The John Muir Land Trust (JMLT) has announced that it has raised the $4 million needed to purchase and conserve the Harvey Ranch in Moraga, California.

Funding for the campaign to create a conservation buffer to protect important wilderness areas in the San Francisco Bay Area included a $550,000 grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, a $1 million matching gift from an anonymous donor, a $250,000 contribution from the town council of Moraga, and contributions from other individuals and institutions. The ranch, owned by local conservationists Charlene Harvey and her late husband, Jim, was threatened by increasing demand for residential development in the region. Conservation of the 126-acre property in the hills above Saint Mary’s College of California will protect the adjacent 15,000-acre wilderness area formed by the Las Trampas Regional Wilderness and the San Leandro Watershed from future development.

“Harvey Ranch is a strategically located and threatened property, important for both wildlife habitat and water supply,” said Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Bay Area conservation program manager Dan Winterson.

“[W]e’ve added an additional layer of protection for a vital wildlife refuge,” said JMLT executive director Linus Eukel. “Preserving and keeping wildlife corridors intact is a huge priority as we take action to mitigate the impact of global climate change.”

(Photo credit: Wikipedia/Binksternet)