Pumpkin Patch to Park

FROM PUMPKIN PATCH TO PARK

PAGE: P 1

Rita Cardoza is optimistic that her family's pumpkin patch will become a county park open to hikers, cyclists, equestrians, anglers, campers and bird-watchers.

She's an educator at heart, and envisions the Lakeville Highway property, known as Tolay Lake Ranch, as a place to learn about ranching, livestock care, archaeology, viticulture and wildlife.

Thousands of people make an annual fall pilgrimage to the ranch searching for the ideal pumpkin, but Cardoza's intent is to make it more than just a Halloween shopping trip.

She's set up a little museum focusing on the area's American Indian settlers and its cultural and natural history, and has a kid-friendly barnyard with placards about the potbellied pigs, birds and other critters.

A proposal to open the land she and her husband, Martin, own as a county park is moving forward, and Tolay Lake Ranch could be open to visitors within a year or two.

"We want to see something people can use. They need places to get out on," said Rita Cardoza, a former St. Vincent's Elementary School teacher who started the pumpkin patch 15 years ago.

In April, the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District approved a one-year option agreement to buy the ranch for $18 million.

According to Supervisor Mike Kerns, the county has $9 million earmarked for the project, and must find an additional $9 million from federal or state agencies or private sources to purchase the ranch.

The Cardozas and their three adult children hosted about 40 people on a hot August weekend to show them what the 1,737 acres contained beyond the seasonal pumpkin field, haunted house and museum.

Two hay wagons pulled by tractors traveled to the highest point on the property, offering visitors a spectacular panoramic view of the Petaluma valley and San Francisco Bay, including fog-free glimpses of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, the Bay Bridge and the San Francisco skyline.

As the hay wagon slowly climbed out of the valley, Martin Cardoza pointed out where the 146-acre Tolay Lake fills each winter. It's a seasonal lake that's dry much of the year, but it could be eventually restored and used for fishing and boating.

The public has another chance to tour the property Sept. 18 and a meeting is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Lucchesi Park to present plans for the park. The Sonoma County Parks Department is organizing efforts to familiarize the public with Tolay Lake, hoping that once people walk on the property they'll become supporters of the proposal to purchase and develop it.

A Friends of Tolay Lake Ranch group is being spearheaded by David Yearsley as a way to build support for the park project.

The only regional park in southern Sonoma County is Helen Putnam Park west of Petaluma, which at 256 acres is one-eighth the size of the proposed Tolay Lake Ranch park.

As visitors surveyed the property and its surroundings from the hilltop, Rita Cardoza filled them in on the area's history, dating back to native people who may have inhabited the area 8,000 years ago. Some artifacts found on the property on in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

Eagles, kestrels, foxes

Her son, Paul, talked about seeing thousands of migratory birds, nesting pairs of golden eagles, hawks, ducks, falcons and kestrels, as well as foxes, turkeys, snakes, coyote and deer.

He's fished in seasonal creeks, the lake and ponds on the property.

"I've had fish breaking my line. They're so big you could take your fist and put it in its mouth," he said.

"We'd like to hear what you'd like here," Kerns told the group of visitors.

"There are 28 development rights and you could see 28 ranchettes. But that's not what the Cardozas want and not what we want."

The Cardozas approached Kerns about selling their property, appraised at $22 million, and the county has found significant cultural, historic and agricultural resources on it, in addition to the recreational opportunities that could be created.

"We have a development plan that balances recreation with restoration and agricultural history," Philip Sales, county parks design administrator and planner, told the group.

In use within a year?

Kerns said if the money is secured to buy the property, he's hopeful that the area could be used in a limited way within a year for docent-led tours while it's being transformed from private to public property.

Rita Cardoza is excited about the prospect of inviting park design professionals, as well as county park users, to her property to brainstorm.

As a county-operated park, she's hopeful archaeologists will be able to study the past of Tolay Lake Ranch. She'd also like to see a large community garden established and expects equestrians will find ample space to ride on her property.

"People are looking for recreation and education as part of recreation," she said. "When you can allow people to learn more it affects their life."

Earlier this year, elementary school children came to the Cardozas' property to plant trees as part of a creek restoration project and learned they were helping to create animal habitat and reduce erosion. They returned later on to hike the property and see how their trees were growing.

The Cardozas may remain on the property for the first year after a county purchase. The proposal calls for keeping the seasonal pumpkin farm as a way to generate income to help finance park improvements.

"I'm a rancher. That's what I do," Martin Cardoza. "We'd probably relocate, but I'd like to stay and help and develop the park."

To register for a free starting at 10 a.m. Sept. 18., contact the Sonoma County Parks Department at 565-2041.

You can reach Correspondent Janet Parmer at 782-9130 or jhparmer@comcast.net.

PHOTO: 2 by JEFF KAN LEE / The Press Democrat

1: The view of San Francisco as seen from a high point on the Tolay Lake Ranch.
2: Ranch owner Marvin Cardoza shows county parks official Bert Whitaker the Tolay Ranch's view of the Bay.

Infobox: A CLOSER LOOK

What: Buying 1,737-acre Tolay Lake Ranch for a regional park.

Economics: County has an option to buy the land for $18 million and has raised $9 million. It seeks balance from state or federal sources.

Land features: Unobstructed views of the San Francisco Bay and city skyline, seasonal lake and creeks, abundant wildlife.

Time frame: If funds are raised, county hopes to offer limited use within a year.

Next public tour:

10 a.m. starting time

on Sept. 18.

Public meeting:

7 p.m. Wednesday

at Lucchesi Park.