CLAYTON, CA—On December 21, 2023, Save Mount Diablo closed escrow on the 6.69-acre Krane Pond property on the slopes of Mount Diablo’s North Peak, permanently protecting it.
The Krane Pond property is part of the “Missing Mile,” a square mile of partly unprotected land on Mount Diablo’s North Peak.
The property has been a priority of Save Mount Diablo’s since our founding in 1971, in part because of its large pond, one of the largest on Mount Diablo’s north side, and its position directly adjacent to Mount Diablo State Park.
Krane Pond is a vital water source for Mount Diablo’s wildlife, one that contains water throughout most summers, unlike many of the creeks and other ponds found on Mount Diablo. The ecological significance of Krane Pond far eclipses its size.
Save Mount Diablo secured the option agreement to purchase Krane Pond in the fall of 2022, with a year to raise the necessary funds to complete the purchase. Save Mount Diablo had one year to raise the $500,000 needed to cover the various project costs for acquiring the Krane Pond property.
We are particularly grateful to the donors who made large leadership gifts to help us raise the bulk of the funds for this project.
We are also grateful to have received 257 donations totaling $61,361 from the readers of Joan Morris’s East Bay Times and Mercury News column. Their gifts arrived close to the fundraising deadline, when it was a race against time to acquire the remaining funds to complete the purchase.
A development lies along one of the property’s borders, a very real reminder of how the land could have been graded and paved over had Save Mount Diablo not acquired it.
In 1978, Walt and Roseann Krane purchased 6.69 acres of land on the outskirts of Clayton, bordered by Mount Diablo State Park and the meridian on the west side, Mount Diablo Creek on the north side, and property held by ranchers to the east.
Although the Krane family initially had plans to build a house on the property, they decided to preserve the land and eventually sold it to Save Mount Diablo.
About Save Mount Diablo
Save Mount Diablo is a nationally accredited, nonprofit land trust founded in 1971 with a mission to preserve Mount Diablo’s peaks, surrounding foothills, watersheds, and connection to the Diablo Range through land acquisition and preservation strategies designed to protect the mountain’s natural beauty, biological diversity, and historic and agricultural heritage; enhance our area’s quality of life; and provide educational and recreational opportunities consistent with protection of natural resources. To learn more, please visit www.savemountdiablo.org.
Image Captions and Credits:
- The Krane Pond property in the spring. Photo by Sean Burke.
- The Krane Pond property in the fall. Photo by Ted Clement.
- Wildlife that could potentially benefit from Krane Pond. Illustration by James Woods Marshall.
High resolution images and drone footage of the property and the surrounding area are available upon request by emailing lkindsvater@savemountdiablo.org.
| MEDIA CONTACT:
Laura Kindsvater Senior Communications Manager, Save Mount Diablo C: 925-451-8376 lkindsvater@savemountdiablo.org ### |
