January 7th, 2004

Chuck Peck, president of the Sierra Foothill Conservancy, announced that the first 354 acres of a proposed 450 acre conservation easement had been recorded for the Striped Rock Conservation Preserve, located 4 miles south east of Mariposa. Steven Kellenberg and his family donated the conservation easement, as well as an endowment for its maintenance, in order to preserve the natural beauty and ecological systems of Striped Creek valley and the towering adjacent landmark of Striped Rock. A notable feature is a Core Preserve consisting of over 250 acres of oak woodland, granite outcroppings and potentially sensitive plant species. The Core Preserve will be used for research by the conservancy and its affiliates. The Kellenbergs, residents of Laguna Beach in southern California, purchased the land for a second home and after reserving a small portion of the land for development decided the Sierra Foothill Conservancy would be good long term stewards of such a picturesque and valuable natural resource. "No one really owns land like this" stated Mr. Kellenberg, "we can only hold and protect it for for future generations".