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Places We Protect

River Fork Ranch

Nevada

Snow-capped mountains reflected in the still water of the Carson River.
River Fork Ranch Carson Carson River at River Fork Ranch near Genoa, NV © Simon Williams/The Nature Conservancy

TNC has protected 805 acres of important floodplain at this working cattle ranch where sustainable grazing practices help provide habitat.

Viewing

Overview

Description

TNC secured the long-term protection of key wetland, meadow and riparian habitats along a two-mile section of the Carson River by purchasing the River Fork Ranch in 2000. Located where the east and west forks of the Carson River meet near Genoa, River Fork Ranch is both a nature preserve and a working cattle operation. The ranch’s riparian corridor and patchwork of pastures, meadows and wetlands support a robust and diverse wildlife population including bald eagles, sandhill cranes, leopard frogs, monarch butterflies and mule deer.

What We're Doing

Floodplain Protection: By giving rivers room to swell beyond their banks in times of high flow, undeveloped floodplains reduce flood risk to communities downstream while allowing groundwater aquifers to recharge and natural water purification processes to function. River Fork Ranch permanently protects more than 800 acres of floodplain at the confluence of the East and West Forks of the Carson River.

Habitat Restoration: A legacy of unrestricted grazing, irrigation diversions and dredging of the river channel resulted in degraded ecological conditions including impaired alluvial function, conversion to exotic plant species and reduced riparian viability. Active restoration work is ongoing at River Fork Ranch to reverse these effects, enhance important riparian, meadow and wetland habitat and create conditions that allow for natural processes including overbank flow and channel migration.

Contractors and volunteers have created nearly 40 acres of emergent marsh, wet meadow and riparian habitat along the East Brockliss Slough and West Fork of the Carson River at River Fork Ranch. When re-vegetation efforts fully take root, the native plants will help filter pollutants, reduce bank erosion and provide important habitat for the preserve’s incredible diversity of wildlife.

In addition to our traditional restoration efforts, we are bringing conservation and art together at our River Fork Ranch Preserve in an innovative partnership with the Center for Art + Environment at the Nevada Museum of Art, for a project called The Nature of Art, to benefit nature with living watershed sculptures. 

Sustainable Agriculture: Before TNC purchased River Fork Ranch, the property had supported cattle for over a century. Today TNC is partnering with Ranch One, Carson Valley’s historic first ranch, to ensure that this classic western ranching landscape endures. Ranch One raises all-natural grass-fed beef at River Fork Ranch using sustainable methods that meet both agricultural and conservation objectives. A rest-rotational grazing plan and exclusion of livestock from the ranch’s sensitive riparian and wetland areas protects wildlife habitat; keeping the ranch in production and selling local beef benefits the community.

Access

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Highlights

Hiking, trail running, picnicking, wildlife viewing, nature photography and more.

Explore our work in Nevada

The following are prohibited at River Fork Ranch Preserve:

  • Dogs
  • Motor vehicles
  • Camping
  • Hunting or discharging of firearms
  • Dumping of waste
  • Removal of plants

Public access: The trail system at River Fork Ranch provides an unprecedented opportunity to access the Carson River, visit its wetland and wet meadow habitats and see TNC's restoration work first-hand. Interpretive signage on the deck of the Whit Hall Interpretive Center gives visitors access to the preserve's story and demonstrates a more sustainable way of life in the Carson Valley and beyond. See a map of the trails system. Fishing is allowed if you have a fishing license. 

The Whit Hall Interpretive Center

The Whit Hall Interpretive Center is the hub of TNC's community outreach and education efforts along the Carson River. The Whit Hall Interpretive Center is open for school visits and other scheduled events and activities throughout the year.

Taking advantage of Nevada’s abundant sunshine, the Whit Hall Interpretive Center uses both active and passive solar technology. Photovoltaic cells directly convert sunlight into electricity, solar panels heat our hot water and strategically placed triple-pane windows provide natural lighting for interior spaces.

Did you know that cattail-filled wetlands are natural water purifiers? The Whit Hall Interpretive Center uses a fully lined and specially constructed wetland to mimic this natural purification process. This relatively inexpensive and environmentally friendly method of treating wastewater also provides valuable wetland habitat for native wildlife.

