The Sutter Buttes rise like an island from the flat Central Valley floor, where rice fields and a growing number of subdivisions now dominate.

Earlier this week, Sutter County supervisors approved 3-2 the splitting of a 900-acre piece of property at the southern edge of the Buttes into 13 parcels, raising concerns that more development could be imminent.

"It's just one step closer. We're concerned (developer Pramod Kumar) is just kind of chipping away at the process," said Cory Wilkins, executive director of the Middle Mountain Foundation. The land trust organization hosts hikes on the Sutter Buttes during the spring and fall.

Co-owner Pramod Kumar is in ill health after suffering a stroke earlier this year, said his wife and partner in the property, Lucy Kumar. They have no plans to develop the land they have owned for 20 years, but want to divide it up as part of estate planning for their grown son and daughter, who is in real estate, she said.

Lucy Kumar said she couldn't make any promises regarding her children's future intentions.

"This land, it is valuable," said Lucy Kumar, who said 15 developers have contacted her family with offers for the property. Besides the pretty view, the property sits high and dry in a growing region dominated by lowlands regularly flooded by a storm-swollen Feather River.

The Kumars built the Southridge Golf Club in 1991 after voters defeated their attempt to construct 600 homes for a retirement community.

The name Middle Mountain Foundation comes from the English translation of the Maidu Indians' word for the place, Esto Yamani. The Maidu came to the mountain to harvest acorns and revered it as a place for spiritual renewal and a stepping-off place to the afterlife.

Grinding rocks still can be found dotting the oak and grass hillsides.

Today, 10 to 12 major land owners own the Sutter Buttes, including Margit Sands' family. In the cooler months, the Sands raise yearling cattle on the Dean Ranch in the heart of the Sutter Buttes. Sands' grandfather, Edward Dean, bought property at the base of the North Butte in 1898.

Since she was a girl growing up on the ranch, Sands has watched as the city lights inched closer to the Sutter Buttes.

"I think a lot of it is people commuting from Sacramento," Sands said.

Younger generations are losing interest in carrying on the centuries-old tradition of grazing cattle, and they become tempted by high-dollar offers for the land. Fracturing large acreage will disrupt the agricultural tradition and the quiet aesthetics of the place for those who stay, Sands said.

"There will be lights up there like the Oakland hills," Sands predicted.



Following the rules

Supervisors who approved the split agree the Buttes is a county treasure, but their decision was dictated by criteria adopted by the board and obligations to preserve private property rights.

District 2 Supervisor Stan Cleveland said the Buttes are safe for now, because the Kumars must follow a full environmental review of each lot before development can proceed.

Already, the Kumars' property is zoned for various development including an equestrian center, a resort or a shooting range. But if the family wants to change the zoning to allow for large, upscale housing, the decision would have to go back on the ballot for a vote from the people, Supervisor Jim Whiteaker said.

"The real battle was not this time for saving the Buttes. It's next time," Cleveland said.

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To contact Staff Writer Laura Brown, e-mail lbrown@theunion.com or call 477-4231.