About 18 years ago, the State of California acquired the roughly 45 acres of land known as Snipes-Pershing Ravine. Several groups and individuals, including the Sacramento Valley Open Space Conservancy, had been pushing for a long time for preservation of the area. It’s surrounded on three sides by suburban housing, with Lake Natoma to the east. It’s a great place to hike and a refuge for wildlife — I’ve seen black-tail deer, wild turkeys, hawks, snakes, and lizards while walking along the main trail through the ravine.

In 2013, an 83-foot long wooden bridge was built over the small creek running through the ravine. The bridge was dedicated to Norma Jean Hamlin, who lived in Orangevale for many years and was a hard-working advocate for saving this ravine for future generations to enjoy.