Royal Gorge Saved: 3,000 Acres at Donner Summit Head for Protection
Two land trusts have agreed to buy the roughly 3,000-acre Royal Gorge property at Donner Summit, ending a stalled plan to build 950 homes across the headwaters of the North Fork American River.
American River Canyon Alliance
One of the most consequential conservation deals in our watershed's story just came together at Donner Summit.
The North Fork American River Alliance reports that the Truckee Donner Land Trust and The Trust for Public Land reached an agreement to purchase the Royal Gorge property. The parcel covers roughly 3,000 acres at Donner Summit. It is a rare block of high country at the very top of our river system.
The land had been targeted for development. A proposed 950-home project was planned for the site. That project went into foreclosure, and the two land trusts moved to acquire the property.
For those of us who care about the American River canyons, the stakes were plain. Most of the proposed development would have sat inside the North Fork American River watershed. The plan even called for dams on the land. Building on that scale, so close to the headwaters, would have reshaped the water that flows down to us.
Protecting Royal Gorge keeps that high country open instead. It safeguards the source, not just the canyon walls downstream.
This is a reminder of how connected the whole basin is. Decisions made at Donner Summit reach every mile of the North Fork below. We are grateful to the North Fork American River Alliance for tracking this work, and to the land trusts carrying it forward. Read their full account at nfara.org.