Annual Gratitude Report 2022-2023

Gratitude Report Annual

Together, we protect the places that make the East Bay special

Vision

The vitality of our open spaces is essential to the health of our earth, air, water, native plants, animals, and all of us. Our vision is to ensure that the beauty and diversity of our natural areas continue to enrich and sustain all generations. John Muir Land Trust acquires, protects, and stewards these lands, and we foster environmental awareness so that everyone understands the need to preserve our natural heritage.

Mission

John Muir Land Trust protects and cares for open space, ranches, farms, parkland and shoreline in the East Bay.

Board of Directors

Arthur Bart-Williams, Chair

Stephanie Becker, Vice Chair

Karen Sakata, Secretary

Bill Wadsworth, Treasurer

Katie Hill, Immediate Past Chair

Jan Berckefeldt

Daniel R. Carl

Jack Cortis

Stephen Harvey

Eliot Hudson

Timothy E. Lipman

Ted C. Radosevich

Jerald M. Weintraub

Linus Eukel, Executive Director

JMLT is grateful for the support we receive from our generous community of donors, volunteers, and everyone who enjoys the special places we’ve protected. A list of donors has been printed and mailed in paper copies of this report. For privacy reasons we’re not publishing the list in this online version.

Dear JMLT Community,

One of the most rewarding aspects of leading a land trust is the opportunity to meet and work with such a passionate and remarkable community of supporters as you. As residents of the East Bay, we are blessed by thriving natural landscapes and special places just minutes from home. That such a natural wonderland exists in the middle of a bustling major metropolitan area is due to ordinary people coming together a century ago and again in the following decades to set these places aside for future generations. That’s us. We’re those lucky future generations.

That exceptional spirit lives on in you — the people who donate, volunteer, encourage others to get involved, and get outside to enjoy the special places that together we have protected in the 35-year history of John Muir Land Trust. Sending you this publication is a small way to recognize each of you and celebrate your membership in an extraordinary community of individuals who advance the conservation work started by our far-sighted forebears.

Investing in nature has so many benefits. Local native plants and animals need expansive natural habitat to thrive in the face of development that eats away at the edges of precious refuges. New studies confirm that time spent in nature promotes human health and well-being. Healthy natural places are needed for clean air and water, and for fresh food grown locally. Conservation is an essential strategy for mitigating the harmful effects of climate change.

It may surprise you to learn that our two counties of Alameda and Contra Costa stand out as the red hot zone for population growth in the entire state of California. By the year 2060 the residential population of the East Bay will grow by the equivalent of adding three-quarters of the city of San Francisco. The time to act is now. Remaining special places — many taken for granted — are seriously threatened.

We’re optimistic about the future because we’ve had the opportunity to get to know you. We know what you can do, and we know that together we can tackle the challenges ahead. We thank you sincerely for your support and look forward to seeing so many of you at our gatherings and out on the trails.

With deep gratitude,

Linus Eukel, Executive Director

Together,

Protecting Land

Now and for the future

Acalanes Ridge - Easily accessed, the ridge offers sweeping views of central Contra Costa.

Buffer Lands - Prevent development and similar activities that threaten larger landscape integrity.

Contra Costa Goldfields - A 30-acre preserve that is home to one of the last known stands of Contra Costa goldfields in their namesake county.

Family Harvest Farm - This 3.5-acre urban regenerative organic farm in Pittsburg employs young adults with experience in the foster care system and grows healthy food for local residents.

Fernandez Ranch - A breathtakingly untouched 1,185-acre contrast to populated cities nearby, here hikers see stunning views of San Francisco Bay.

Franklin Ridge - Intact natural corridors are essential if wild species are to adapt to climate change. JMLT is adding key parcels to the 10,000-acre Franklin Ridge Wildlife and Trail Corridor.

John Muir National Historic Site - JMLT acquired 44-acre West Hills Farm where the famed naturalist walked with his two daughters. Nearby Mount Wanda is named for his eldest.

Moraga Hills - Carr Ranch provides many things: clean drinking water, essential wildlife habitat for threatened species, and beautiful open space. Harvey Ranch is the newly opened gateway to a 15,000-acre wilderness wonderland.

