Spring 1999, No. 25
Protecting the Mountain Since 1971
Save Mount Diablo
1998: A Very Good Year was an exciting year for 1998 Save Mo1111t Diab/o; one in which we began or completed eight major projects. Our efforts include signing a contract to purchase the 427 acre Silva Ranch; partnering with the East Bay Regional Park District to raise funds for the 1,030 acre Clayton Ranch; working with the State Park to put together a deal on the 66 acre Turtle Rock Ranch, and working on the preservation of 1123 acres of the Roddy Ranch. Needless to say, we are busily raising funds to support these acquisitions.
In August, Save Mount Diablo signed a contract to purchase the largest remaining parcel in the corridor, a 427 acre wooded and grassland bowl crossed by Finley Road, rimmed by Highland Ridge and rising up to Cave and Windy Points. Preserving this beautiful property completes and protects the watershed area of the south-eastern slope of Mt. Diablo State Park, and widens the wildlife corridor between the Park and Morgan Territory Regional Preserve.
California red-legged frog, Coopers and sharp-shinned hawks, barn owls and peregrine falcons. Although mountain lions have not been sighted, they almost certainly utilize the property for movement as their presence has been confirmed within public lands on both sides of the property. The Silva property will also provide public trail connections with loop possibilities which become increasingly important with the development of new staging areas on Finley Road.
Save Mount Diablo must raise $625,000 of the $750,000 purchase price by November 1999.
Project#1 Silva Ranch Acquisition (427 acres) Project#2 In 1987 Save Mount Diablo Clayton Ranch (1,030 acres) began the work necessary to connect the State Park In 1994 Save Mount Diablo to Morgan Territory acquired the 333-acre Regional Preserve across Chaparral Spring parcel, five miles of private land. located off Marsh Creek Road, east of Clayton, and Save Mount Diab/o's purchase in 1989 of the 631 =--_.......-'--'---==--~- -........:.~-'=--=-=------'- - - - - - - - - - " " across the road from the acre Morgan Ranch proState Park. The purchase View of the magnificent Silva Ranch, up to Windy Point and the Diablo summit. vided the first connection was the first step in between the two parks. Six years later A series of beautiful canyons with south bridging the two and a half mile gap the two parks had been joined in a facing grassland slopes, and north and from Mount Diablo State Park north to mile-wide corridor stretching across east facing slopes of mature oak-bay Black Diamond Mines. Until recently spectacular, isolated Riggs Canyon. In woodland, the parcel is highly visible the largest property in the gap between 1998, a new staging point was created from the south and from existing public the two parks, the neighboring 1,030 at the end of the paved portion of acre Clayton Ranch, was the subject lands. Adding to the beauty and bioFinley Road, providing the first easy logical diversity of the parcel are abunof a development proposal which public access into Riggs Canyon. dant sources of water as the property was opposed by Greenbelt Alliance. The highest elevations in the Canhas numerous springs, creek channels Clayton Ranch includes a mile of yon, however, remained in private with year round pools, and a pond. frontage on Marsh Creek Road and a hands, raising concern about the ultiAdding to the wonder of this area deep stream canyon rising to a large mate health of the watershed below. are populations of the federally listed Continued on page 2 1