Group fights for Clover Valley

Family Day a rally for historic land

By: Keith Reid, The Placer Herald
3:10 PM PDT

A group of about 50 people gathered Saturday at Rocklin's Boulder Ridge Park in an effort to rally the cause to save the nearby 622-acre Clover Valley from development.

While rain may have slightly dampened the turnout, the Save Clover Valley Family Day was certainly a hit among the group members as guest speakers, food, an elementary school art display and a wealth of information on the valley's 5,000-year history was presented.

"It's not for us to decide what this land is used for," said Grayson Coney, a representative of the Tsi-Akim Maidu Indian Tribe of Grass Valley, and an instructor of indigenous people's materials and culture. "This land should be preserved and the seventh generation of the indigenous tribe should decide what happens to it."

Guest speakers also included Placer County Supervisor Robert Weygandt, Loomis Councilman Miguel Ucovich, Lincoln Mayor Tom Cosgrove and Sierra College natural science professor Joe Medeiros.

Weygandt presented information regarding Placer Legacy, a program operated by Placer County to acquire and preserve open space. He said Clover Valley, with some help, could become a piece of the Legacy puzzle.

Ucovich suggested the town of Loomis could make a contribution toward a compromise that would be palatable for the Save Clover Valley group, the community at large and the developer.

"I can't speak for the whole town council, but Loomis has some money for parks," Ucovich said. "Land owners have a right to develop. But this isn't about development; it's about what's best for the community. We need to come up with a cooperative agreement where not everybody wins, but not everybody loses."

Rocklin's elected officials drew criticism from the Save Clover Valley crowd, as none of the city council members were present.

"Why wouldn't somebody from the city come? There's nothing to hide," said Doug Elmets, spokesman for the United Auburn Indian Tribe, which has interest in conserving the land. "That's what an elected official does. They come out and speak to both sides of an issue."

Rocklin City Councilman Ken Yorde confirmed being invited. He said prior Rotary Club commitments prevented his presence.

"It's kind of a no-win situation," Yorde said. "The property owners certainly have rights. Residents can try to buy (Clover Valley), but that's going to be expensive."

Clover Valley - a 622-acre site containing Native American  historic sites and 28,000 oak trees - is owned by a development group that is planning to build roughly 650 upscale houses on the land. Clover Valley was annexed into Rocklin in 1998. It has been part of Rocklin's general plan since the early 1980s.

The gated housing development, Clover Valley Lakes, will reportedly also contain an 8-acre commercial site and a two-lane access road. Houses will likely fetch $600,000 to $1.5 million.

Save Clover Valley member Janet Dunlap said she would love to see a cultural center built at Clover Valley instead of homes.

"I don't know what could be done, but it would be great to see a hands-on learning center, where kids could touch and feel the experience the Indian tribes had at Clover Valley," Dunlap said. "I think it would be great if this beautiful land could be preserved as open space."