Protecting the places that make the East Bay special
WINTER 2025/2026
THREE PROJECTS IN THE BAY DELTA
Since opening in May, Pacheco Marsh is getting rave reviews. If you haven’t visited, it’s a must-go. Awaiting you are miles of trails, acres of marsh grass, free flowing tidal channels, abundant wildlife, educational signposts, and upclose views of the Bay. The JMLT community has nurtured this once-forgotten, industry-scarred spot into a thriving tidal marsh. It’s a showcase for what can be accomplished when together we restore the once dominant ecosystem around our shores, now depleted by 90% due to decades of development.
While not open to the public yet, Hoover Ranch is ideally situated as a rest stop for migrating birds on seasonal journeys of thousands of miles. There’s lots happening at this 600-acre former cattle ranch on Bethel Island. This year’s corn crop was outstanding. The whole plant — ear, stubble, stalk —was harvested as food, nesting material, and habitat for birds.
We’re putting pencil to paper on plans for Point Buckler. This 50-acre island in Suisun Marsh has been harmed by an unauthorized levee that is choking off habitat needed by fish migrating to and from spawning grounds upriver. Breaching the levee will be expensive and time-consuming, but the prospects are exceptional.
EXCITING VISIONS
Point Buckler Island
Clearing a path for migrating fish. The restoration task on this 50acre island is atypical: removing an unauthorized levee that blocks tidal channels and impairs a passageway for salmon and other fish.
Hoover Ranch
Restoring a rest stop. The ranch features nearly two miles of shoreline, and will be restored as pristine habitat. Next up? Creating a vision for a wildlife haven and destination on every birder’s must-visit list.
Pacheco Marsh
Connecting people to nature. Newly opened Pacheco Marsh offers a delightful outdoor experience with miles of trails to explore, and fun facts posted along the way. The needed ingredient: more curious young minds!
JOHN
MUIR LAND TRUST
P.O. Box 31, Martinez, CA 94553
925-228-5460 • info@jmlt.org jmlt.org
Linus Eukel
Executive Director
Kristen Anderson
Director of Digital Marketing
Ricardo Black
Manager of Stewardship & Public Engagement
Mary Cherry
Senior Farm Manager
Jay Dean
Creative Strategy Director
Amelia Flack
Grants & Institutional Giving Manager
Jen Fong
Workforce Development Manager
Brionna Garner
Database and Operations Manager
Lisa Lomba
Chief Advancement Officer
Alex Mokhtari-Fox
Associate Stewardship Director
Tim Rantala
Stewardship Ranger
Neil Roscoe
Chief Financial Officer
Kathleen Stavis
Director of Individual & Legacy Giving
James Wilson
Stewardship Director
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Stephanie Becker Chair
Dan R. Carl Vice Chair
Karen Sakata Secretary
Jerald M. Weintraub Treasurer
Arthur Bart-Williams
Immediate Past Chair
Jack Cortis
Stephen Harvey
Katie Hill
Tim Lipman
Ted C. Radosevich
Many thanks to the photographers who contributed to this issue:
Adam Weidenbach, Ana Homonnay, Jodi Foucher, Evan B Dudley, Jeff and Wendy Photography
Dear Friends,
All species need nature. Humans, too. On October 4th, hundreds in the JMLT community came together to celebrate Painted Rock in Moraga. What a splendid day of beautiful weather, laughing children, delightful trails, and stunning views of the golden rolling hills of central Contra Costa. One reason to celebrate was the new crosswalk to the main trailhead.
Painted Rock is special because friends and neighbors came together to save a place they love. JMLT acquired the 84-acre hill with funds raised from a grassroots campaign bringing in thousands of donations. The property supports wildlife, but the story is mainly about humans, and our need to be outside in beautiful places to restore and rejuvenate. A hike uphill from populated neighborhoods leads to sweeping 360-degree views of nearby hills and distant mountains.
Painted Rock will anchor a future 505-acre park that will become a go-to destination for thousands of families. It will be a place for recreation and restoration. A place to stretch legs and let minds wander. A place of respite and escape. A place created by a community and for community. Now that’s a cause for celebration! Thanks to all who attended. Come experience a remarkable place permanently protected by generous neighbors for the benefit of all.
Sincerely,
Linus Eukel, Executive Director
JMLT is the fiscal sponsor of the new East Bay Stewardship Network, a collective of agencies and organizations working together to share plans, data, and best practices for effective management of our open spaces. This collaboration will produce better ecological health of our region’s natural lands. Members include East Bay Regional Park District, Regional Parks Foundation, California Department of Parks and Recreation, East Bay Municipal Utility District, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Contra Costa Resource Conservation District, Alameda County Resource Conservation District, and UC Berkeley Blue Oak Ranch Reserve.
