Though still a long way off, the reality of a state park in the Sutter Buttes just got a little closer.
In March, an appeals court affirmed a judgment in favor of the state in a lawsuit in which landowner Richard Campbell alleged the state overburdened a private right-of-way used to access the property, known as Peace Valley.
There's still a chance the case could be appealed to the Supreme Court, but once it's resolved, work to open the 1,785-acre tract to the public will ramp up, said Aaron Wright, sector superintendent for the Department of Parks and Recreation.
"A lot of stuff was on standby because of this case," Wright said. "We won't move in any direction until its resolved."
The ruling allows the state to continue using the access road through private land for special events and leading guided tours in Peace Valley, but it does little to obtain what is really needed to open the park — a publicly accessible road into the property, which is surrounded by private land.
To get that road, the state would need to secure one or several more permanent easements from any of the seven landowners whose property rings the park, Wright said. "Several landowners have been talking about it, but nothing concrete has been done yet," Wright said. "There's a lot of skepticism and concern over how it would be managed and whether giving free access to the public could create complications for their properties."
Margit Sands, who owns property surrounding the park, said she supports the parks department doing guided tours but is not in favor of open, free access to the land.
"I think a lot of landowners are skeptical of having the public in there, especially if they're not on guided hikes," Sands said.
Trespassing and fire danger are the main concerns, Sands said.
Larry Munger, a Sutter County supervisor whose district includes the Sutter Buttes, said he has heard many concerns from landowners in the Buttes.
"No landowners are in favor of it that I've spoken with," Munger said. "They're afraid they'll turn people loose up there."
Munger said any eventual park would have to have controlled access with only guided walks.
"You couldn't just open a road in there and let people drive around," Munger said. "It would be a dumping ground for trash from counties all around us. It would ruin the whole thing."
Funding is also an issue. The state has not dedicated any finances to the park, and the Department of Parks and Recreation doesn't even know how much money they will need because the issue of public access is still up in the air.
"It's a multi-pronged issue," Wright said. "There's no real time frame at this point."
At its heart, Peace Valley has been about the rights of private land and the ability of the public to enjoy a regional landmark, Munger said.
"It's real sad that the state owns something with public money, and no one can use it," Munger said. "You have the locals saying it's not the state's right of way, and you have the state that bought the property and the public that wants to use it. It's a hard situation.
Valley is 'a magical place'
If Peace Valley, a proposed state park in the Sutter Buttes, is ever open to the public, visitors would have access to an open grassland area surrounded by a mountain ridge.
The 1,785-acre parcel was once used for farm and grazing land, said Aaron Wright, sector superintendent for the Department of Parks and Recreation.
The Pugh Cemetery, who were settlers in the area during the 1800s, is also in Peace Valley, Wright said.
Sutter County Supervisor Larry Munger said hiking in the Sutter Buttes is like being transported to another state, or even country.
"It looks small from the outside, but some of those valleys, once you get inside, are huge," Munger said. "It's a magical place."
While the park is not publicly accessible, the parks department leads guided hikes for groups of up to 30 people. Groups need to have a special event permit, which costs $80, to access the property.
Those who are interested can call the parks department at 530-538-2200.
— Andrew Creasey
