TRUCKEE and#8212; Conservationists, environmentalists, politicians and others gathered Thursday morning on a verdant hill overlooking the meandering Little Truckee River at Perazzo Meadows.

The rustic sub-alpine meadow is one of the most recent wins for a collaboration called the Northern Sierra Partnership, headed up locally by the Truckee Donner Land Trust and the Trust for Public Land.

and#8220;We are here to celebrate the protection of 982 acres and#8212; we should all collectively be very proud of that,and#8221; said Perry Norris, executive director of the land trust. and#8220;We’ve protected this for our kids, our kids’ kids and for many generations to come. This is truly a special part of the northern Sierra.and#8221;

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But the deal with previous land owners, Siller Brothers, Inc, took a lot of time and work and#8212; and was almost killed by state budget woes.

The roughly $4 million deal and#8212; finalized in February and#8212; squeaked by with $1.1 million from California Proposition 84 funding and $1.5 million from Proposition 50 funding, days before the state bond freeze, Norris said.

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And when the economy was still good, Dave Sutton of the Trust for Public Land said it was one of many pursuing the land.

and#8220;If it wasn’t obtained by the public, if it wasn’t obtained by us, it would have been converted into home sites, and that would have tremendous impact on our ability to manage the ecosystem, manage the forest, manage fire and even recreation,and#8221; Sutton said.

Altogether, Sutton said they’ve been after Perazzo Meadows for 13 years.

and#8220;It’s just a special place,and#8221; Sutton said of Perazzo Meadows to the crowd. and#8220;If you haven’t had the pleasure of fishing it, or walking it or just sitting by it I think you’ll want to come back.and#8221;

Read about how the February deal was struck to purchase the Perazzo Meadows at http://www.sierrasun.com/PerazzoMeadows.