JMLT fills final donation gap to keep Painted Rock wild

A few days before the deadline for the John Muir Land Trust to deliver the $2 million necessary to purchase the Painted Rock property, $103,000 dollars were still missing - approximately the same amount the Moraga Town Council refused to contribute to the project. But recognizing that such an opportunity to preserve open space for future generations could not be missed, the JMLT board decided to use its reserve to fill the gap. Now Moraga and Lamorinda residents will have the privilege to gain access to over 500 acres of open recreational and stunningly beautiful space, from the very center of town.

JMLT Executive Director Linus Eukel explains that the reason why the board decided to contribute the missing funds to purchase the land of late Roger Poynts was the unprecedented number of people who contributed; the number of calls, emails, and donations coming in every day for the Campaign To Save Painted Rock was unlike anything the land trust has ever seen in three decades of conserving land. "Sometimes a very small amount of money: $5, $20," he says. "But it showed that the people of the community really cared."