HARVEY RANCH NOW OPEN!

You’ve been hearing about this for months. Now it’s time to get out and see it for yourself. Thanks to you and thousands of JMLT supporters, Harvey Ranch was successfully acquired and permanently protected last January. Best of all, the property opens to the public in mid-May.

Harvey Ranch is your new gateway to what is truly a wilderness wonderland. Here you gain access to Carr Ranch and the spectacular 15,000-acre wildlife refuge formed by the Las Trampas Regional Wilderness and the San Leandro Watershed. Just a short walk up the slope will reward you with clear views of the surrounding East Bay Hills. At the high point at the gate to Carr Ranch you can see for miles in every direction—from the most distant hills to the south and north to Suisun Bay. It is breathtaking.

The Harveys

Opting for conservation in the face of increasing demand for residential development, Moraga resident Charlene Harvey had long hoped to preserve the refuge she and late husband Jim Harvey had cherished for decades. The Harveys are among the conservation icons who helped to shape the modern Bay Area. Protecting her beloved ranch and opening it to the public is a dream come true.

You and your neighbors raised the $4 million needed to acquire and permanently conserve the ranch. Covering 126 untouched acres in the hills above Saint Mary’s College of California in Moraga, the property not only offers healthful outdoor recreation, it adds essential protection for one of the most important wildlife refuges we have in the entire Bay Area.

Virtually all funding came from private individuals and institutions—including an extraordinarily generous $1 million match gift from a single anonymous donor. A $550,000 grant from Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation recognized JMLT’s bold vision to achieve landscape-level conservation. The Town Council of Moraga unanimously approved a $250,000 contribution, investing in community health in an area that is already widely known for its beautiful setting and its residents who cherish time spent outdoors. Thank you!

“The JMLT community has achieved another hugely significant win for conservation. Keeping wildlife corridors intact is needed to mitigate the impact of climate change. At stake was the potential loss of untouched land that will now become a gateway to pristine wilderness, soon to include a new staging area, and more trailheads and trail connections. We couldn’t be more excited!”

— Linus Eukel, Executive Director

Ridgeline Trail

Connecting Harvey Ranch to Carr Ranch is the Ridgeline Trail, a nearly mile-long 25-foot wide public access pathway through protected habitat. The trail transects a 273-acre property set aside as a restricted area for the endangered Alameda whipsnake and the threatened California redlegged frog. Visitors must stay on the trail.

A conservation easement is held by Wildlife Heritage Foundation (WHF). Protecting the property is the result of offsite mitigation, an outcome that typically occurs when new development causes resource impacts in one location and the developer is required to protect habitat elsewhere. In the case of the Ridgeline Trail, JMLT worked for several years with WHF, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the developer-landowner to design the easement and create this important connection from Harvey Ranch into the Las Trampas Regional Wilderness.

Conservation advocates celebrate a win for everyone. Development can proceed. Important wildlife habitat is protected. Visitors agree to stay on the trail so as to have minimal impact on the land. And the public gains quick access to a remarkable 15,000-acre wilderness wonderland right next door.