Around 100 people attended a community meeting at Wagner Ranch Elementary School in Orinda on March 24. The meeting was hosted by the John Muir Land Trust (JMLT), which acquired the property from the Orinda Union School District in December last year. The purpose of the meeting was to begin planning for the restoration and renewal of the property and for its future use under the auspices of the land trust.

    JMLT Executive Director Linus Eukel opened the meeting. “We think it is a gem,” he said, “and something that serves the public beautifully.” Being close in, the nature area is a good public gathering place, according to Eukel.

    John Muir Land Trust recently acquired Wagner Ranch Nature Area, a beloved 16-acre outdoor classroom in Orinda. While currently closed due to storm damage, the JMLT is planning its restoration and renewal—and it wanted to hear from the community, hosting two free community meetings this spring. 

    Attendees heard from the JMLT team and restoration partners, before opening the March 24 meeting up for feedback to share what the community hopes this place becomes.

    Drew Goetting, President and CEO of the Restoration Design Group (RDG) also spoke at the first community meeting.  Goetting has a career in public lands management and is a noted expert in stream restoration. He believes that if you connect people with water, they will value it, and he sees the value of outdoor classrooms as a way to promote fire risk reduction. 

    Jake Schweitzer of Vollmar Natural Lands Consulting LLC spoke about the biological resources in the Nature Area, noting that by April an additional plant survey will be completed. He also talked about some animals that might be in the area, including the dusky wood rat, the northwestern pond turtle, the California newt, red legged frogs, special status bats and possibly Alameda whipsnakes.

    Kirsten Negus, a landscape architect with RDG, talked about the site assessment and design, state and local regulatory requirements, project requirements and the timeline. Already completed are securing the property, and launching the campaign. The project is now in the community design phase, and will then go through engineering and permitting.  When fully funded, building will begin and will conclude with a grand opening.

    It is the practice of the Land Trust not to begin work on a project until it has been fully funded. Eukel says that the JMLT can move as fast as the public can weigh in on funding, which he thinks could be quite quickly. JMLT requires $5 million from private donors for the Nature Area project.  “We’ve done it before,” Eukel commented in an interview with Lamorinda Weekly.  He pointed to Harvey Ranch in Moraga, which required $7 million, and Painted Rock, also in Moraga, which required $2 million. 

    Eukel, an Orinda resident, says that he has been having the conversation about the Nature Area for more than 20 years.  His daughter went through the program during her time at Wagner Ranch Elementary School.

    “Let’s end that process,” he suggested, “and move to a really positive conclusion.” The acquisition of the property by the land trust was facilitated by a $1.5 million state appropriation arranged by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer Kahan. The acquisition satisfied the purpose of that funding because protection of the land from development runs with JMLT’s deed in perpetuity.
    Eukel sees the Nature Area as a place of cultivation, not a classroom.  He referenced suggestions from the public, which include a sitting wall, an amphitheater, and a refuge from academia. He noted that there is one creek that runs through the property.  The 16 acres acquired by the JMLT borders land owned by the East Bay Municipal Utility District. EBMUD’s property include San Pablo Creek, which is a source of drinking water and therefore not appropriate for recreational use.

    Eukel noted that the JMLT has excellent working relationships with EBMUD, as well as with ConFire and California Civicorp. Civicorp was founded in 1983 and has as its mission “to reengage young adults, age 18-26, to earn their high school diplomas, gain job skills, pursue college, and embark on family sustaining careers.”

    JMLT is looking to bring all the resources that they can, including state funding, to the Nature Area project.  In addition to dealing with the damage done to the property by the winter storms of 2022, the property is home to some invasive plants, eucalypts, etc.  “We’re still strategizing how to address some of the species, what should stay, what should be thinned,” Eukel explained.

    By the next public meeting, scheduled for April 28, Eukel says that they will have some designs ready for public comment. For detailed information, visit https://jmlt.org/our-places/wagner-ranch/