By H.R. Smith
Welcome to Dos Rios Ranch Preserve. What was once dairy farm and almond orchard at the oft-flooded confluence of the Tuolumne and San Joaquin rivers is steadily being restored into 2,100 acres of riparian forest by River Partners. And later this year it will open as California’s first new state park in 15 years.
Our native wildlife, our native butterflies and beetles and bees all lived in that same cultivation space with California people for thousands of years,” said Julie Rentner, an ecologist and the president of River Partners. “They’re all adapted together.