Sierra Foothill Conservancy

06/11/2026

We’re buzzing with excitement as we prepare for our Art + Nature Day Camp, kicking off June 15! 🐝 If your camper is signed up, be sure to check out the parent handbook here 👉 tr.ee/ga0TCltlOb

06/05/2026

Bridget Fithian, SFC's Executive Director, was recently interviewed on ABC Channel 30! She discusses our 30th Anniversary and all of SFC's amazing work in protecting open spaces. Check it out!

The Sierra Foothill Conservancy has been protecting local land for three decades.

06/01/2026

Recently, Bridget Fithian, SFC's Executive Director, attended a youth field trip to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo with Sierra Foothill Charter School where she discovered an installment sponsored by one of our incredible youth education supporters, CalViva Health. Our partnerships mean so very much to us!

05/30/2026

As Spring winds down, this is our LAST CALL for spring photos to be considered in our 2026 Spring Photo Contest! Please send your best pics (extra points for SFC properties) to [email protected] for a chance to win an SFC shirt and to be featured in our media! 📸🌼Photo: Ryan Donnelly, 2025 contest winner!

05/28/2026

William Lamont Dennison, 87, died peacefully at home, with family by his side on March 24, 2026. He was a long-time resident of Tollhouse, California. Bill was one of the original staff at Sierra Foothill Conservancy, giving his time and support to causes that mattered to him and to the land he valued. Bill’s life was defined by service, perseverance, and a quiet sense of humor that brought warmth to those around him. His legacy lives on in the family he loved, the students he taught, and the trails and peaks that forever bear the imprint of his adventurous heart. Bill Esmay, retired SFC Preserve Manager, recalls “When I started with the Conservancy as a volunteer in 2005, we were building fence line from the railbed to the top of Table Mountain. We walked up the side of the mountain carrying a bundle of T-posts and none of us could keep up with Bill. He was 11 years my senior and I could not believe it.” Bill’s absence will be felt heavily by the entire community that he loved and by Sierra Foothill Conservancy staff, board, and members as he made such an impact on everyone around him. Bill’s memorial will be held on Saturday, May 30 at 1:00PM in the Sierra High School Cafeteria.

05/27/2026

On this , we want to highlight an experience with the local environment. Abby Miller, Program Manager & Lead Teaching Artist at Mariposa Arts Council, shared the following with us after touring our Stookey Preserve with the Smithsonian Institute: "I woke up thinking about my bear p**p seed encounter, and realized it wasn't a buckeye - it was a toyon! We only have two toyons growing on our property, including this one, which I found growing in a spot where months prior I had found a large pile of bear p**p. A bear passes through here seasonally, and I am always excited to find evidence (and a couple of actual encounters) in the spring and fall. On our Smithsonian tour, a leader described the seed 'dispersal via digestion by bear', I put it together that maybe a bear was responsible for this baby toyon! I thought that was really cool. I just walked out to check on it. This is probably year two of its growth cycle, and it's doing much better than the one I planted in my garden.

05/22/2026

We thoroughly enjoyed hosting Mariposa Elementary School’s 1st graders on their field trip to our Stookey Preserve! We love helping to shape future stewards of the land!

05/14/2026

This is it folks! Join docents Jen McCollom and Karyn O’Hearn and bring the whole family to meander and hike through this amazing Clark’s Valley Conservation Easement in Jerseydale, near Mariposa. This is an easy exploratory hike – you won’t want to miss this opportunity! Clark’s Valley Conservation Easement a lovely preserve with so much to see. To register, visit https://sierrafoothill.org

05/13/2026

Here is great find by SFC Docent, John McDaniel from our Fine Gold Creek Preserve! Who out there can name it?!

05/09/2026

Sierra Foothill Conservancy is seeking two enthusiastic and community-minded Land Stewardship and Engagement Youth Interns to support SFC’s local conservation efforts in the Mariposa region through a combination of land stewardship, community engagement, and youth programming initiatives. This is a paid internship. Visit sierrafoothill.org for more details and application information.