The Boggs Lake Preserve is home to the Western Pond Turtle, a species of special concern. Courtesy photo.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Lake County Land Trust is presenting a fundraiser for the Boggs Lake Preserve on Sunday evening, Aug. 28, at the Moore Family Winery on Bottle Rock Road, Kelseyville.

The event will feature wine and appetizers and a fascinating presentation by Sonoma State biologist Nicholas Geist on his study of the Western Pond Turtle at the preserve, which is located off of Harrington Flat Road.

A social hour will start at 5 p.m., followed by the lecture and power point presentation at 6 p.m.

The public is cordially invited to this event and reservations are requested in advance.

Tickets for this fundraiser are $30 each with payment taken at the door.

Please make reservations by calling the Lake County Land Trust office at 707-262-0707 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Funds raised at this event will be used to improve the Boggs Lake Preserve, including replacement of signage and trail maintenance.

The Boggs Lake Preserve has been owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy for many years.

Currently, The Lake County Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy have agreed to jointly manage the Boggs Lake Preserve on a short-term basis, with a view to eventual transfer of ownership of the Preserve to the Lake County Land Trust.

The 151 acres Boggs Lake Preserve, off of Harrington Flat Road on Boggs Mt. in one of Lake County’s gems of natural beauty.

Formed by a volcanic eruption more than one million years ago, the Boggs Lake Preserve lies in a lush forest of Douglas fir, Ponderosa pine, oaks and madrone trees.

This local treasure protects a large vernal pool which thrives with life when winter rains awaken it from its annual seasonal dry stage.

The preserve is home to numerous endangered and threatened plant species including the Boggs Lake hedge-hyssop, first discovered in 1923 in Lake County, and a rare sub-species of the annual wildflower genus Navarretia, first collected near Lower Lake in 1945.

Also in residence at the preserve is the Western Pond Turtle, listed by the Department of Fish and Game as a “species of special concern.”

Nicholas Geist, a professor of biology at Sonoma State University, who has studied the turtles at Boggs Lake for several years, will be the guest speaker at the Aug. 28 event.

Dr. Geist, who holds a Ph.D in Zoology from Oregon State University, has a research program at Boggs Lake. His research focuses on the fundamental aspects of Western Pond Turtle biology, including population dynamics and he is also concerned with conservation of the species.

The Moore Family Winery is located at 11990 Bottle Rock Road.

Please join the Lake County Land Trust in this effort to support one of Lake County’s most unique areas.

The Lake County Land Trust is a private, nonprofit organization that has been preserving valuable open space and natural habitats in the county since 1993.

The trust owns and operates the Rodman Preserve near Upper Lake and the Rabbit Hill Park in Middletown.

For information about the Lake County Land Trust go to www.lakecountylandtrust.org or call 707-262-0707.