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Kite Hill
Bald Hill Ridge Preserve
Hawthorne Canyon
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 Projects
Sorich Park
In the 1960s the Town
of San Anselmo acquired the approximately 60 acres at the end of San
Francisco Boulevard. Rumor has it
that the name "Sorich Park" was based on the dairy farm that
occupied the land at one point. People
thought the milk was "so rich" that the new name seemed
appropriate. Unfortunately, the
park was largely neglected and used as a storage and dumping area for
debris after major storms and for construction materials. Around 1990 the Open Space Committee,
with the support of some of the neighbors, took the initiative to turn it
into a real park that could be enjoyed by everyone. The Committee helped plant native oaks
and convinced the Marin County Open Space District to install a new trail
connecting San Anselmo to the Mt. Tam Cemetery and the Terra Linda divide.
The next step involved
the development of a Master Plan for the Park to preserve its open space
quality. With the assistance of Tom
Murphy, a landscape architecture graduate student from UC Berkeley, the
plan was prepared and eventually approved by the Town Council. This enabled the Committee to seek and
receive a matching grant for $20,000 from the State of California. For every dollar and volunteer hour the
Town invested in the Park, the State agreed to match that amount. Improvements have included native plants
and trees, a drinking fountain, new picnic tables, a new arbor, as well as
drainage improvements. In addition,
the parking area was relocated away from the central feature of the park, a
fabulous rock outcropping.
Subsequently, the Committee applied for and received another $5,000
grant from the Marin Community Foundation and a $5,000 grant from the Longs
Foundation. In 2005 the Open Space
Committee placed a memorial plaque in the redwood grove to honor John
Walters, who worked for years to preserve and protect open space in San
Anselmo. The plaque was made by
local artist Jonathan Braun, co-chair of the committee.
In 2006, local Eagle
Scout Liam Hughes constructed a new trail from the redwood grove to an old
rock fort in the upper reaches of Sorich Creek. The trail was named the Dean Nyberg Trail in honor of the
longtime Parks Director and friend of open space.
With the cooperation
of the Town's Parks Department and other volunteer groups, the result has
been a quiet, beautiful open space park.
Sorich Park will be an ongoing process that will result in future
improvements for the enjoyment of everyone in San Anselmo. The fate of nearby private lands will be
critical to the long-term success of this wonderful open space.
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