In the hills between Strathmore and Porterville a hidden gem appears only for a few hours a year.

Lewis Hill was originally part of a 600 acre family ranch that raised citrus, olives and cattle. Their son, Cole, integrated modern farming techniques with natural land management practices as he lived on the hill itself. In the 1980s, a team of biologists, neighbors and the Audubon Society cultivated a list of plants on the property including two rare plants—one threatened and one endangered—that quickly became evident.

As spring unfolds across the preserves and private lands conserved by Sequoia Riverlands Trust, the landscape is alive with renewal. This year’s Lewis Hill Wildflower Walk was a vivid reminder of nature’s resilience and beauty. Visitors enjoyed sweeping vistas, unique geology, birdwatching, kite flying, and close encounters with the rare Striped Adobe Lily—a testament to the importance of protecting these landscapes for future generations.

Sequoia Riverlands Trust mourns the passing of Carole K. Combs, 83, the founding Executive Director of SRT and a driving force behind conservation in the Tulare Lake Basin.

Carole loved the southern Sierra and the many wild places in the Tulare Lake Basin. After growing up in Ohio, she married Richard “Dick” Combs, a career diplomat from a legacy Tulare County family.

Water shortages are reshaping agriculture in California’s Central Valley—but landowners have options. The Kaweah Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program (MLRP) is helping transition farmland into low-water, high-impact alternatives like groundwater recharge, habitat restoration, and sustainable agriculture.

Currents recently interviewed Gregory Liebau who joined SRT in 2021 to get his views on land protection efforts underway by the organization. Liebau was promoted to Land Protection Project Manager earlier this fall. The following has been edited for brevity.