Keegan Ranch Showcases Its Super Bloom During an Exclusive Wildflower Tour at Bear Valley

Sacramento, Calif – April 23, 2019 –
On Saturday, April 20, over 100 guests stopped to smell the wildflowers during a tour of the Keegan Ranch hosted by California Rangeland Trust and sponsored by Raley’s. Keegan Ranch is a working cattle operation in Colusa County’s famous Bear Valley— an area known for its springtime displays of beautiful blooms.

“It’s one thing to see pictures of ranches or wildflowers on social media, but it’s a whole different experience to admire the beauty of rangelands in person,” said Rangeland Trust CEO Nita Vail. “This tour was extraordinarily special because people were able to form connections to the land, while realizing its vital role in providing all of us with clean air to breathe, fresh water to drink, healthy food to eat, and spectacular viewsheds to cherish.”

The tour kicked off with a hayride through the Keegan Ranch to learn about its rich history and the family that has stewarded it since 1880. Guests were mesmerized with the sight of lush green grasses, showy blankets of blossoming wildflowers, grazing cows on the range, fresh flowing water running down the hillside, and abundant species of wildlife inhabiting the ranch. After the tour, guests returned to the homestead to feast on a nutritious, ranch-style barbeque. Sponsored by Raley’s, this tour is part of the Where Your Food Grows and Grazes program which brings the farm-to-fork movement to life for families to connect to healthy food, the land, and people who produce it.

“Raley’s is passionate about helping people learn where their food comes from and we are proud of the work California Rangeland Trust does to make this education possible,” said Community Relations Manager and Executive Director of Raley’s nonprofit Food for Families, Becca Whitman. “The Keegan family was a tremendous host and we are thankful for the contributions they make to stewarding the land that feeds us.”

Previously recognized by Home and Garden TV and Sunset Magazine, the Keegan Ranch is home to hundreds of species of blossoming wildflowers. People from around the world travel to the ranch every spring for a chance to view the colorful blooms. Thanks to a conservation agreement through the Rangeland Trust that protects the ranch from development, the landscape will remain just as it, forever. “I’m thankful that we have organizations like the California Rangeland Trust that want to preserve valleys like Bear Valley to keep it in ranching country,” said ranch owner Jim Keegan. “It’s going to stay that way for people to enjoy throughout time.”

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Founded in 1998 by a group of innovative cattlemen, California Rangeland Trust works to conserve California’s working ranches that provide stewardship, open space, and natural habitat for future generations. To date, the rangeland trust has conserved nearly 330,000 acres of private rangelands that provide clean air and water, wildlife habitat, healthy food and peaceful viewsheds. The Rangeland Trust’s Where Your Food Grows and Grazes program is made possible by Raley’s and seeks to offer children and families hands-on experiences to learn about agriculture, nutrition, and conservation.