Month: June 2025

Thank You for Making a Big Difference!

Dear Friends and Benefactors of the Claremont Wildlands Conservancy (CWC),

Thanks to your generous support, we are thrilled to share the news that we have successfully protected two critical parcels of land totaling 80 acres within the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park. Known by their former owners’ names, Seaver and Jaffe, they are located along the western edge of Johnson’s Pasture, directly above the northwestern corner of Claraboya. Your contributions have made it possible to prevent development and ensure these lands remain wild and natural for generations to come.

These parcels will not only preserve the natural habitat, but they will also help connect Claremont’s wilderness park with Marshall Canyon and the other L.A. County open spaces to the west, enhancing the regional network of wildlands for area residents and for the wildlife that call our hillsides home. This is also a major victory for preventing development in an area designated by Cal Fire as “very high fire hazard.”

The purchase price for both parcels was just over $3.8 million. With your support along with additional donations from the community, CWC contributed nearly $400,000 and was awarded $3 million in state grant funding through the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy fire prevention program. The City of Claremont contributed $400,000, and $25,000 came from Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office through the LA County Regional Park and Open Space District. By acting together quickly, we have been able to secure this land before it was lost to development. Together, we have provided a significant addition to the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park.

The Claremont Wildlands Conservancy is an all-volunteer nonprofit, which has worked with the City of Claremont to expand, preserve, and manage the wilderness park since the year 2000. Our first major success was leading the 2006 community campaign to pass the bond measure that saved from development the 180 acres of Johnson’s Pasture above Claraboya. The Seaver and Jaffe purchase has been the first time that we have applied for state and LA County grants; raised the community contributions; negotiated with the landowners; and facilitated, with the help of City of Claremont staff, the completion of the two purchases.
This victory is a testament to what we can achieve as a community when we work together for a common cause.

Thank you for helping to keep Claremont’s hillsides wild and free.

With deep gratitude,
Colin Tudor, President,
Claremont Wildlands Conservancy