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For Immediate Release, January 6, 1995

Contact:        Malcolm Smith, Public Affairs Manager, (415) 691-1200

Purchase Of 907-Acre Jacques Ridge Is Completed 

Los Altos, CA -- Escrow
closed earlier this week on the joint acquisition by the Midpeninsula
Regional Open Space District and the County of Santa Clara on 907-acre
Jacques Ridge. The long-sought after open space links the County's
Almaden Quicksilver Park and the District's Sierra Azul Open Space
Preserve, and is accessible via Hicks Road, a County scenic road. The
District has taken title to approximately 535 acres southeast of Hicks
Road, and the County now owns the remaining 372 acres. The total
purchase price for the entire acquisition is $6,650,000.

The District was successful in securing a Wildlife Habitat Conservation
Fund grant of $1,000,000 towards the purchase, and the County has also
obtained a $230,000 grant from the same source. The resulting net cost
of $5,420,000 was split by the agencies.

The Jacques Ridge area contains a number of elements crucial for open
space preservation. It will provide a valuable wildlife corridor that
connects over 10,000 acres of contiguous park and open space lands, and
will establish a vital link in the Bay Area Ridge Trail. The property
is outstanding habitat for wildlife, including mountain lion, deer,
bobcat, and a variety of birds, and supports unusual and diverse plant
communities including oak woodland, bay forest, grassland, serpentine
chaparral, and riparian forest. Part of the acquisition, Jacques Gulch,
is a well-developed riparian corridor thick with sycamore, alder, oak,
bay, and willow. In addition, the site offers great potential for
creating a major staging area and trailhead access off of Hicks Road.

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, extending from the City
of San Carlos to the Town of Los Gatos, is a public agency which has
preserved over 36,000 acres of diverse open space and manages 23 open
space preserves.

Funding is provided by a small share of the annual total property tax
revenues collected within District boundaries. The District permanently
protects wildlife habitat, watershed, and a variety of ecosystems,
restores damaged natural resources, and  provides trail improvements
for passive recreational use by the public. The District's goals are to
acquire a continuous greenbelt of protected open space lands for public
use and enjoyment, and to preserve open space for future generations to
enjoy. There are approximately 20,000 - 30,000 acres of land still at
risk of being lost to development within the District's planning area.

The District is divided into seven geographic wards, each represented
for a four year term by an elected Board member. The Board holds public
meetings on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 7:30
p.m., at the District offices.


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