London Cottage, at Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen.
The dedicated staff and volunteers at Jack London State Historic Park, who daily answer the ‘call of the wild’ to preserve the park’s natural character and recreational opportunities, were honored this month when state Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) named Jack London Park Partners his Sonoma County Nonprofit of the Year.
Jack London Park Partners has managed Jack London State Historic Park since 2012, welcoming more than 100,000 visitors each year.
Dodd highlighted the collaborative nature of the nonprofit as a model of how to ensure the future of “cherished lands.”
“With their excellent stewardship, we’ve been able to enrich the park’s welcoming and hospitable culture and pursue restoration projects for visitors to enjoy for generations to come,” said Dodd in a statement.
The 48-acre state park opened in 1960. Jack London Park Partners assumed management during the state budget crisis of 2012 and has run the facility ever since, helping to increase annual park visits. It was the first nonprofit organization to take up management of a state park on behalf of California.
The park features a home and other structures built before and after London’s 1916 death, as well as his gravesite. Park Partners organizes all functions; its network of hundreds of volunteers works to advance cultural and recreational programs, as well as create educational exhibits, displays and signs.
Since taking responsibility for the park, JLPP has led the restoration of the cottage London and his wife Charmian lived in on their so-called Beauty Ranch, plus the re-imagined House of Happy Walls Museum, which interactively tells the story of Jack and Charmian London.
The honor “fills the hearts of our dedicated staff and volunteers,” said Matt Leffert, Jack London Park Partners executive director, in a statement.
