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Lake County Land Trust marks new year with new developments
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Although 2021 has just begun, the start of the new year brings to completion some of the projects the Lake County Land Trust put into motion in 2020, despite the pandemic.
The first, a monolith installed at Rabbit Hill by Marcus Maria Jung in June, was the outcome of the LOCUS grant awarded to the Middletown Art Center from the National Endowment of the Arts, which supported community workshops to install public art.
The Middletown Art Center, or MAC, selected the Lake County Land Trust’s Rabbit Hill because of its location in central Middletown; its juxtaposition with Middletown Trailside Park, the site of the EcoArts trail; and the idea that a sculpture placed at Rabbit Hill could be symbolic of the resilience and rejuvenation of both nature and a community after a devastating wildfire.
Jung’s structure, tentatively entitled “Animate Earth - Gateway to the Sky - 2021,” is now complete with four pine benches placed in consideration of the four directions.
A beckoning entranceway consists of rock found on-site, placed in a cascading fashion along the sides of a set of railroad tie steps nestled into the hillside at the top of Rabbit Hill.
At different intervals, the artist worked alongside Stan Archacki, Denis Sullivan, Glenneth Lampert, Francis Hornback, Lorindra Moonstar and MAC’s LOCUS students and volunteers in placing and securing the structures.
“One of the Lake County Land Trust’s favorite aspects of Rabbit Hill is the community’s enjoyment of the spot, and their sense of ownership of it,” said Melissa Kinsel, development director for the Lake County Land Trust. “They treat it as if it were an extension of their own backyards, walking through it, relaxing, and taking care of it. Rabbit Hill matters to Middletown residents and they take good care of it.”
Jung’s work and his description of it add to the new narrative of Rabbit Hill: “This installation is an invitation to the local community and visitors to come together and gather in a timeless space in the heart and soul of the land around us. The sky opens up as we come to share our prayers and offerings with this site, the land and the greater world. In return we receive the bountiful blessings of nature and the wisdom of the earth in all her beauty.”
Lisa Kaplan, executive and artistic director at MAC added, “The LOCUS project as a whole commemorates place, the resilience of flora and fauna lost to fire, where we are now as a community, and the vision we have for our future.”
Rabbit Hill Preserve is located at 21281 Stewart Street in Middletown, and is open to visitors and their leashed dogs from dawn to dusk.
New boardwalk at Rodman Preserve
A 216-foot-long redwood boardwalk was completed at the Rodman Preserve that will enable the Land Trust to lead its popular guided nature walks at the preserve even during the rainy season.
A portion of the trail is below lake level and gets swamped most years when the rains are heavy. This new elevated walkway will prevent this section from being impassable.
Funds for the new boardwalk came from the Rose Foundation, through its Cal Wildlands grant program.
Lumber and materials were purchased locally, and social-distanced volunteers including Bill Lincoln, Bob Schoenherr, Roberta Lyons, Val Nixon and Erica Lundquist met four times to cut, carry, install and secure the footings, framing and walkway planks.
A crew of 10 AmeriCorps volunteers who were isolating as a team and working on projects at Anderson March and Clear Lake State Park also pitched in to help for a day, completing in a day what would have normally taken three.
“When this is all over, we’ll have to have a toast with our supporters on the new boardwalk. We’re really looking forward to its debut. It’s remarkable what can be accomplished with a few dedicated volunteers even during a pandemic,” said Land Trust President Val Nixon.
Despite COVID-19 restrictions, a limited staff is on hand to open the preserve for self-guided walks on Tuesdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Interested parties are encouraged to call ahead to 707-262-0707 to ensure the gate is unlocked.
The Lake County Land Trust was founded in 1994 with the goal to protect and preserve important natural habitats and wild land areas of Lake County.
The Rodman Preserve, located on Westlake Drive off of the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff, is the organization's flagship property and also features a small nature center. The preserve totals over 200 acres and is home to a variety of flora and fauna. The Land Trust owns four properties in fee title and holds three conservation easements. One of its main efforts is to protect and preserve the remaining natural habitat on the shores of Clear Lake.
For more information about the Land Trust go to www.lakecountylandtrust.org.