Natural History Wanderings

Save Mt. Diablo has purchased the Curry Ranch. The ranch is 1,080 acres of lush canyons, dense pine forests, boulders the size of big rigs, grassy hills with big oak trees and a mile-long stretch of steep sandstone cliffs where prairie and peregrine falcons nest in shallow wind caves. The purchase will prevent development and division of the land.
Save Mount Diablo will  manage the area as open space until it can transferred to a park agency such as Mt. Diablo State Park, which surrounds the Curry Canyon Ranch property on three sides.

The Save Mt. Diablo website states:

Since our founding in 1971, Curry Canyon Ranch has been on the top of the priority list. And now, after decades of effort, Curry Canyon Ranch, the most important and spectacular property remaining in Contra Costa County, has been protected. The 1,080 acre property was purchased by Save Mount Diablo for $7.2 million, with the help of a generous grant from the Coastal Conservancy and a loan — making it the largest and most expensive purchase in our history.

“Curry Canyon Ranch is amazing in every way,” said Scott Hein, president of Save Mount Diablo, “from its huge incredible landscapes and spectacular beauty, to its rich biological diversity and cultural history. Eight miles of fire road solving not one, but four significant trail gaps. The acquisition is the culmination of decades of effort, Save Mount Diablo’s most important acquisition ever and the most important for Save Mount Diablo since North Peak was protected in 1980.”

Curry Canyon was the largest remaining unprotected canyon on Diablo’s main peaks, between the Diablo summit and the Blackhills.

Save Mount Diablo has been one of the most effective organizations at preserving local habitat. Since Save Mount Diablo’s founding in 1971, preserved open space has increased from less than 7,000 acres to over 110,000 acres in more than 40 parks. Mount Diablo is still threatened by development. That could mean the loss of wildlife corridors, ecosystems and recreational opportunities.

To learn more about the organization go to: Save Mt. Diablo.

To learn more about the Curry Ranch purchase go to: http://www.savemountdiablo.org/downloads/Media_CurryCanyon_PR.pdf