10/13/2026
On October 12, a purchase and sale agreement was signed by which Save Mount Diablo is to acquire a conservation easement on 55 acres of Joseph Belli’s Pacheco Pass land by the end of December.
The property sits in the Pacheco Pass, a critical wildlife corridor linkage, which means protecting it from development is a heightened priority for Diablo Range connectivity.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has identified SR-152 in Pacheco Pass as a top priority barrier to wildlife movement (top priority to address the harm it does). To reduce roadkill, enhance public safety by reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions, and increase wildlife movement across Pacheco Pass, the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency is spearheading an effort to construct a wildlife overcrossing in this area.
“When I purchased the property in 1992,” Belli explained, “my long-term goals included not only preserving the land but opening it up to conservation-oriented research. I even gave it a name: the Pacheco Pass Wildlife Research Station, which I envisioned serving as a hub for ecologists, botanists, and wildlife biologists studying the natural history of the Diablo Range. So far I've been the sole researcher here, but my hope is that the easement will provide access to researchers within the Save Mount Diablo community, and I'm very excited about that.”
Executive Director Ted Clement stated, “We are grateful and honored that Joseph Belli, a renowned Diablo Range expert, has entrusted Save Mount Diablo to permanently protect his beloved Pacheco Pass property. We thank Joseph for agreeing to sell the conservation easement to us below fair market value. Acquiring this conservation easement by December, which will help protect one of the Diablo Range’s more sensitive areas for wildlife, will be the perfect way to put an exclamation point on this year in which the California legislature officially deemed the Diablo Range a California conservation priority with their passage of Assembly Concurrent Resolution 107.”
📸: Scott Hein
