How We Work: Case Studies
Case Study: Wagner Ranch Nature Area
Defense of Place works with local community members to assure that a beloved environmental education preserve wouldn't be bulldozed to make way for a maintenance yard.
Challenge
The Wagner Ranch Nature Area has been used by generations of Orinda's school children as an introduction to the natural world and a rare opportunity to learn in a living classroom. When the Orinda Union School District sold their existing maintenance yard to a housing developer for $25 Million, they needed a new place for their maintenance yard. Despite the fact that several other sites were less expensive to develop than the Wagner Ranch Nature Area, and the local community was very opposed to the plan, the District was focused and intent on building within the preserve.
Strategy
Members of the Orinda Community were already incredibly upset with the proposal to build on the Nature Area when they contacted Defense of Place seeking help. Defense of Place arrived and directly addressed the School Board at the first public community meeting for the threatened nature preserve. While some steps were taken in the right direction after the meeting, several incidents showed that the nature area was still very much threatened with being turned into a maintenance yard. Defense of Place wrote an opinion piece that appeared in the regional newspaper the Contra Costa Times that garnered significant attention. The opinion piece demonstrated that the opposition to building in the preserve wasn't going to go away and was only going to get more intense (it contained the first mention of likely litigation.) Defense of Place also worked with local community activists to hone their message, improve communication to other concerned citizens, and create a website to disseminate information.
Result
The community concern and the threat of a drawn out battle for the Wagner Ranch Nature Area forced the School Board to seriously consider other options. After a thorough investigation, the School District found an alternative location for the maintenance yard that spared the Nature Area from the bulldozers.
Lessons Learned
Nearly 8 months elapsed before there was any clarity regarding the fate of the Nature Area. During that time, Defense of Place and local activists stayed actively involved opposing the construction within the nature and made our presence known. Persistence pays off - especially when things are moving slowly.
Links
Wagner Ranch Must Be Saved, Contra Costa Times
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