From Vacaville Reporter
By Jason Massad/Staff Writer
TheReporter.Com
Just south of the bustling waterfront town that is Suisun City, lies more than 2,000 acres where an old ranch, the Suisun Marsh and the rolling Montezuma Hills all come together.
Rush Ranch, named after a family that planted roots in Solano County in the 1850s, is nothing short of an anomaly in this busy Bay Area county.
Two miles north of the ranch is Highway 12, which hums with traffic during the morning and afternoon rush hour.
But at Rush Ranch, only a stone's throw from the paved Grizzly Island Road, you could probably hear that rock hit the asphalt if you listened closely enough.
The ranch makes it feel as if you have stepped back in time. There's an old barn with peeling paint, a working blacksmith's shop, a small visitor's center and a timeworn corral of weathered, twisted wood.
Encircling the ranch is a stand of eucalyptus trees. The birds in the canopy above call to each other, and a beckoning trail between the trees leads to a gentle hill that overlooks the entire expanse of the ranch.
Once on top, visitors can see cows grazing in the unseasonably green pastures in the northern portion of the ranch. A dredging ship in the muddy Suisun Slough sits on the horizon, and wildflowers pop up on the grassy areas above the marsh.
"About 150 years ago, there was 100 square miles of marsh," said Don Taynton, a volunteer who leads educational tours on the ranch and is a walking encyclopedia of wildflowers. "Now there's 10 miles left and 1.67 (miles) are on Rush Ranch."
To be sure, there's a lot to absorb at the ranch, which is holding its 16th annual open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today.
The ranch is the crown jewel of roughly 10,000 acres of open space owned by the Solano Land Trust. The ranch was purchased by the trust in 1988 as its first acquisition.
Organizers expect 300 to 500 people at Rush Ranch for today's event, as long as the weather turns out to be as nice as the forecast.
The open house will be a smorgasbord of nature, history and down-home entertainment, organizers say.
Planned are wagon rides with narration about the ranch and its history. There will be old time music and square dancing, wheat weaving, wool spinning, a poetry reading and even art for sale that celebrates the Rush Ranch.
Mike Muir, the great grandson of the legendary California naturalist and explorer John Muir, will bring a horse-drawn carriage equipped to take the handicapped on a tour of the property.
The event will have a pioneer-day atmosphere with an artistic twist, said organizers.
"We love to have families coming because we always have stuff for the kids. We really have something for everyone," said Mary Takeuchi, an educational volunteer who helps with programs at the ranch. "The food and soda is fairly priced. It will be cheap day of entertainment."
On Thursday, Taynton gave a guided tour toward the marsh portion of the ranch. While the late rainy season means that the grass has grown unusually high, there are still wildflowers. Purple Salsify, a light purple flower, was a small discovery alongside a mowed path that leads toward the marsh.
All around, tiny white and purple flowers, called wild radishes, swayed in the breeze. Even the state's official flower, the colorful California poppy, grows on the ranch.
For regular visitors, the ranch is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Educational tours associated with the Patwin tribe of Native Americans, the original occupants of the ranch, are regularly scheduled for young school groups.
Taynton pointed out a hut made of dried tule reeds near the marsh that the Patwins would use when the weather turned bad hundreds of years ago.
School children, some who have never ventured too far out of a city, love the experience, Taynton explained.
"It's definitely a worthwhile experience. They walk away with something they didn't know when they came here."
Jason Massad can be reached at county@thereporter.com.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Rush Ranch gets preservation grant
From Daily Republic
By Barry Eberling
FAIRFIELD - California is giving $500,000 to help build a nature/research center at the Rush Ranch open space preserve in Suisun Marsh.
The state Coastal Conservancy awarded the money at its Thursday meeting in Ventura. The money will be combined with $500,000 from the National Estuarine Research Reserve Center.
Construction could cost $1.2 million, Solano Land Trust Executive Director Marilyn Farley said. The Coastal Conservancy grant is a key piece.
"I won't say it's the final piece, but it's very close," Farley said.
She expects construction to begin this summer.
The 2,070-acre Rush Ranch is located on Grizzly Island Road a few miles south of Suisun City. It stretches from the tule-lined Suisun Marsh sloughs to grassy upland hills.
