughts on a plan that will outline how parks and related services will grow over the next 20 years.

The Parks Master Plan 2040 will be created by the City’s department of Youth, Parks & Community Enrichment (YPCE) and guide planners in building new parks and recreation facilities, and youth and recreation programs.

“Beautiful parks, robust recreation and enriching programs are critical to our City’s future,” said Park Planning, Design, and Development Manager Raymond Costantino. “We want residents to dream big and feel empowered to help us develop services and facilities that will give Sacramentans a better quality of life for generations to come.”

The City’s department of Youth, Parks & Community Enrichment is asking residents to take an online survey, called a “Maptionnaire,” which is a map-based survey tool that allows people to share their opinions about parks and programs within various Sacramento neighborhoods. The survey is available in English, Hmong, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Public outreach for the plan will continue over the next several months and will include a youth workshop and a photo contest with prizes.

“Another key outreach component will be virtual panels geared toward underrepresented and underserved communities,” Costantino said.

A Parks Master Plan for Sacramento was last updated in 2009. Since then, the department of Youth, Parks & Community Enrichment has undergone many changes – including a name change – to better prioritize Sacramento’s youth services and life-enriching programs for residents of all ages.

The City of Sacramento Parks Master Plan 2040 is expected to be finalized in 2021.