One trail to rule them all - and it goes by my house!

The Midpenninsula Regional Open Space District, which manages some of my favorite local open space areas in the Bay Area, is aggressively buying land to link a single trail from the top of the hill to the coast. That means I could walk down my driveway and cruise single track all the way to the ocean! Love it.

Below is an article about it from the Half Moon Bay Review. Sounds like a few locals still have questions.

- SD

PS - If you love the idea of running from Skyline to the Sea, be sure to sign up for Skyline to the Sea 50k on April 26. It was a lot of fun last year!

District announces plan to link Purisima to the sea

Two-year design involves purchase of four open space parcels

By Greg Thomas [ greg@hmbreview.com ]
Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, Jan 28, 2009 - 10:54:03 am PST

Hikers, bikers and equestrians could have new paths to explore two years down the line if a plan to acquire 1,300 acres of land south of Half Moon Bay comes through for the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.

The idea is to buy the space in between the Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve and the Pacific Ocean by 2011, a venture that would allow for the connection of the Bay Area Ridge Trail and the California Coastal Trail.

The corridor consists of four consecutive parcels of rolling hillsides, spotted with agricultural plots and a few residences. The parcels include the University of California’s Elkus Ranch Uplands, Blue Brush Canyon, Lobitos Ridge and Purisima Farms Uplands. District officials outlined the plan for about 30 stakeholders at a special meeting Thursday at Elkus 4-H Ranch.Several raised concerns pertaining to public use, trail routes, maintenance and the fate of the homes and farms currently operating on the area in question.

Bob Marsh occupies a sizeable chunk of property adjacent to the Purisima Farms tract. He wanted to know whether there would be adequate signs and fences to clearly delineate public and private property and keep cattle, horses and people from roaming rampant.

Open space officials said that until all four purchases go through they’re holding off on announcing any large-scale comprehensive designs.

The initial plan, District Senior Real Property Planner Sandy Sommer said, is to “maintain status quo” of the properties. “Farmland will continue to be farmed … After we go through a very public process thinking about what the future holds, we’ll start looking at other possibilities, but for now we’ll be keeping the things there that are there.”

That means little will change any time soon for the handful of residents, the farmers, the livestock and the natural habitat in the corridor.

“We’re going to try to find a balance between preserving the environment and allowing the public to recreate on the land and (maintaining) the agriculture,” District spokeswoman Leigh Ann Maze added.

Officials have their sights set on the 450-acre UC Elkus Uplands parcel first, and could wrap up the purchase as early as springtime. Purchase of the three remaining parcels would follow as district resources and time would allow, District Real Property Manager Mike Williams said.

The price of all four properties is estimated at $11 million. At the meeting, Williams said officials have applied for two state grants that could cover as much as $6.5 million of that amount.

Officials will discuss moving forward with the Elkus property purchase at a meeting in March, and say they might buy Blue Brush Canyon as early as summer.

1,462 Acre Waddle Ranch is California's Latest Open Space

The Truckee Donner Land Trust and Trust for Public Land announced Thursday that they had purchased the 1,462 acre Waddle Ranch in Martis Valley (just off Hwy 267 between Truckee and Lake Tahoe), ensuring that future generations will be able to enjoy this relatively untouched section of Tahoe wilderness. It is one of the biggest open space deals in the Sierra to date.

Quote from the SF Chronicle article (which also includes a great set of pictures):

The executive director of the Truckee Donner Land Trust told his son how he had been working for some eight years trying to save the biologically rich area from developers who wanted to build a hotel, golf course and some 600 units of housing right where they were standing. His son looked around and said, "Dad, grown-ups shouldn't build houses in places like this." And now they won't.

Right on, brother. I'm sure a lot of people were behind this happening, much of the same people targeting the next section of wilderness near Northstar to be preserved. It continues to amaze me how these trusts are so effective. My thanks to their tireless effort!

Now, did anyone see a trailhead on this property? I sense the inaugural Waddle Ranch 50k may already be in the works!

- SD

Big Basin Redwood Park Expands 534 Acres Thanks to Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard has agreed to sell "Little Basin", their 534 acre property adjascent to the Big Basin Redwoods Park, to two non-profit land trusts, the Peninsula Open Space Trust and the Sempervirens Fund. These trusts will in turn lobby to have this property made a part of the Big Basin Redwoods Park. You can read the full story here at the San Jose Mercury News.

It's incredible what land trusts can do to help preserve local open space (you can read some research I did here), and much in thanks to the generosity of the folks at HP, the success continues. I can't wait to try out the new trails!

Here's an audio slideshow about the purchase, courtesy of the San Jose Mercury News.

- SD

Local Conservation Efforts Gain Ground on Urban Sprawl

Local and State Conservation Efforts have helped secure over 11 million acres from development in the last five years – that’s 2 million more acres than were lost to urban sprawl in the same time period. This is great news for us trail enthusiasts, and a significant change from any previous 5 year period on record.

(Local trusts saved this open space on Windy Hill; photo courtesy of POST)

The National Land Trust Census, conducted every 5 years, says private land under protective trusts and easements now total 37 million acres, a 54% increase from 2000. Much of this growth has come from two areas – active volunteer efforts by local and state trusts, and a 158% increase in the use of land easements for tax breaks. Together, they have secured acreage the equivalent of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachussets, and Rhode Island combined.

I’ve personally seen the rewards of hard-working land trust volunteers in action near my home in Woodside, CA. One example is the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), a privately funded local land trust, whom has secured a number of large areas such as the Phleger Estate, the recently refurbished Pigeon Point Preserve along the coast, and the El Corte de Madera Preserve. Each land acquisition seems to follow a similar pattern. Conservationists raise funds, then donate their time to target private lands that could be converted to open space. They then approach private land owners (typically ranchers or farmers who have had the land in their family for many years) and present to them a “land easement”. This legally declares that the land will not be developed, and will be transferred/sold to POST at some future date. In exchange, the land owners get a tax break and can continue to use the land for raising cattle or farming. It’s a good way to get property tax relief while permanently preserving the land as a scenic landscape, wildlife habitat, or other preserve.

(Dark green are areas that POST has recovered)

Once the land is transferred/sold, POST invests more time and money to reseed with native plants, ensure wildlife can thrive, and in general get the land back to its original state. From there POST may manage the property, or in some cases transfer ownership back to the State or other land management (such as being annexed by an adjacent park or preserve). In either case, they do provide permits for usages such as trail runs, docent trips, and more.

POST is just one of many land trusts that are collectively making this big impact. Chuck Wilson (an ultrarunner and 40+ year Bay Area local) recently pointed out to me a number of trusts and volunteer groups just within a few miles – the Greenbelt Alliance, Committee for Green Foothills, the Midpeninsula Open Space Preserve, the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority, and more.

(Another gorgeous open space photo from POST)

My deepest thank you to all who volunteer their time and money to help preserve as much open space as possible. It is one of the greatest legacies a generation could possibly gift, and I personally enjoy the fruits of your efforts nearly every day. I hope the news of the National Land Trust Census gets to all of you, for it is truly remarkable how much impact is being made on a local level. You can read more about the NLTC here in USA Today.

BTW, you can donate to POST (or make a donation on behalf of someone as a holiday gift) by clicking here.

- SD