Protecting the places that make the East Bay special
BAY DELTA CAMPAIGN: AS IMPORTANT AS IT GETS
JMLT’s Bay Delta Campaign is an initiative to conserve an ecosystem that protects clean water and preserves essential habitat for over 750 species of California fish and wildlife. More than 25 million state residents depend on the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for drinking water, and it supplies water to millions of acres of farmland. Three active projects are underway.
Since Pacheco Marsh opened to the public in May, thousands of JMLT supporters have marveled at what has been accomplished. Once an industrial wasteland, now miles of trails and three pedestrian bridges provide up-close views of new tidal channels and a thriving marsh. Most exciting is sightings of creatures not often seen in the outdoors: young humans! We’re getting youngsters away from their devices and out to explore and learn in an outdoor classroom shaped by undulating tall grasses and water flowing with the tides. This is a must-visit for curious minds of all ages.
Hoover Ranch is a recent acquisition on Bethel Island in eastern Contra Costa. We’re deep in the planning stages to convert these 600 acres into a haven for wildlife, and a place for visitors to view migrating birds and observe sunrise up the Delta or watch sunset across the Bay.
“We joined a wonderful hike at Hoover Ranch. It was magical. My granddaughter loved it! We’re so glad to be part of saving and restoring these beautiful places along the Bay Delta for current and future generations.”
—Susan and Bill Hurrell, Orinda
“At Hoover Ranch, I was surprised to learn that restoring peat soil to wetland is one of the most efficient, effective ways to halt destructive greenhouse gas emissions. JMLT is making a critical difference with wetland restoration in the Bay Delta.”
—Lesley Hunt, Walnut Creek
BAY DELTA CAMPAIGN: A SAFE PASSAGE
Anadromous. That’s not a word you hear everyday. Its definition is “ascending rivers from the sea for breeding.” Familiar anadromous fish in the Bay Delta region include Chinook salmon, Coho Salmon, and Oncorhynchus mykiss. Okay, admittedly, that last one is better known as steelhead trout. Juveniles of these species migrate from river spawning grounds to the Pacific Ocean where they spend adulthood before returning upstream to lay eggs and begin the cycle anew. Theirs is a treacherous journey, made more so by decades of habitat destruction.
Point Buckler is a 50-acre island situated in Suisun Marsh, the largest contiguous, brackish marsh on the west coast. Migrating fish need tidal marshes for food and places to hide from predators, but, formerly abundant, less than 10% remain. Point Buckler was once, and should be again, a thriving marsh offering sustenance and safety.
The JMLT community is restoring this vital place. An ill-fated plan to convert Point Buckler into a kiteboarding club for wealthy patrons has done extensive harm. An unauthorized levee around the island has caused much of the marsh habitat to die. At high tide, juvenile fish can be trapped in pools where they die. Cutting new tidal channels will restore nourishing marshes. The first step is clean-up, and that will be complicated and costly. There is the levee, a dock, buildings, and piles of debris. Removal and modification will require heavy equipment, barges, and even helicopters, in order to prevent further damage.
Protecting the places that make the East Bay special
The good news?
We have a plan. We have the island. All that's missing? The funding to haul away debris and begin restoration. Your gift today gets the clean-up started. Scan to Donate
Fiscal years ended June 30, 2025 and June 30, 2024
Liabilities & Net Assets
CONDENSED STATEMENT OF
Revenue/Support & Additions to Net Assets
A Trip Around The JMLT Landscape
1 Billion
That’s how many migrating birds pass through the Bay Delta Region seasonally along the Paci c Flyway. With restoration, Hoover Ranch will become a prime rest stop.
1880
The year John Muir married Louisa Wanda Strentzel and moved to Martinez, CA. JMLT protected Mount Wanda, a favorite destination for Muir’s excursions, and named for one of his daughters.
400
3
Bridges at Pacheco Marsh give pedestrians a close look at newly cut tidal channels that replenish the marsh with nourishing waters from the Bay.
15,000
Acres of wilderness are accessible via Harvey Ranch and Carr Ranch And you get amazing views along the way!
Lag bolts installed when volunteers rebuilt the old windmill at Almond Ranch. It reminds us there was a time when these were visible everywhere across the Contra Costa landscape
360
Degrees of stunning views await you atop the 935-foot summit of Painted Rock. A new crosswalk makes it easy to start the climb and marvel at the contrast to busy streets below.
1
Minute is all it takes to visit jmlt.org and get a trail map for your next hike! All thanks to you and the generosity of others in the JMLT community!
