5 THINGS ABOUT A GARDEN KEPT SECRET FOR A CENTURY

1 MYSTERIOUS MEADOW

A wild meadow hidden from public view for more than a century in California’s Sierra Nevada is opening for tours after it was purchased by conservation groups. The Lower Carpenter Valley land north of Lake Tahoe contains rare carnivorous plants and threatened birds and serves as a migration corridor for other species. “It literally is a secret garden,” said Kathy Englar, the Truckee Donner Land Trust’s development director.

2 SCENIC SETTING

Pink and yellow wildflowers burst from a lush bed of grass. Towering trees and snow- capped mountains encircle the wild meadow, beckoning visitors to a largely untouched piece of the Sierra Nevada. Bird songs and the gurgle of a serpentine creek provide the soundtrack in the meadow less than 13 kilometres miles from noisy Interstate 80. The ground suddenly turns spongy underfoot as visitors step onto a deep bog that has formed along parts of the valley floor.

3 RARE LIFE FORMS

The delicate wetlands are home to rare native sundew, small carnivorous plants that attract insects to sticky residue on their leaves. The North Fork of Prosser Creek is fed by snow and lined by willows and once was home to native Lahontan cutthroat trout, a threatened species that could be reintroduced if no natural population has remains. The willows provide habitat for 40 of the 270 known nesting pairs of willow flycatchers, a small insect- eating bird once was common in the Sierra Nevada.

4 CHERISHED RETREAT

The valley was settled by dairyman William Carpenter and his wife, Julia. It was purchased in the mid- 20th century by a group of fishermen, including newspaper publisher James McClatchy, who used it as a private retreat. Until now, said Englar, “this was just kind of an area that was undiscovered.”

5 CAREFUL CONTROL

Seasonal caretakers protect the valley’s fragile environment and wildlife, while dogs, horses and motorized vehicles are banned. The partners expect to allow daily public access by foot or mountain bike in 2019 after building a parking area, restroom, trails and viewpoints “that will allow visitors to experience the meadow without tromping through it,” Englar said.