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SONOMA MOUNTAIN PRESERVATION (SMP)
Preserved Forever - A beautiful 287-Acre Parcel near the Sonoma Mountain Summit!
"How Do You Preserve a Mountain? SMP's Latest Tale of Teamwork"
Back in September'08, as the economy moved closer to the brink, not much was happening on the local real estate front besides foreclosures sales. But one opportunity emerged that launched a frenzy of activity and a lot of optimism in a generally gloomy economic time. The opportunity also gave leaders in SMP a chance to create a wonderful story with a happy ending, through teamwork, old friends working together, their daughters learning to work together and the cooperation and coordination of public agencies and non-profits.
The opportunity arose when a 287-acre parcel near the summit of Sonoma Mountain known as the Stevenson Ranch came up for sale. Kirsten Lindquist, an agent for Sotheby's in Sonoma, learned of the offering by accident, but immediately recognized the enormity of this chance to obtain and preserve this property for use by the public.
She informed her mother, Mickey Cooke, long time resident and founding member of SMP. Mickey told Kirsten to call Mickey's childhood friend and fellow SMP leader, Pat Eliot. Pat, busy packing for a hiking trip in Europe, quickly called her own daughter, Wendy Eliot, Conservation Director for the Sonoma Land Trust.
And so it began...
Ted Eliot, Pat's husband and campaign leader for the recent ballot initiative that renewed funding for the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (OSD), got on the phone to Andrea Mackenzie, then general manager of the OSD; Ralph Benson, Executive Director of the Sonoma Land Trust and Valerie Brown, Supervisor for District 1. Everyone recognized how special this opportunity was.
Over the next two months, while the economy crashed and most of us struggled to confront the holidays with reduced resources, Wendy and Andrea worked intensely to put together a deal that would satisfy the seller who demanded that the sale close by the end of the year. It was an unusually tight time frame for a conservation sale, which, as in this case, usually involves financing from more than one source. And financing options were shrinking.
Through long hours, diligent negotiating, a persuasive case for the public good and the trust and bonding that comes from old friendships and shared passions, they made the sale and the deadline. Kristen served as the buyer's agent (a condition imposed by the seller) and then donated $50,000 back to the Land Trust. Mickey and Pat cheered their daughters on, added historic information to help make the case for funding and delighted in the new alliances being formed in the process.
Wendy and Andrea developed the strategy and negotiated carefully, coming up with $125,000 from the Land Trust for an initial deposit, and the $8.45 million from the Open Space District and $1.5 million from the California Coastal Conservancy. The final piece from the Conservancy was the last check issued by the state before its funding freeze took effect; the deal was a cliffhanger to the end.
Now the mountaintop where Mickey Cooke and Pat Eliot rode their horses as young women in the 1940s has been saved forever as open space by their daughters in the first decade of the 21st century.
The acquisition engaged senior personal in the agencies and non-profits in a way they hadn't previously experienced, leading to the possibility of future collaborations."
Sonoma Mountain Preservation Newsletter, October 2009
www.sonomamountain.org
MUIR HERITAGE LAND TRUST
'"In order to ensure a lasting quality of life for future generations, the Muir Heritage Land Trust has permanently preserved over 2000 acres of natural area in Contra Costa County, one of the fastest growing regions of California.
Generous support from numerous individuals, private foundations, businesses and government agencies has allowed the Land Trust to make the following important acquisitions to date:
702-acre Fernandez Ranch, adjacent to Hercules' southern border;
158-acre Dutra Ranch on Franklin Ridge, linking Sky Ranch with Gustin to form 660 acres of contiguous open country just east of Hercules' southern border;
80-acre Gustin property ensuring permanent protection of an important segment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, which runs the length of Franklin Ridge from Martinez to Hercules and Crockett;
242-acre Sky Ranch, one property down Franklin Ridge from Mt.Wanda;
325-acre Mt. Wanda addition to the John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez;
180 acres of Stonehurst open land within a subdivision in Martinez next to Sky Ranch;
124-acre Pacheco Marsh property within the Carquinez Strait Heritage Area Corridor, purchased in partnership with East Bay Regional Park District and Contra Costa County Flood Control District; and
7-acre Bodfish property on Miner Road in Orinda, managed in partnership with the Orinda Park and Recreation Foundation."
www.muirheritagelandtrust.org
EQUESTRIANS HELP 'SAVE MT. DIABLO
''Almost a third of the Directors on Save Mount Diablo's 17-member Board are equestrians. One of them, Danville resident Bob Marx, has ridden for more than forty years, rides three days a week, and will soon compete in his 8th Tevis Cup (the Western States 100), a hundred mile endurance race. "I used to ride on farmers' land in Wisconsin, but you had to stick to fence lines and access was difficult from one farm to the next. I was really happy to get involved in preserving the mountain...'I love Mount Diablo for its isolated majestic beauty, for its variety of species and terrain, and for its vistas. Diablo has among the best access of any urban area for equestrians and other recreational users. I can ride for days if I want. I'm most proud of Save Mount Diablo's dedication to expansion of public lands all around the mountain to allow for greater recreational opportunities.'
Excerpts from "Mt. Diablo from Four Feet Up - Where Equestrians Stand on the Mountain,"
Seth Adams, Director of Land Programs
www.savemountdiablo.org/DiabloWatch.htm
HOW ONE COMMUNITY SAVED 'HORSE HILL'
'Horses will continue to roam and grass will continue to wave on Mill Valley's newest piece of open space - Horse Hill. Mill Valley's Horse Hill is now the only remaining large horse pasture in Marin County. Every day, thousands of traffic-bound commuters Highway 101 are refreshed by the sight of the 14 member Horse Hill Herd. This pastoral vignette, familiar to Marinites for over four decades, gave the impetus to neighborhood efforts to "SAVE HORSE HILL" which began in 1988 and culminated with public purchase of the land in 1990. Thanks to tireless fundraising efforts of neighbors, horse lovers, horse owners, the City of Mill Valley, and the Marin County Open Space District, this rural pristine hillside will be protected forever.'
www.horsehill.org
ACCESS ADVENTURE
'Imagine the boundaries of your life defined by a wheelchair...'
Now think what it means to gain access back into nature, to go places you once thought out of your reach. Access Adventure is a unique program that uses wheelchair accessible horsedrawn carriages to provide open space recreation and wilderness access for people living with the challenges of disability. The program is open to people of all ages with compromised mobility, not just wheelchair users.
Access Adventure is about freedom. When we are not limited by the challenges we face, we are free to challenge our limits.