For immediate release:

Sonoma Mountain Preservation Group Applauds
Transfer of Sonoma Developmental Center Lands
to Jack London State Historic Park

The Sonoma Mountain Preservation Group (SMPG) extends its heartfelt thanks to all those individuals and organizations whose hard work and commitment helped bring about the transfer of the two upper, western parcels of the Sonoma Developmental Center to the Jack London State Historic Park, thereby increasing the Park's acreage by over 40%. This was the culmination of a 7-year effort led by the SMPG.

The future of these parcels first came into question when they were declared by the State's Department of General Services (DGS) in 1995 to be surplus to the needs of the Sonoma Developmental Center. In February, l996, under the chairmanship of then-State Senator Mike Thompson, SMPG organized a public meeting to discuss the disposition of these ecologically important lands which under SB 1418 were open to vineyard development. Over 200 Sonoma Valley citizens attended the meeting and voiced an almost unanimous opinion that the parcels should be maintained in their natural condition and added to Jack London State Historic Park.

In August, l996, Thompson amended his bill to include an option to sell or exchange the two parcels in a transaction that would result in the properties becoming part of the State Park.

In November, l996, the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (OSD) chaired a public meeting at which sentiment remained the same: open space for the two parcels. DGS continued to work toward an agricultural lease on the lower parcel which included old orchards.

In January, l998, the Board of Supervisors approved OSD's purchase of a forever-wild easement over the upper of the two parcels at a cost of $255,000. Also in January, DGS held a public meeting attended by over 250 people to clarify the Environmental Impact Report process over the lower parcel. More than 30 individuals testified in opposition to an agricultural lease over the lower parcel.

In the fall of 2000, LSA, an environmental consultant contracted by DGS, began work on a two-year land-use feasibility study for the lower parcel which could have resulted in a multiplicity of suggested uses and opened the way for intensive agriculture, and possibly sales of house sites below Fern Lake. In December, DGS reversed its plans for its multiple-use feasibility study to concentrate solely on vineyard conversion on the parcel.

In February 2001, due to efforts by Assembly members Pat Wiggins and Joe Nation and Senator Wesley Chesbro, DGS abbreviated its land-use study with transfer to State Parks as the goal. LSA was directed to give special consideration to lands reserved for watershed protection, old growth redwoods, shared recreational opportunities with Parks and habitat protection. In June, 2001, LSA's completed draft study concluded that State Parks would be the optimum organization to have control and oversight over the lower parcel, citing Parks' ability to protect both the watershed and the historical and natural resources on the land.

In October 2001, Assembly member Wiggins called a meeting of involved agencies to expedite the transfer, with the result that Parks opened active negotiations toward a Memorandum of Understanding among the agencies governing the transfer of the upper and lower parcels to Parks. These negotiations have now been successfully concluded.

The Sonoma Ridge Trail being dedicated on August 25, 2002 is on the upper of the two transferred parcels.

The SMPG especially thanks the following for their contributions to the success of this effort:

For further information, contact:

Pat Eliot, SMPG Secretary and SDC project manager: (707) 935-3410 patted@sonic.net
George Ellman SMPG President: (707) 996-0601 GeorgeEllman@cs.com
Larry Modell, SMPG Vice-President: (707) 778-0629 larrymod@attbi.com
Nancy Peterson, SMPG Treasurer: npeterson@vom.com

and see the SMPG website at http://www.sonomamountain.org