| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Size of Sierra park triples with land acquisition
Sunday April 20, 2003TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) A popular Sierra park that pays homage to the Donner Party has nearly tripled in size thanks to a land acquisition arranged by conservationists.
Donner Memorial State Park has expanded with the state park system's purchase of a 1,923-acre, forested ridgeline that forms the scenic backdrop to Donner Lake.
Schallenberger Ridge, valued at $3.1 million, was purchased from the San Francisco-based Trust for Public Land. The trust bought the property in 2001 from Croman Timber Corp. of Oregon to spare it from logging and development.
``The same rugged skyline that greeted the first pioneers to California is now protected forever,'' said state Resources Secretary Mary Nichols.
The 3,123-acre park along Interstate 80 attracts 150,000 visitors a year and commemorates the site of the tragic Donner Party of 1846-47.
Dozens of the pioneers starved to death and others resorted to cannibalism to survive after becoming stranded by heavy snow in the Sierra. Forty-two of the group's 89 members died.
The park addition will be used for recreation and wildlife habitat, trust officials said. Plans call for a section of the 25-mile Donner Lake Rim Trail to be built on it.
The purchase was made with the help of the state Habitat Conservation Fund, state Department of Fish and Game mitigation funds, Placer County Legacy funds and private donations.
The trust worked with the Truckee Donner Land Trust to protect the property.
``(The national trust) is pleased to have played a part in the protection of Schallenberger Ridge,'' said David Sutton, the group's Sierra program director. ``Schallenberger Ridge is a gift back to the Sierra and to the public that loves it.''
John Knot, superintendent for the state park system's Sierra district, said most outdoor enthusiasts assumed the ridge already was in public ownership because of its location next to the park and U.S. Forest Service land.
``It was vital that this property be protected now,'' he said. ``This will be part of our legacy to future generations.''
Schallenger Ridge is named for Moses Schallenberger, a member of the first party to take covered wagons over the Sierra in 1844.
A ceremony celebrating the new park addition will be held sometime this summer there, said trust spokesman Matthew Shaffer.
The local land trust expects six more properties totaling 341 acres to be added to the park in coming years.
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