Riverside Tutors

About Riverside

If you are in Riverside California, all outward appearances show a bustling town, with tall buildings, shopping complexes, and busy city streets. Here you are minutes away from meeting with your Riverside tutor, or going to grab a bite to eat. So, you would be surprised to learn that Riverside is home to the Whitewater Preserve, a conservation facility dedicated to returning the land back to its native habitat and preserving it for the species of animals that call it home.

Whitewater Preserve is made up of close to 3,000 acres, and is surrounded by San Gorgonio Wilderness, giving the native species a large area to roam and live in away from the pestering of people and the dangers the city imposes on them. Here you might see the endangered Southwest willow flycatcher or Bell’s vireo. If you come in the summer, you can see the migration of the summer tanagers and vermillion flycatchers. While it’s less likely to spot these guys, other much larger species of animals also call this place home, like the bighorn sheep, bear, and deer that also inhabit the area. Though I don’t know that I would want to come face to face with a bear!

Added on to the original area was 3200 acres of sand dunes. These dunes were purchased to save the home endangered fringe-toed lizard. As you can see whitewater preserve takes the preservation of these native species very seriously. As if that wasn’t enough, an additional 1280 acres was saved from being divided up into 40 acre parcels which would have eventually been developed and threatened the native habitat, and they went on to even secure over 40,000 acres that was being used as graze land. The cattle had cause a lot of destruction to the ecosystem. This allowed the water sources that once sat black and dirty from overuse by the cattle, to crystal clear water reserves, that just call for you to jump in (if you were allowed to that is). This transformation is actually what gave the area its name. They improved further by planting species of trees that were native to the area and getting rid of dead trees that had been planted.

It’s a great place to go and get away from all the noise of the city, especially after a hard lesson with your Riverside tutor. This little getaway can give you some peace and quiet, that even the most die-hard city lovers can’t resist.