Nolan scores one for habitat preservation

Retired NHL All-Star Owen Nolan has announced the transition of his 1,157 acres in Mt. Hamilton Range (California) to organizations devoted to the environmental protection and preservation of lands. This unique partnership protects prime Alameda Creek Watershed habitat from future development through a conservation easement and paves the way for future plans to open up the property to public recreation.

"I'm proud to be part of the effort to expand Joseph D. Grant County Park and help protect clean drinking water and recreational opportunities for future generations," said Owen Nolan, property owner and former San Jose Sharks captain.

"I love the outdoors,” Nolan told the San Jose Mercury News. “It's not just hunting and fishing. It's getting outside," he said. "There's a lot of pressure that comes with being an athlete. Getting outside has always helped me get peace of mind."

“This property acquisition creates the only county park that is more than 10,000 acres in size,” said President George Shirakawa, County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors. “The addition of this landscape to the county’s park system will not only increase opportunities for future trail development but also support 70 miles of wild lands from Pleasanton to the Pacheco Pass and connect it to several thousand acres of Lick Observatory lands on top of Mt. Hamilton by the University of California.”

Located within the southern Alameda Creek Watershed, the property includes approximately five miles of Sulphur and Smith Creeks that drain to Isabel Creek and the Arroyo Hondo, which flows directly into the SFPUC’s Calaveras Reservoir.

“Calaveras Reservoir is our system’s largest Bay Area reservoir and is a crucial source of drinking water to our 2.6 million customers,” said SFPUC General Manager Harlan Kelly, Jr. “By protecting the land and the animals and plants that depend upon it, we also protect the quality of a major Bay Area water supply.”

The Nature Conservancy, through an endowment funded by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), will monitor the conservation easement in perpetuity. Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department will own and manage the property as part of Joseph D. Grant County Park.

Read the entire article on The Nature Conservancy’s website, here.