Martinez: John Muir Land Trust Buys Two More Franklin Ridge Properties

Bay City News

John Muir Land Trust has finished its fundraising to buy two properties and expand its preservation of Franklin Ridge in Martinez.

The campaign raised $6.5 million to acquire and permanently protect the 100-acre Kenneth Gerlack Preserve and 134-acre Barnett Ranch.

Those 234 acres will be added to the Franklin Ridge Wildlife and Trail Corridor, a natural landscape southwest of downtown Martinez that the land trust called "a vital refuge for native wildlife and a treasured recreational haven for outdoor enthusiasts" in a statement announcing the purchase.

In an era of global climate change, the preservation of intact natural corridors is more crucial than ever, and this campaign protects one of the most important in the East Bay.

"JMLT has been piecing together the Franklin Ridge Wildlife and Trail Corridor for 35 years," says Linus Eukel, executive director of John Muir Land Trust. "The importance of adding these two new properties cannot be overstated. Along these stunning ridgelines is a nexus for some of our most important regional trails, including the Bay Area Ridge Trail."

Eukel said the area is home to more than 20 local species, including vital predators such as mountain lions, and endangered and threatened species such as the iconic California red-legged frog.

"Here it is possible to walk in the footsteps of famed naturalist John Muir himself, who lived nearby and hiked and wrote about its delightful ravines, hilltops, plateaus, open grasslands, and stunning panoramic views," Eukel said.

The land trust said funding came from many sources, most importantly from thousands of local residents who contribute regularly to support its conservation work in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

Two anonymous donors contributed $500,000 each. A challenge match from David and Janice Hammond of Alamo generated $300,000. The land trust received $1.23 million from the California State Coastal Conservancy, an agency charged with protecting and restoring California's most important natural and scenic resources. The California Wildlife Conservation Board made a grant of $2 million.

The landowners said it's a moment long awaited.

"There is so much at the top of the ridge to see and experience all of God's creation. My children and their children will be immensely proud to visit. We're preserving it for them and for everyone in the public at large," says Carolyn Barnett.

"As our lives changed and our children grew up, we always maintained a reverence for the property and the land," said Gay Gerlack. "Once it's gone, you can't get it back. My late husband Kenneth and I dreamed about this wonderful outcome."

More information on Franklin Ridge can be found at jmlt.org.

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