w a t c h
DI ABLO Save Mount Diablo
Preserving the Mountain Since 1971
Spring 2010 No. 49
Viera - North Peak
Reassembling the Bettencourt Ranch
We’re 90% there, need $100,000
462 acres along Peacock Creek and Irish Canyon
By Seth Adams
By Seth Adams
“Viera - North Peak is the best and most botanically rich property that Save Mount Diablo has purchased in years.” - Heath Bartosh, Botanist, Nomad Ecology
Save Mount Diablo’s 320-acre beautiful Irish Canyon property is almost hidden behind Keller Ridge, less than a mile from downtown Clayton. We signed the purchase agreement in spring 2006, raised funds and then in November 2007 we completed the acquisition with the help of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
Save Mount Diablo’s late co-founder Mary Bowerman’s wish to preserve the VieraNorth Peak property is coming to fruition. Save Mount Diablo’s most important acquisition accomplishment last year was signing a purchase agreement for the property, 165 acres on the slopes of Mt. Diablo’s North Peak.
All without ever taking the public or our members onto the property. We couldn’t. The property has limited access and an intervening landowner, Eastern Associates, was opposed to allowing the public to cross their property, even on guided tours without ever leaving the fire road that follows Irish Creek east.
Scott Hein
We made initial payments on the property from a revolving land fund established in Bowerman’s honor, and in March we made the 165-acre Viera-North Peak is the very heart of Mount Diablo. SMD’s capital campaign The access problem is final payment. We have has raised $900,000 and needs just $100,000 more. about to be solved. Last been conducting our fall Eastern Associates agreed to sell their 462-acre property first capital campaign, of $1 million, to raise the funds needed to East Bay Regional Park District (Park District) for $2.76 to complete the purchase and repay the loan. SMD received million. It’s sometimes known as the “Ang” property for one a pledge from an anonymous donor for a challenge grant of its owners. About half of the funding will come from Park of $450,000. As of the printing of this newsletter, we have District bonds, and about half from the East Contra Costa matched the grant and have raised $900,000 in pledges and County Habitat Conservancy (Conservancy), a funding entity funds, many by individual donors, to complete the campaign. which preserves endangered species habitat. The purchase We are continuing to work on the remaining $100,000 and are will be completed by September 1st. very close to our goal of preserving Viera-North Peak forever. Meanwhile SMD is working to transfer our Irish Canyon property to the Park District too, again using partial funding from the Conservancy. SMD generally acts as an intermediary, acquiring properties as they become available then transferring the land to a park agency for long term management. We often help the agency raise funds to reimburse us for our purchase costs, so that (continued on page 7)
Viera-North Peak parcel is one of the highest in the East Bay with an elevation of 2,300 feet. The property is visible for over 200 miles and includes views of the Sierra, Half Dome and Mt. Whitney. Sharing a 2.5 mile border with Mount Diablo State Park and rising between the two peaks, Viera is the very heart of Mt. Diablo. (continued on page 12)
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