Trail Time at Effie Yeaw Shapes a Lifelong Connection to Nature for Rich Desmond

By Debbie Arrington

Sacramento County Supervisor Rich Desmond knows the trails of Effie Yeaw Nature Center by memory. Long before public office, he was a Carmichael kid exploring its dirt paths, looking for adventure in the great outdoors.

“The trails are the most meaningful for me,” Desmond says as he steps out onto the main path. “Growing up, I was walking around here all the time. After I got married and had kids, they came here, too. … The place had a mystique. As a little boy, it was exciting to explore.”

The youngest of nine kids, Desmond grew up on the bluff overlooking the Nature Center. A retired California Highway Patrol chief, the County Supervisor now lives in that same home. Evening (or morning) walks at the Center with his wife, Lisa, are still part of his routine.

“When I was a kid, this was literally my backyard,” he says. “It still is.”

Desmond, 56, loves to roam through the Nature Center grounds, admiring the change of seasons or catching a glimpse of wildlife.

“I remember when the place first opened,” he says. “They had overnight camping. My favorite display was a light-up animal identification exhibit. In grammar school, I had a project on pioneers, and my classmates and I reenacted our own living history exhibit before the park rangers ran us off!”

With a love of learning, he’s fond of the Center’s Nisenan Maidu demonstration village. “It’s like stepping back into history.”

But it’s the animals that bring him back again and again. “I’ve had so many amazing experiences with animals out here,” Desmond says. “The rattlesnakes can be unnerving, but they’re fascinating. I love to hear the coyotes singing and see all the different species of birds.”

Rachael Cowan, the Center’s Interim Executive Director since June 2025, notes that Desmond is a valuable supporter, ready and willing to help out.

Cowan recalls one early request: replacing the aging sign at the entrance to Ancil Hoffman Park.

“I told him it was one of our greatest needs,” she says. “He said, ‘I can make that happen.’”

The new sign soon followed—along with support on other projects. “Rich is always there,” Cowan adds. “He gives a leader a sense of confidence and county connection.”

Desmond has seen the Center evolve over the decades. “I used to fish those two ponds,” he says, pointing to a tule-filled patch. “They had water year-round. I have vivid memories of being on a little bridge and fishing. There were crayfish, polliwogs, otter, wood ducks, so much wildlife. Salmon actually swam up here.”

Preserving this slice of Sacramento habitat is vital, says Desmond, whose family traces back five generations in Sacramento County. “Staying connected to nature matters now more than ever,” he says. “What makes this place remarkable is that it exists within an urban area—and still serves as a refuge for both wildlife and people.”