John Muir Historical Site releases
Mt. Wanda Planning Document
The National Park Service (NPS) has released it Mt. Wanda Site Planning Document for public review and comment. The acquisition of additional acreage to the site has lead to an evaluation of how to add to the visitor experience. You can read and review the document by clicking here.
Thousand Friends of Martinez has reviewed the plan and feels that it is a well thought out, comprehensive plan. There is one deficit that members of the community are working to rectify – there is no trail linking the Mt. Wanda area to the Alhambra Open Space that was acquired by the City of Martinez last year. While we believe the NPS is amenable to finding a workable solution to this, we would urge all to take the time to review the document and comment on the need for this trail to connect these two John Muir related areas as well as any other comments. Comment period is open through June 11, 2023. Click here to comment on the plan.
Thousand Friends May Hike
Join us on Sunday May 21st at Fernandez Ranch
DATE: Sunday, May 21
TIME: 9:00 AM
MEETING PLACE: Fernandez Ranch Parking Lot, 1081 Christie Road,
Martinez CA (Allow 15 minutes from the Martinez Post Office on
Alhambra)
LEADER: Kay Cox (questions?—email Kay at coxkay@hotmail.com)
HIKE DESCRIPTION: We will hike to Paul’s Peak—4 miles RT and 1000
feet of elevation. From the top you will see lots of poppies, S.F. Bay,
Mt. Tam, Volmer Peak, Grizzly Peak, Rocky Ridge, and Mt. Diablo. No
promises, but we often see coyotes and their pups. The plan is to
return to Martinez around 11:30 AM.
WHO CAN COME: This hike is open to anyone living in or near
Martinez. If you 14 years old or younger, we ask that you be
accompanied by a parent or an adult (21 or over) who knows you.
Dogs on leash are welcome.
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?: We often talk to people who have lived
in Martinez for a few years, love to hike, but haven’t managed to make
it out to many of our spectacular trails. Since an important part of our
TF Mission is to improve quality of life in Martinez, we thought either
introducing or giving people an opportunity to experience our open
space would go well with our mission.
Thousand Friends of Martinez Comments on the
“Housing Plan Background Report Public Review Draft
March 2023“
Our city is undertaking a difficult job to fulfill the State mandates for new housing sites and agreeing to rezone the sites to higher density. This is the major direction our attempt to meet the State mandate is taking. This rezoning will change the face of our town, both the Downtown and the neighborhoods.
This Housing Report also recommends multitudinous additional actions that will have major effects on our City budget and on the physical character of our town. Many of these actions are at the discretion of the City Council.
Following are some comments that we ask you to consider in the actions you take on the Housing Element.
The Mission of Thousand Friends of Martinez is to provide a stable organization which will work with residents to elect informed, conscientious representatives; promote open government; enhance our quality of life by creating a livable city; defend our parks and open spaces, and; conserve natural areas and historic elements in the greater Martinez region.
Our Geographic Focus is: The greater Martinez region, including the city and unincorporated areas, the Briones Bioregion and significant watershed lands.
Our Objectives are to:
- Endorse, support and fund responsible and environmentally supportive leaders
- Promote transparent government
- Promote better land use planning and the development of policies for the public benefit
- Defend parks, creeks, wetlands, open space and historic elements
- Support budgeting, ballot measures and funding for these purposes
- Educate the public about these objectives and strategies