Researchers would be able to stay at the proposed nature center. The center would include exhibits on the research. It would have a classroom that could also be used for meetings and other gatherings.
Power for the nature center is to come from a wind turbine and solar panels, given that rural Rush Ranch has no electricity.
"For anyone who wants to understand the history of the North Bay marshlands or to enjoy their sights, sounds and smells, Rush Ranch is a must-visit," Coastal Conservancy Chairman Douglas Bosco said in a press release.
"The ranch's new nature center will serve many thousands of school children and others who would like to know more about this spectacular natural environment and the people who live there."
The Land Trust bought the land in 1988 with a $1.5 million Coastal Conservancy grant. Since then, the Coastal Conservancy has provided $400,000 for Rush Ranch improvement, not counting the nature center grant.
Reach Barry Eberling at 425-4646 Ext. 232 or at beberling@dailyrepublic.net.
By Barry Eberling
FAIRFIELD - California is giving $500,000 to help build a nature/research center at the Rush Ranch open space preserve in Suisun Marsh.
The state Coastal Conservancy awarded the money at its Thursday meeting in Ventura. The money will be combined with $500,000 from the National Estuarine Research Reserve Center.
Construction could cost $1.2 million, Solano Land Trust Executive Director Marilyn Farley said. The Coastal Conservancy grant is a key piece.
"I won't say it's the final piece, but it's very close," Farley said.
She expects construction to begin this summer.
The 2,070-acre Rush Ranch is located on Grizzly Island Road a few miles south of Suisun City. It stretches from the tule-lined Suisun Marsh sloughs to grassy upland hills.
Researchers would be able to stay at the proposed nature center. The center would include exhibits on the research. It would have a classroom that could also be used for meetings and other gatherings.
Power for the nature center is to come from a wind turbine and solar panels, given that rural Rush Ranch has no electricity.
"For anyone who wants to understand the history of the North Bay marshlands or to enjoy their sights, sounds and smells, Rush Ranch is a must-visit," Coastal Conservancy Chairman Douglas Bosco said in a press release.
"The ranch's new nature center will serve many thousands of school children and others who would like to know more about this spectacular natural environment and the people who live there."
The Land Trust bought the land in 1988 with a $1.5 million Coastal Conservancy grant. Since then, the Coastal Conservancy has provided $400,000 for Rush Ranch improvement, not counting the nature center grant.
Reach Barry Eberling at 425-4646 Ext. 232 or at beberling@dailyrepublic.net.
Suisun's City Hall wants go-ahead to develop land
From Daily Republic
By Ian Thompson
SUISUN CITY - Suisun City Hall is asking the City Council Tuesday for the green light to look for developers interested in putting a business on the vacant land next to the city's post office.
Several developers have expressed interest in the 8.3 acres located behind the Suisun City Post Office and City Hall wants to get specific proposals from them for what to put on the site.
This is part of Suisun City's efforts to get much of its vacant commercial land developed for businesses that will generate sales tax money the city badly needs.
The City Council is waiting for a study to be completed on what the best revenue-generating uses would be for this and other parcels scattered across the city.
A week ago, the council approved allowing the Old Town area's master developer, Main Street West Partners, to go ahead with putting up three buildings for retail businesses and offices on Solano Street just west of Main Street.
The Suisun City Council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Suisun City Council chamber at 701 Civic Center Blvd.
Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.
By Ian Thompson
SUISUN CITY - Suisun City Hall is asking the City Council Tuesday for the green light to look for developers interested in putting a business on the vacant land next to the city's post office.
Several developers have expressed interest in the 8.3 acres located behind the Suisun City Post Office and City Hall wants to get specific proposals from them for what to put on the site.
This is part of Suisun City's efforts to get much of its vacant commercial land developed for businesses that will generate sales tax money the city badly needs.
The City Council is waiting for a study to be completed on what the best revenue-generating uses would be for this and other parcels scattered across the city.
A week ago, the council approved allowing the Old Town area's master developer, Main Street West Partners, to go ahead with putting up three buildings for retail businesses and offices on Solano Street just west of Main Street.
The Suisun City Council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Suisun City Council chamber at 701 Civic Center Blvd.
Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.
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