Protecting the places that make the East Bay special
There’s Gold in Them Thar … Fields A
Unnoticed by passing motorists alongside Highway 4 between Hercules and Martinez is a small miracle. In 2002, when JMLT acquired a conservation easement on these 30 acres, encroaching development and invasive grasses had pushed to nearly zero the remaining numbers of a rare wildflower in the last known population of Contra Costa goldfields (Lasthenia conjugens) in their namesake county. The miracle? That this population had survived at all. Just as miraculous? Creative conservation and science have them flourishing.
The creative part? To germinate each spring, goldfields need vernal pools—little pockets of water that form in winter and then dry out. The solution? Cattle grazing. Churn and divots from hooves create perfect little pools in a recreation of a grazing regime from the last ice age when bison and pronghorn antelope created these same conditions.
The science part? With funding from the JMLT community and California Department of Fish and Wildlife, expert horticulturalists led by Curator Holly Forbes of the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden and Jake Schweitzer of Vollmar Natural Lands Consulting have been revitalizing the population. They have been transplanting seeds and plugs (seeds germinated in a greenhouse) to new locations. The results are … well, miraculous. Our little preserve is thriving. And, new patches of vibrant yellow are appearing each spring across Contra Costa. At the University of Colorado at Boulder, geneticists are studying variations and ensuring the lineage is preserved in their seed bank.
Your donation to JMLT fosters conservation science as well as upkeep of our special places. Thank you!
Protecting
the places that make the East Bay special
A Community Celebration of PAINTED ROCK
In 2019, a remarkable grassroots effort of thousands of friends and neighbors helped JMLT permanently protect an unusual spot. A tradition dating back decades makes this hilly property as iconic as any in a small city or town. On large boulders facing streets below, unknown persons periodically paint memorable messages in the dead of night that mysteriously coincide with the happenings at nearby high schools.
This 84-acre property and its highly visible hill located between Lafayette and Moraga will eventually anchor a huge 505-acre park. On a sunny October 4th, hundreds enjoyed food, community, and a short presentation while celebrating a new pedestrian crosswalk that leads to the main trailhead. Atop the hill are sweeping views of beautiful Lamorinda and miles beyond. The crosswalk was generously supported by the Town of Moraga, Contra Costa County, and Moraga Community Foundation. Thanks to everyone who attended!
Protecting the places that make the East Bay special
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
MIKE ANCIAUX & WENDY WOLFE
Our first date was a backpacking trip.
Given that Mike Anciaux and Wendy Wolfe are together four decades later, one might say that long weekend at Hetch Hetchy went well. The couple’s passion for the outdoors is deeply shared. As a young teen in Pennsylvania Mike went camping monthly with the Boy Scouts. Wendy worked as a counselor at a summer camp in upstate New York. They met after college in the Bay Area and now reside in Alamo.
The two have been supporting JMLT for years. Mike is especially impressed with Franklin Ridge and how a whole landscape is coming together from many pieces. “JMLT buys land and opens it to the public very quickly,” he says. “One of the cool things about the Bay Area is that all these pieces of land connect so that you can be in nature for a very long distance and time, and not have to go through housing developments or private property. I'm not sure there are many places on earth like it. Pennsylvania has parks, but they are all little islands around the state.” An avid mountain biker, Mike appreciates trails that go for miles and miles.
Wendy is a hiker and she often treks through Las Trampas Regional Wilderness Preserve. “Being in nature just makes me happy,” she says. “It is always nice to be outside taking advantage of good views and the nice feeling it gives you. I just love seeing nature. I love seeing the variety of flowers and plants, the animals.”
The couple are keen to see that special places nearby are protected before it’s too late. A main reason for supporting JMLT is a local focus on the East Bay. Mike makes this point by describing a challenge he issued to himself a few seasons ago. Starting on his bike from home, Mike wanted to spot a different wildflower and take a photo. A new one each day. He did this everyday for 5 months! “My biking friends didn’t like all the frequent stopping, though,” he acknowledges.
Continues on page 11
Protecting the places that make the East Bay special
Whether biking, hiking, or casually strolling, the pair point out that JMLT properties have something for everyone. “We had some friends in from out of town,” recalls Wendy, “and we took them on a walk at Pacheco Marsh. It was very pleasant. And the scenery is beautiful!” Wendy adds that being out on the land … “gives you a feeling of peace and belonging. Whether hiking or biking you see other people. There’s a sense of community as well. Everyone is happy!”
We thank Mike and Wendy for being such generous members of the JMLT community. As part of the Leadership Circle since 2018, they, and donors like them, help provide ongoing support for JMLT’s acquisition and stewardship work as well as community programs, and Family Harvest Farm.
