Announcing the Campaign to Expand Franklin Ridge

ANNOUNCING THE CAMPAIGN TO EXPAND FRANKLIN RIDGE

A Must for Conservation

Preserving intact natural corridors is essential if wild species are to adapt to climate change. The goal of the latest John Muir Land Trust campaign is to do precisely that—prevent incursions into a pristine open space that nurtures the welfare of native wildlife.

Humans will benefit, too.

This ridgeline features miles of trails and panoramic views. It’s a delight for nature enthusiasts across the East Bay. For three decades, with the help of generous donors like you, John Muir Land Trust (JMLT) has been adding key parcels to the 10,000-acre Franklin Ridge Wildlife and Trail Corridor southwest of downtown Martinez in northern Contra Costa County.

A fully protected Franklin Ridge offers a potential 5 unobstructed miles of habitat and ridgeline that allows the natural movement of over 20 local species and protects the home of endangered and threatened wildlife. The Campaign to Expand Franklin Ridge seeks to acquire two missing pieces—a total of 234 new acres to be protected—that will preserve the integrity of this vital refuge.

Critically Important Habitat

Intact wildlife refuges and corridors are indispensable places that wild species need to survive a changing world. The East Bay hosts several thriving refuges, but these are incomplete, lacking the size and interconnectedness required. Expanding Franklin Ridge is one of our best opportunities to acquire newly available privately-held lands that will fill in gaps, expand boundaries, and connect protected areas that buffer our existing wild places.

Southwest of Martinez, Franklin Ridge is critical habitat for the threatened Alameda whipsnake and the endangered California red-legged frog. Mountain lions and American badgers are generally unseen, but there is abundant evidence that they use these lands as thoroughfares. Patrolling overhead are stunning raptors such as golden eagles and white-tailed kites. This is a natural treasure within one of the country’s largest metropolitan areas.

A Record of Success

The fact that protected wild places exist today is due to the foresight of conservationists in the last century who valued the preservation of wild lands over unchecked development. Our responsibility today is to complete the task and move it forward for generations to come. JMLT works with willing landowners who want to preserve their former family ranches and farms. This process can take years, even decades.

New Opportunities

Kenneth Gerlack Preserve is a beautiful 100-acre property that completes the missing segment along the ridgeline partially filled with the acquisition of Almond Ranch. Well-defined ravines, hilltops, plateaus, open grasslands, and deciduous native oak woodlands carpet its northerly facing slopes. The views are stunning. The southwest corner adds to the Bay Area Ridge Trail on wide fire trails—something that has been in the planning stages for decades.

Barnett Ranch occupies 134 acres at the area’s western end. Its sweeping grasslands draw the eye out to San Francisco Bay, the Marin Headlands, and a dramatic view across San Pablo Bay to northern wine country valleys.

Acquiring the Barnett Ranch property is an essential step toward a hoped-for future unbroken connection to Fernandez Ranch and East Bay Regional Park District’s Crockett Hills. This interconnection would make for a protected landscape of state-wide importance.

Trails: Nature for People, Too

Barnett Ranch and Kenneth Gerlack Preserve bring together numerous regionally significant trails including the Bay Area Ridge Trail, the 50-mile Carquinez Strait Scenic Loop Trail, the San Francisco Bay Trail, the Great California Delta Trail, the San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail, the California Riding and Hiking Trail and the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. Feeder Trail # 1, one of the oldest in the Bay Area, was used in the 1850s by people traveling on horseback and in stagecoach. Today these trails connect Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline, Radke Martinez Regional Shoreline, and Briones Regional Park.

It's Urgent

Undeveloped ranches are highly sought after for commercial and residential development. When they come on the market, we in the land trust community must move quickly. California’s 30x30 Initiative is making unprecedented public funds available for the purchase of these lands, but there is much competition for that support. Undeniably important for receiving these grants is communities demonstrating local support by contributing their own funds.

PROJECT GOALS:

EXPAND: Increase the permanently protected portion of a vital 10,000-acre wilderness corridor.

STRENGTHEN: Bolster climate resilience through biodiversity, healthy watershed, and fire mitigation.

PROTECT: Preserve vital habitat for native species.

CONNECT: Extend trails of historic importance that advance bold visions for connecting the entire Bay Area.

INSPIRE: Foster generations of nature enthusiasts by providing exceptional close-to-home outdoor recreation.

Each gift, of any size, makes a difference. We must act now.

Click Here to learn more about Franklin Ridge and make a donation