Protecting the places that make the East Bay special

PROJECT GOALS:

EXPAND: Increase the permanently protected portion of a vital 10,000-acre wilderness corridor.

STRENGTHEN: Bolster climate resilience through biodiversity, healthy watershed, and fire mitigation.

PROTECT: Preserve vital habitat for native species.

CONNECT: Extend trails of historic importance that advance bold visions for connecting the entire Bay Area.

Foster generations of nature enthusiasts by providing exceptional close-to-home outdoor recreation.

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Acquiring the Barnett Ranch property is an essential step toward a hopedfor future unbroken connection to Fernandez Ranch and East Bay Regional Park District’s Crockett Hills. This interconnection would make for a protected landscape of state-wide importance.

TRACKS!

JMLT Stewardship Director

James Wilson came across these tracks on Sky Ranch in January. The telltale is the three lobes on the heel and no nails. Tracks were also discovered on Mount Wanda. Predators need open space to roam freely, and places such as Franklin Ridge are among the few they have left. It’s one thing to know mountain lions are up there; quite another to walk alongside their fresh tracks!

Trails: Nature for People, Too

Barnett Ranch and Kenneth Gerlack Preserve bring together numerous regionally significant trails including the Bay Area Ridge Trail, the 50-mile Carquinez Strait Scenic Loop Trail, the San Francisco Bay Trail, the Great California Delta Trail, the San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail, the California Riding and Hiking Trail and the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. Feeder Trail # 1, one of the oldest in the Bay Area, was used in the 1850s by people traveling on horseback and in stagecoach. Today these trails connect Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline, Radke Martinez Regional Shoreline, and Briones Regional Park.

It's Urgent

Undeveloped ranches are highly sought after for commercial and residential development. When they come on the market, we in the land trust community must move quickly. California’s 30x30 Initiative is making unprecedented public funds available for the purchase of these lands, but there is much competition for that support. Undeniably important for receiving these grants is communities demonstrating local support by contributing their own funds. Each gift, of any size, makes a difference. We must act now.