I moved to Springville eight years ago. The day I arrived, I met a girl who sang at a wednesday night event hosted by Gary and Barbara at River Ridge Ranch. I started singing and playing guitar there shortly thereafter.
For the next seven years, River Ridge was my connection to our local community. Virtually everyone I know in Springville, I met there.
River Ridge Ranch IS the community in our little town. It attracts the intellectual elite of the region, and provides a forum for sharing optimism that is lately in short supply. I suppose that Music Night has little to do with conservation, but the kind of people that go there are the kind of people that understand that climate change caused by human activity poses a threat to our planet. We need this kind of community.
Les Pinter
I live just about 4 miles away from River Ridge. Since the beginning our family has been involved with the work they do. I have volunteered for Trout in the Classroom, which introduces school children from all over the San Joaquin Valley to the foothills, and the watershed above and below. The opportunity to get out and see the environment surrounding River Ridge is surprisingly rare for many of our valley children and adults.
We also have availed ourselves of the many free events -music with both local and visiting musicians, the Fall Foothills Festival (again an event with many educational and fun booths and activities focusing on plants, animals, and the environment), and more.
There are opportunities to hike, do bird watching, build bird nest boxes, help with removal of non-native weeds, and simply be there to assist in many activities.
One of our favorites is the annual New Years Day hike, open to everyone, where we observe changes from year to year, and listen to the experts on climate change, forestry and foothill land management, and just take advantage of this wonderful program.