Neighborhood Parks

People who love the outdoors know this intuitively, and science confirms it. Access to nature is essential to human health and well-being. A walk in the park relieves the daily stresses of living in a densely populated area. Those pressures will just keep piling on as the next three decades will be among the most dynamic the East Bay region has seen. Forecasts call for the population to grow by 800,000 people — an increase nearly the size of the city of San Francisco itself. JMLT continues to protect the large wild landscapes that surround us. Just as important will be creating smaller parks and local trails in and around our neighborhoods that provide access to nature from our doorsteps.

Our newest acquisition, the 20-acre Hamlin property, nestled in suburban Lafayette, offers steep trails for young explorers and quiet sanctuaries of moss-covered trees for folks seeking more peaceful reflection. Stonehurst and Bodfish Preserve are treasured by residents who live next to these small preserves, and their trails are filled daily with dog walkers, exercise enthusiasts, and parents pushing kids in strollers. Neighbors along the border of Lafayette and Walnut Creek banded together because they couldn't bear the thought of losing beloved Acalanes Ridge, its summit rising just above their rooftops.

In the past three decades we've become keenly aware that every acre matters. Our lives are equally enhanced by the huge wild places that ring our cities and suburbs, and also by delightful local parks that we can experience every day. It all adds up.