For the firm’s spring outing, attorneys and staff of Remy Moose Manley, LLP recently hiked in the Sutter Buttes. The Sutter Buttes are a unique cluster of inactive volcanoes isolated in the Sacramento Valley. The hike through this beautiful area was led by Joe Ruesser, a guide from the Middle Mountain Foundation. Sites included spectacular vistas, wildflowers, golden eagles and a large herd of feral Barbary Sheep—a species of caprid native to North Africa.

The Middle Mountain Foundation was formed in 1989 with the purpose of educating the general public in the relevance and importance to society of natural and cultural resources and to encourage preservation, understanding, and good stewardship of such resources. To further these purposes, the Foundation focuses on findings ways for the public interest and private land to converge for the benefit of all.

Through contractual agreements with private landowners, Middle Mountain Foundation has created numerous learning opportunities within the Sutter Buttes , typically as guided hikes for the public. MMF works with many entities, including local counties, state agencies and national land trusts. MMF encourages land protection easements, which compensate private landowners for development rights, to protect private lands in the Sutter Buttes.

The Middle Mountain Foundation takes its name from that given to the Sutter Buttes by the native Maidu people. The translation to English is “The Middle Mountain.” The Buttes played an important role in the spiritual lives of the Maidu, and evidence of their past presence in the range can still be found today in the form of grinding stones and other cultural resources.

Participants in the spring outing all agreed hiking in the Sutter Buttes was an excellent way to spend a sunny spring day.

More information on the Middle Mountain Foundation can be found here: http://www.middlemountain.org