Neighborhood Parks & Gardens - JMLT was founded to protect the Stonehurst property as a neighborhood park and habitat for local wildlife. Margaret Bodfish established a trust so that their home could become a 7-acre preserve that is now a beloved community treasure. Hamlin Nature Park gives people access to the natural beauty of the East Bay just steps from their front doors.

Pacheco Marsh - A tiny percentage of the Bay’s saltwater tidal marshes remain in their natural state. JMLT is restoring a rare 232acre habitat that is critical to our region’s ecosystem and to the health of marine wildlife.

Painted Rock - This 84-acre hill located between Lafayette and Moraga is a well-known community landmark. It will soon anchor a 505-acre public open space—a remarkable recreational resource with miles of trails and scenic views.

Hoover Ranch Campaign

Family

Farm

Painted

Harvey Ranch

Harvey Ranch is your new gateway to a spectacular 15,000acre wilderness wonderland formed by the Las Trampas Regional Wilderness and the San Leandro Watershed. Just a short walk up the slope from nearby Lamorinda neighborhoods you’ll find stunning views, none better than the high point of the trail at Carr Ranch where you can see for miles in every direction—from the most distant hills south around to Suisun Bay in the north. It is breathtaking.

Celebrating the opening of the ranch last May, about 200 JMLT supporters cheered as participants spoke enthusiastically about the personal meaning of the moment. Charlene Harvey and her family shared stories about 60 years on the ranch as a cherished refuge.

Virtually all funding came from private individuals and institutions—including an extraordinarily generous $1 million match gift from a single anonymous donor that encouraged hundreds of others to contribute to the $4 million total. A $550,000 grant from Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation recognized our vision to achieve landscape-level conservation. The Town Council of Moraga unanimously approved a $250,000 contribution, thereby investing in community health in an area already known for its beautiful natural setting.

143 untouched acres

Gateway

Pacheco Marsh

The Pacheco Marsh restoration project is a decades-long effort to bring back a salt marsh habitat suffering from a century of harsh industrial overuse. Along Suisun Bay we are creating a pristine wildlife refuge, an unprecedented opportunity for recreation, and an educational center that will teach young people about marsh ecosystems and how we can successfully reverse decades of harmful human activity.

It was just a short time ago that hundreds of JMLT supporters cheered as huge excavators breached the levee holding back a five-foot tall wall of water, allowing tidal waters to return to the marsh after 20 years of conservation work. Contra Costa County’s largest public works project is flourishing: 28,000 out of 31,000 new native plants survived their first year, shorebirds are nesting, newly-built channels are flowing, and seasonal ponds are full. Construction has begun on amenities that will soon make Pacheco Marsh a must-visit for nature lovers across the Bay Area.

“These park improvements are an exciting development as we invest in communities across our diverse state. All Californians deserve access to recreational opportunities, so that they can enjoy the outdoors and the cultural, historic, and natural resources California offers.”

—Wade Crowfoot, California Secretary for Natural Resources

2.9 miles of multi-use trails

Four scenic bridges

Three elevated vista points

Interpretive features

Bird blinds

Kayak launches

Community is everything!

We celebrate you!

The people who donate, volunteer, encourage others to get involved, and get outside to enjoy the special places that together we have protected in the 35-year history of John Muir Land Trust.

Looking ahead

Campaign to Expand Franklin Ridge

For three decades, with the help of generous donors like you, JMLT has been adding key parcels to the 10,000-acre Franklin Ridge Wildlife and Trail Corridor southwest of downtown Martinez. A fully protected Franklin Ridge will offer unobstructed miles of habitat and ridgeline that allows the natural movement of over 20 local species and endangered and threatened wildlife. The Campaign to Expand Franklin Ridge seeks to acquire two missing pieces - Barnett Ranch and the soon to be Kenneth Gerlack Preserves – for a total of 234 new acres that will preserve the integrity of this vital refuge.

Provides healthful close-to-home public recreation

Supports the state’s 30x30 goals

Offers esential refuge and corridor for native wildlife

Protects endangered and threatened species

Connects trails that span 18,000 acres, including the Bay Area Ridge Trail

Expands protected lands adjoining John Muir

National Historic Site

Coming Up: Hoover Ranch – Fall 2024

Few conservation priorities are as important to Bay Area residents as restoring and protecting the health of our San Francisco Bay waters and the rivers that flow into them, especially the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta system. The health of the Bay Delta region is essential to the health of local freshwater and marine ecosystems and to the well-being and economic vitality of the area’s many human communities.

