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Save Mount
Diablo's Newest Acquisition Project: Viera - North Peak
Viera - North
Peak: a
165-acre property located on the slopes of Mt. Diablo's
North Peak.
Often, there is just one chance to
protect a spectacular property. The chance to preserve
165-acres once owned by the Viera family on the very
slopes of Mount Diablo’s North Peak came last week
when Save Mount Diablo signed the purchase agreement.
Viera-North Peak has been one of Save Mount Diablo’s top
five priorities for 25 years because of its location,
spectacular views and unparalleled resources.
Viera
is located on the Eastern slopes of North
Peak and crossed by Perkins Canyon. As you drop down
the slopes, a thick band of chaparral (covering half the
property) gives way to blue oak woodland with small
rocky meadows then lush creek-side vegetation. Two
onsite tributary creeks join the main drainage just east
of the parcel before flowing into Marsh Creek.
This is one of the parcels of the Viera family, who once
owned 1,045 acres on and around the mountain. In 1995,
Anne Homan interviewed Lucy Viera, then 93 years old,
for her book The Morning Side of Mount Diablo.
Lucy was the youngest of 12 Viera children and eager to
share stories of the old days living in the foothills of
Mt. Diablo. She claimed that an old Indian used to live
on the property, who paid for all his groceries with
gold nuggets.
Seth Adams, Save Mount Diablo’s Director
of Land Programs, wrote this enthusiastic review of the
property after his first visit:
“Classic North Peak - Mt. Diablo. Three quarters of a
mile wide and a half mile north-south with 1000’
elevation change. Viera is thick and overgrown, rugged,
steep and rocky. Excellent property with complicated
geology and soils – all the Diablo core ophiolite rocks
– chert, graywacke, serpentine, plus cinnabar. Lush,
did I say lush, overgrown, still quite green – not to
mention lots of poison oak – and everywhere the citrus
smell of the hop plant’s white flowers. Dominated by
the sound of water, lots of water, lots of rocky pools,
and then by the sound of the wind. Amazing views of
both peaks, the Summit Museum, and the snow-capped
Sierra.
“More wildflowers than on any property we've bought
in a long time and the rocky soils seem to keep the pigs
from doing much damage. Many, many globe lilies, huge
banks of sticky monkey flowers, lots of little rocky
meadows of Ithuriel's spear, Chinese houses, Indian
paintbrush, larkspur, pink flowered onion, and more.
Birds everywhere, plus lots of lizards. Many rocky
ridges in every direction with landslides of rock from
North Peak above, all covered in vegetation. Lots of
trees: juniper, buckeyes just starting to bloom,
sycamores and big leaf maples. Imagine the Falls Trail
area on North Peak without the trail. It would be a
great place to build a narrow trail allowing access from
Morgan Territory Road and the State Park up to North
Peak. All this and we’ve only hiked a small part of it
so far. It’s absolutely essential that we add this
property to Mt. Diablo State Park!”
In 1909, the property was appraised at $413.27. Now,
100 years later, we signed a purchase agreement for
$975,000. We’ve made a down payment of $25,000 and have
300 days to raise the remaining $950,000. |
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