Sacramento – The California State Lands Commission (Commission), as Trustee of the Kapiloff Land Bank, announced today that it has completed an acquisition of 11 acres of waterfront property along the American River in the heart of the American River Parkway. This acquisition will facilitate a new public recreation and education nature center at Sacramento’s Camp Pollock, an area along the parkway that has long been inaccessible to the public.
The goal of the Parkway is to provide, protect and enhance for public use a continuous open space greenbelt along the American River extending from the Sacramento River to Folsom Dam. This property was one of only a few parcels remaining in private ownership in the Parkway. The lands were acquired as Public Trust Lands by the Commission to help promote public access, conservation of natural resources, education and recreation. The Commission has also entered into a 25 year lease agreement with the Sacramento Valley Conservancy to manage the property to provide these public benefits, including building interpretive trails and adding facilities for kayakers, bicyclists, hikers and school groups.
The lands were purchased from the Golden Empire Council of the Boy Scouts of America, which has operated on the lands since the 1920s. The scouts built a lodge structure for meetings and events in the 1920s that holds 150 people and provided camping and other outdoor education and recreational opportunities for nearly 90 years.
The Commission worked with the North Sacramento Land Company, the Sacramento Valley Conservancy and the County of Sacramento to complete the transfer. All management activities that occur on the property will meet the guidelines of the American River Parkway Plan to preserve and protect the natural resources, and to provide appropriate access and facilities, so that present and future generations can enjoy the amenities and resources of the Parkway.
####