Herb & Jane Dwight’s Family Legacy

By Stephanie Beard Communications Coordinator

Herb Dwight’s backpacking phase lasted more than 50 years. Whenever he was on the trail, he’d take a moment to pause and revel in the marvels of nature. “One has to stop and look around and observe.” Born in 1930, Herb is a third-generation Californian. When he was young, his father took him to the remote areas of California – from the high Sierra’s to the coldest rivers. These experiences imbued in him an affection for wild places. “I graduated from Stanford in June 1953, at a time when negotiations for ending the Korean War were underway. Several of us were scheduled to report for active duty a week after graduation, giving us one week to engage in another epic adventure in the high Sierras.”

Roughly 1,500 miles away, Jane Dwight, born in Oklahoma, spent much of her childhood on the backs of horses. She was an equestrian from an early age and Jane competed extensively, but her favorite way to ride was bareback and her favorite place to ride was in the forest. When Jane met Herb, they connected over a shared love of the outdoors. She knew that by marrying a third generation Californian, California would be her lifelong home, so she became as passionate about the place as her husband. Jane and Herb’s shared love of the wilderness and the rejuvenating power of nature instilled in them an ethic of conservation that’s persisted throughout their life together, and they’ve passed this value on to their children and grandchildren.

Herb was always taken with the iconic California backdrop of golden hills and green oaks. His first impression of what is now Pepperwood is that this place must be a piece of heaven. Jane was astonished by the expanse of land that was here, and was privileged to have the opportunity to purchase the land with her husband. Herb and Jane agreed they wanted to protect, preserve, and restore this place. They also wanted to respect the legacy of the former owner Kenneth Bechtel, who had in the 1930’s begun buying up the land adjacent to his ranch, and then subsequently gifted it to the California Academy of Sciences (CalAcademy). His vision was that this land would serve as a platform for research and education in the natural sciences into perpetuity. After purchasing the land in 2005, the Dwight’s created the Pepperwood Foundation to acquire and manage the 3,200-acre property.

Their vision for the property expanded when they considered how it could be preserved, conserved, and used. An education program, a research program – the organization started out small, but the impact began rippling outward very quickly from that point on. The Dwight’s wanted to ensure that this place that so inspired them could inspire others. “If we could encourage people to become more aware of what truly natural property has to offer, then we could hook them on becoming more committed to preserving what natural land remains,” Herb says. Jane is very much in alignment and is most pleased to share the place with people of all ages, “the people who come here, no matter what age, find wonder here. This is my greatest joy.”

The Dwight’s founded Pepperwood to make conserved wild land accessible to all, so that the benefits of such a place may be felt by all who visit it.

“Jane and my fondest hopes are that the Pepperwood Foundation will serve as an inspiration for current and future generations to preserve our unique natural attributes: our landscapes, flora, and fauna. Our strategy at Pepperwood incorporates science-based conservation, cutting-edge research, and interdisciplinary education to further the preservation of our natural habitat.” Seeing Pepperwood now, nearly twenty years later, they see their vision has not only come to fruition, it has grown to include so many more people over the years. This is their legacy – one they pass onto their children and grandchildren to safekeep together so that nature may be enjoyed and protected by the whole community.