$50K Grant Will Help Conserve Krane Pond Property: Save Mount Diablo

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — In another step toward the permanent conservation of the Krane Pond property on Mount Diablo's North Peak, the Firedoll Foundation recently awarded Save Mount Diablo a $50,000 grant towards its $500,000 goal.

Krane Pond is located within Mount Diablo’s “Missing Mile,” a highly visible section of land on Mount Diablo’s North Peak that is contiguous with the Mount Diablo State Park boundary. For decades, Save Mount Diablo has been working to protect the “Missing Mile” through conservation easements and land acquisitions such as the purchase of Krane Pond.

Krane Pond has been a conservation priority since Save Mount Diablo’s founding in 1971. Had this property been acquired by a developer, it could have been paved over and built upon.

The Firedoll Foundation is a private family foundation based in Walnut Creek. One of its five focus areas is environmental conservation; it supports a variety of conservation efforts throughout northern California with its grants.

“Environmental conservation has been a priority for Firedoll Foundation from its beginnings more than 20 years ago, and so the Firedoll Foundation gladly supports the efforts of Save Mount Diablo in its mission to strategically acquire lands for conservation and preservation," said Stephen Hoeft, program officer for Firedoll Foundation. "The Firedoll Foundation and Save Mount Diablo have aligned goals to preserve for the future the natural environments here in Contra Costa County, a place where over a million people and numerous wild plants and animals all call home."

Save Mount Diablo is honored to be among the organizations the Firedoll Foundation chose to support in 2023. This grant is an important step toward Save Mount Diablo’s goal of raising $500,000 to purchase the Krane Pond property — forever protecting it from development.

“We are grateful for, and inspired by, the Firedoll Foundation’s recent $50,000 grant award to our effort to acquire and protect the strategic Krane Pond property within Mount Diablo’s Missing Mile," said Ted Clement, executive director for Walnut Creek-based Save Mount Diablo.

"The Firedoll Foundation has long understood the importance of protecting at-risk open space properties within Mount Diablo’s Missing Mile," Clement said. "In 2016, the Firedoll Foundation provided funds to help us protect North Peak Ranch within the Missing Mile. Last year, we protected the Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association land within the Missing Mile, also with Firedoll Foundation support."

During the fundraising period, Save Mount Diablo is surveying the property’s resources and boundaries and is preparing to do other maintenance and stewardship work once the purchase is completed.

The $500,000 goal Save Mount Diablo is working to reach within the next year would cover two $25,000 options to hold the property, the $400,000 purchase price, and $50,000 for stewardship and other related transaction costs. Once the money is raised, the Krane Pond property will be permanently protected and cared for.