Throughout northern Nevada’s frigid winters and sizzling summers, the temperature a few feet underground is remarkably constant. Using passive geothermal technology to take advantage of the moderating effect of the temperature below the earth’s surface means that we don’t have to use as much energy to heat or cool the Whit Hall Interpretive Center—saving money and conserving resources.

For its holistic approach to design, construction and operations, TNC's Whit Hall Interpretive Center was awarded Platinum certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) by the U.S. Green Building Council. 

A yellow and red building reflected in a silver body of water with trees along its banks.
Whit Hall Interpretive Center The Whit Hall Interpretive Center is the hub of The Nature Conservancy’s community outreach and education efforts along the Carson River. © Chip Carroon/TNC
Western pond turtles The Western pond turtle is Nevada's only freshwater turtle. These reptiles live at our River Fork Ranch Preserve in the Carson Valley, but we don’t know much about their habits, movements or histories.In order to learn more about these turtles, we launched a study at River Fork Ranch Preserve—with help from the American Turtle Observatory and Nevada Department of Wildlife–using radio telemetry and genetic analyses. The goal of the study is to evaluate the habitat use, home range, dispersal patterns, population dynamics and genetic source of the pond turtle populations in northwestern Nevada.     © Doug Dill
NV Western pond turtle research The multi-year study is made possible by a cadre of Nature Conservancy citizen scientists who work from the Whit Hall Interpretive Center. The volunteers work side by side with staff from the Nevada Department of Wildlife to follow strict reptile handling protocols to capture and assess the turtles.  The project includes telemetry tracking, genetic sampling and occurrence based surveys. Capturing turtles is no easy task. At River Fork Ranch Preserve, the research team set 100 traps around the 800-acre preserve. Then, they checked the traps every two hours over the course of ten days. Captured pond turtles were marked, measured, weighed and photographed. Scientists also recorded details about each turtle, including health, age and sex. © John T. Humphrey
NV Western pond turtle research telemetry The researchers also fitted 15 of the captured turtles with telemetry transmitters to track their movements. The telemetry units are roughly the size of a person's pinkie finger nail with a 10-inch antenna. The adhesive on the transmitters was camouflaged before the turtles were returned to their habitat. © John T. Humphrey
Western Pond Turtle Research Closeup Based on their preliminary findings, NDOW scientists published a report on the habitats and home ranges of the Western pond turtle in Nevada’s Carson River. © John T. Humphrey
× Western pond turtles The Western pond turtle is Nevada's only freshwater turtle. These reptiles live at our River Fork Ranch Preserve in the Carson Valley, but we don’t know much about their habits, movements or histories.In order to learn more about these turtles, we launched a study at River Fork Ranch Preserve—with help from the American Turtle Observatory and Nevada Department of Wildlife–using radio telemetry and genetic analyses. The goal of the study is to evaluate the habitat use, home range, dispersal patterns, population dynamics and genetic source of the pond turtle populations in northwestern Nevada.     © Doug Dill
× NV Western pond turtle research The multi-year study is made possible by a cadre of Nature Conservancy citizen scientists who work from the Whit Hall Interpretive Center. The volunteers work side by side with staff from the Nevada Department of Wildlife to follow strict reptile handling protocols to capture and assess the turtles.  The project includes telemetry tracking, genetic sampling and occurrence based surveys. Capturing turtles is no easy task. At River Fork Ranch Preserve, the research team set 100 traps around the 800-acre preserve. Then, they checked the traps every two hours over the course of ten days. Captured pond turtles were marked, measured, weighed and photographed. Scientists also recorded details about each turtle, including health, age and sex. © John T. Humphrey
× NV Western pond turtle research telemetry The researchers also fitted 15 of the captured turtles with telemetry transmitters to track their movements. The telemetry units are roughly the size of a person's pinkie finger nail with a 10-inch antenna. The adhesive on the transmitters was camouflaged before the turtles were returned to their habitat. © John T. Humphrey
× Western Pond Turtle Research Closeup Based on their preliminary findings, NDOW scientists published a report on the habitats and home ranges of the Western pond turtle in Nevada’s Carson River. © John T. Humphrey