Sierra Foothill Conservancy

My significant other and I aren’t members, but our good friends are. This weekend, we attended a hike/​class at the McKenzie Preserve. What a great time we had. I can’t say enough good things about it!
The class was led by a geologist, a biologist and an anthropologist. All teach or have taught at Fresno City College. Their collective knowledge was enough to make my head spin. I’m currently in school and would love to have even a tiny bit of their knowledge of the land and people who lived here.
We hiked to the top of Table Mountain, stopping all along the way to examine the geology, plants and animals, and artifacts of the Native Americans who called this beautiful place home.
I learned so much that I want to write everything down before I forget it! We saw golden eagles, which I didn’t even know lived here! We examined plants, and found out which were edible and of course, tasted them! We studied the land features and learned about how the famous «tables» were created. (Geology geek moment: there was an ancient river that flowed here, and it was then filled in with lava from volcanic eruptions. The hard volcanic rock withstood weathering, while the softer material eroded away. Fascinating, no?)
I have no idea how long the actual hike took. We all had a great time and took our time stopping along the way. When we finally made it to the top, the view was breathtaking-​Sierra Nevadas to the east, Millerton Lake to the west. I took about 426,567 pictures.
Then we stopped to examine a vernal pool and searched for the tiny creatures that call it home. I’ve never seen a vernal pool before and it was fascinating.
The Conservancy is a group of people who have bought land to preserve as it was years ago. These areas will never be built up, never become tract homes and won’t have highways going through them. Their cause is noble and I look forward to attending other classes and hikes they have to offer. If you love nature and the outdoors, or just learning about the areas you live by, I suggest checking them out.