LEARN HOW YOU TOO CAN MAKE JMLT A PART OF YOUR LEGACY.
For more information, please get in touch with Kathleen Stavis at kathleen@jmlt.org or (925) 293-4807 or return the envelope included in the newsletter with your information.
Thank you for joining us!
Many thanks to those who attended our Leadership Circle and Legacy Society special event in October. We gathered at Pacheco Marsh in gratitude and community to enjoy a light brunch and a presentation by Stuart Siegel, PhD, PWS.
JOHN MUIR LEGACY
Protecting the places that make the East Bay special
Getting Outdoors!
Spending time in nature has enormous benefits for human health and well-being. That’s why special places permanently protected by JMLT are open to the public every day for hiking, wildlife viewing, and spectacular views of East Bay vistas. Your generous support makes possible special programs and events that get more people outside.
Dirty Hands, Happy Hearts
Restoration of Pacheco Marsh is an ongoing process. JMLT volunteers are regularly pulling ice plant, removing stinkwort, and whacking out pampas grass and arundo. Hard work? Yes, but smiling faces indicate so much more!
Caring For The Land!
Bicycle Trails Council of East Bay (BTCEB)
BTCEB held their Gala Ride at Fernandez Ranch in September. Not many folks know this, but JMLT built the first narrow natural multi-use trail in the East Bay in 2007. Ever since we have made it a standard!
Hikes and More Hikes
Come make new friends and explore new places. JMLT offers guided hikes all year long. Visit jmlt.org/calendar for details and come join us!
Caring
For The Land!
Local natural lands provide food, water, recreation, beauty, and habitat for wildlife. Stewardship of these special places keeps many people busy, as there is always another fence to mend or a downed tree to clear. We thank all the professionals and volunteers who get dirty and sweaty on the land, and the donors who fund the tools and materials needed. Thank you!
Ears and Husks Bluebird Connection
Our organic corn at Hoover Ranch is grown not just for food, but for habitat qualities after harvest. Stubble provides excellent nesting material for overwintering ducks and geese.
Thirsty Cows!
We’ve been placing new water troughs for cows. Cattle grazing keeps residual dry matter in check for protection against wild fires. Water is also enjoyed by wildlife, especially during dry months!
A few years ago, employees from Clif Bar assembled dozens of bluebird boxes for us. We installed 10 at Fernandez Ranch. The numbers for 2025 are in. 8 Western Bluebird nests and 40 hatched eggs! Plus 2 Tree Swallow nests and 6 eggs!
Whether you love getting your hands dirty, enjoy hiking or using your specialized skills, we’ve got a place for you. Scan the QR code or visit jmlt.org/volunteer
6150 lbs. of produce distributed
Family Harvest Farm
Life on the Farm
Some numbers for 2025 so far:
3 new farming blocks developed
15 Transitional Age Youth (TAY) employed as apprentices
9 baby chickens hatched
We’re working together on personal and professional growth, and also giving back to the community. I've worked office jobs and warehouse jobs, and working outside definitely gives me a more positive mindset. I feel less depressy! — An Apprentice
1013
67 volunteer engagements
local families received veggie and ower starts
3 new pollinator gardens planted
ABOUT THE FARM
100
Parkside Elementary pre-k students visited in May
1
Irrigation system extended to the back half
On a former vacant lot in a city neighborhood, this 3.5-acre regenerative organic farm in Pittsburg, CA 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. Make a difference in young people’s lives: visit, volunteer, or donate at jmlt.org/farm
Protecting the places that make the East Bay special
Can You Place These Places?
Match the Landscape
When these new tidal channels were cut a few years ago, computer models helped design and place them. Today they nurture a flourishing marsh along Suisun Bay.
Ponds have been created for grazing cattle. Cattle play an important role in keeping protected lands healthy by increasing biodiversity, improving soil health, and reducing wildfire risk.
Newts! We love ‘em. Scientists do population surveys and foster healthy habitat. This pond is near a busy highway, but you’d never know that standing next to it.
This 8.3-mile stream drains a watershed that provides habitat to threatened and endangered species, such as Western pond turtle, Alameda whipsnake, and Cooper’s hawk.
The Bay Delta region provides wildlife habitat and clean drinking water. But, let’s not forget the beautiful views! Like this delightful sunset.
When big machines are needed for conservation it can be spectacular. Breaching this temporary levee restored tidal flows to a redesigned marsh and drew a big crowd and lots of cheers.
This beautiful waterfall is deep in the woods and known to only a few intrepid hikers
Named for a family that settled here in the 19th Century, water runs 2.1 miles along this creek before feeding the Upper San Leandro Reservoir, a source of clean drinking water for over 100 years.