Hoover Ranch is an upcoming 600-acre purchase/design/restore project on Bethel Island in the heart of the Bay Delta.

The Delta forms the largest estuary on the western coast of the two Americas

25 million Californians depend on the Delta for drinking water. The system supplies water to millions of acres of farmland where nearly half of the country’s produce is grown

Nearly half of California’s migrating waterfowl and shorebirds and two-thirds of the state’s spawning salmon pass through this vital habitat

The health of the Bay Delta is crucial for wildlife preservation, the state’s economy, public welfare, and our quality of life

CAMPAIGN TO EXPAND FRANKLIN RIDGE

Why Now? The Case For Conservation

The next few decades will be the most critical in the 100-year history of conservation in the East Bay. Thousands of acres of pristine natural land are threatened. Not only vital to the health of native wildlife and thriving ecosystems, these lands provide essential benefits for human health and well-being.

Population forecasts alone make the case for urgent action. From now until the year 2060, Alameda and Contra Costa counties will see massive population growth. The East Bay will add 640,000 new people, an increase of 23%, while the population in the rest of California will decline. That’s the equivalent of adding three-quarters of the population of the entire city of San Francisco to the East Bay.

Development pressure will be enormous.

-.3% POPULATION DECLINE IN THE REST OF OF CALIFORNIA IS EXPECTED

EXPECTED GROWTH OF PEOPLE

640,000 A 23% INCREASE IN POPULATION IN ALAMEDA & CONTRA COSTA COUNTIES

640,000 PEOPLE EQUALS 3/4 OF THE POPULATION OF SAN FRANCISCO ADDED TO ALAMEDA & CONTRA COSTA COUNTIES

BETWEEN NOW & 2060 Source:

Nature Matters

The good news is that the important benefits of nature to human communities is gaining wider awareness and understanding. The global 30 x 30 movement is seeking to protect 30% of our land and coastal waters by the year 2030. In California alone more than $1 billion in state funding has been allocated to this bold vision. The land conservation movement of 6 million active supporters in the U.S. is growing. You are a vital part of this.

Each conserved acre is a step forward. We can all celebrate the important contributions we are making today and to future generations.

Ensuring clean water and air

Providing access to fresh, local food

Improving mental and physical health and well-being

Protecting essential habitat for plants and animals

Reducing the impacts of climate change

Providing access to land for all

Land conservation bene ts everyone. Thank you!

Family Harvest Farm

On a former vacant lot in a city neighborhood, this 3.5-acre thriving regenerative organic farm in Pittsburg employs young adults with experience in foster care. Here they find career training and learn new skills. Family Harvest Farm encourages healthy living, nurtures the environment, and feeds the local community.

Enterprising young people leave foster care with high hopes and aspirations, eager to find a productive path into adulthood. At Family Harvest Farm you see them practicing sustainable agriculture, nurturing seedlings in the greenhouse, working the irrigation system, and prepping and cooking lunch. You see the direct impact they’re having locally—offering fresh organic produce at our farm stand and to programs that provide healthy meals to kids in local schools. Importantly, the farm grows more than food. It grows confidence and careers. Your donations make all this possible.

2023 Milestones

5,273 lbs of locally farmed produce distributed to nearby schools and families in need

1,147 volunteers, school children, and guests worked our plots

222 foster youth engaged in regenerative farming, learned healthy life skills, and received fresh organic produce

Your Donation Goes Far

Sources of Funds

19% Individual Donations Agencies, Foundations, Corporations, Other

81%

85% Program

Uses of Funds

6% Management & General

9% Fundraising & Development

JMLT puts cents of every dollar directly into land acquisition stewardship and other programs For every contributed by individuals we receive from other sources — that means your dollar works even harder as it gets multiplied x to protect land held in perpetuity for future generations Any way you look at it your donation to JMLT goes a very long way

Your donations multiplied

Our team and board Out and about

Enjoying time with our donors, friends and families, getting outside, enjoying events, hiking, and getting to know our community. The best part of the job!

COME CELEBRATE WITH US! SAVE THE DATE FRESH AIRE AFFAIRE OCTOBER 5, 2024

Come meet each other, enjoy great food and lots of laughs!

JOHN MUIR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

We hope to see you there!