|
 Conservation
Associates was a private, non-profit land
conservation group formed in 1960 by three noted
environmental activists: Doris Leonard, George
Collins, and Dorothy Varian, the widow of Silicon
Valley electronics pioneer Russell Varian. Varian
had hiked the Santa Cruz Mountains extensively in
his youth. He was particularly fond of Castle
Rock, and he had long maintained a vision of
preserving these mountain lands for all to
enjoy.
In fulfilling that vision, the Sempervirens Fund
of Conservation Associates was conceived in 1968.
The organization immediately embarked on a
five-year campaign to raise $3.5 million which was
used to purchase over 700 acres of inholdings in
Big Basin and additional lands for Castle Rock. By
the end of the campaign, Sempervirens Fund had
received its own non-profit status and was able to
separate from Conservation Associates.
|