SMD Protects Critical Balcerzak Property within Mt. Diablo State Park

Save Mount Diablo has purchased the “Balcerzak Inholding” including the most remote house on Mount Diablo.

On August 8, three weeks after signing a purchase agreement, Save Mount Diablo closed escrow and acquired the 10-acre “Balcerzak Inholding” property for $1,075,000, including a two-year, interestonly loan to cover half the purchase price. The “Balcerzak Inholding” is a small knoll and steep slopes nestled in an extremely rugged side canyon dropping from Knobcone Point into Curry Canyon, east of the State Park’s Curry Point. It includes a log cabin house and other structures.

“It is a major deal acquiring and protecting one of the few remaining private land inholdings within Mount Diablo State Park,” said Save Mount Diablo Executive Director, Ted Clement.

“We are already working with our valued agency partners, California State Parks and the East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy, to get this land added to Mount Diablo State Park as soon as they can. Our terrific donors have also been reaching out to help us,” Clement said.

The “Balcerzak Inholding” (known locally by neighbors as “Backhoe Bob’s) property was listed on a Monday and the Save Mount Diablo team lined up Board approval, secured a loan, and took other steps to be in the running for this land acquisition opportunity within a few days.

PRIVATEHOLDINGS

A CHALLENGE

20,000-acre Mt. Diablo State Park has five inholdings—private land surrounded by public land. Inholdings are a unique opportunity for the landowner: isolation, views and spectacular beauty surrounded by nature but with special challenges including fires, floods, wildlife, privacy concerns and public recreational use. From a park agency’s perspective, private properties within parks create management challenges, impact resources and can conflict with recreational use.

Save Mount Diablo’s “Balcerzak Inholding” is surrounded by Mt. Diablo State Park near SMD’s Curry Canyon Ranch, southeast of the mountain’s summit. Reached through Clayton, it’s closer to Blackhawk and Danville.

The “Balcerzak Inholding” includes a large log cabin house, barns and outbuildings as well as four converging stream canyons and black oaks, blue oaks, chaparral, and fire adapted knobcone pine woodland, near SMD’s 1,080 Curry Canyon Ranch property three miles up a steep dirt road from Morgan Territory Road closer to Blackhawk and Danville. There is not a more isolated house in a more isolated canyon on all of Mt. Diablo.

“Curry Canyon’s side canyons are incredible,” said Seth Adams, SMD’s Land Conservation Director. “We knew from our Curry Canyon Ranch property just how rich the biodiversity is—we’ve recorded over 800 species of wildlife there. There are big rocky sandstone cliffs, knobcone pine forest just above the property and cultural sites nearby…”

The Balcerzak inholding wasn’t originally an inholding. It was part of the 6-lot Mann subdivision. “Backhoe Bob” Balcerzak purchased one of the lots in 1984 and built a large log cabin.

Every rural community hopes for a neighbor like “Backhoe Bob” Balcerzak, handy, helpful and with a lot of tools and heavy equipment. For many years Bob Balcerzak helped maintain the fire road up Curry Canyon. But he was also blustering and protective of his property, actively hikers on the adjacent public trail which climbed from the bottom of Curry Canyon and dead ended at the neighboring Bertagnolli property. Save Mount Diablo purchased Bertagnolli in 2013 and renamed it “Curry Canyon Ranch.”

WORKING TO SAVE MORE

Curry Canyon is a special high priority acquisition area for Save Mount Diablo. Diablo’s main peaks have many large canyons, such as Pine Canyon and Mitchell Canyon, most with fire roads and regional staging areas with lots of parking. Visitors love the easy access and shade in stream canyons. The exceptions were Riggs Canyon on Finley Road, where East Bay Regional Park