w a t c h
D IABL O Save Mount Diablo
Protecting the Mountain Since 1971
Summer 2009 No. 47
Viera – North Peak In Purchase Contract
Save Our State Parks
SMD Has 300 Days To Acquire 165 Acres
Governor Schwarzenegger Proposes Closing Mt. Diablo and 219 Other State Parks and Beaches
By Seth Adams, Director of Land Programs For the past 25 years the Viera-North Peak property has been one of Save Mount Diablo’s top ten priorities for addition to Mt. Diablo State Park.
The Governor has proposed closing 220 out of 280 state parks and Beaches—80% of them—including Mt. Diablo State Park. Save Mount Diablo is part of a coalition, Save Our State Parks, organized by the California State Parks Foundation. Please take thirty seconds, go to www.calparks.org and “take action” to stop this short-sighted move.
Climbing from Perkins Canyon onto the southeastern slopes of Diablo’s second highest peak, the 165 acre parcel was known to be loaded with high quality habitat, rare plants, given exotic geology and soils, and elevations ranging from 1000’ to 2300’. In Contra Costa County, only Diablo’s two peaks above and the crest of Morgan Territory’s Highland Ridge are higher, so the views are outstanding, stretching all the way to the Sierra.
Forty-six parks would close in the Bay Area including almost all beaches, Mt. Diablo, Mt. Tam, Big Basin, etc.– beaches, deserts, redwoods, and historic sites like Sutter’s Fort. Beginning July 1st, the Governor’s proposal would cut the parks’ core funding in half and then eliminate all core funding in twelve months. Without this money, there will be no choice but to close the majority of our park system.
Viera is owned by a longtime Mt. Diablo ranching family. The family matriarch Lucy Viera died in 2002 and the property was marketed for several Even if you are not planyears at a high price. It ning to visit a park soon, Viera-North Vi N th Peak P k property t with ith Mt Mt. Di Diablo bl and d th the SSummit it M Museum above b (S (Scott tt H Hein) i ) could have been lost; the governor’s shortalthough it’s rugged, a single buyer interested in the property’s amazsighted proposal will impact you and every California resident. It is ing views could have frustrated preservation. Nonetheless, we have the very definition of “penny-wise, pound foolish”. Consider: been negotiating for a number of years and the economic downturn limited potential buyers. - The General Fund budget that state parks receive accounts for less than Finally a deal was struck last month. The parcel has limited access 1/10 of one percent of the entire state except through Mt. Diablo State Park, with which it shares half its budget. border; it’s a natural addition. The purchase price is $975,000, or - Last year alone, there were over 80 $5,890 per acre, and SMD has 300 days to raise the funds. million visitors to state parks. - For every dollar that funds the parks, We wrote about the property recently in our Mid-Year Appeal, less $2.35 is returned to the state’s General than a week after reaching agreement, even though we had only visFund through economic activities in the ited a single time recently. Each exploration since then has revealed communities surrounding the parks— more treasures. Just days after the appeal was written we confirmed sales tax and other revenues. the endemic Mt. Diablo jewel flower onsite along with the threatened - Closing state parks means the Alameda whipsnake. state, especially the communities (continued on page 12) ((continued ti d on page 11) around parks, losing $4.32 billion in
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