The 7-acre hilltop straddling Fairfax and San Anselmo caps a conservation campaign that began in 1981.

A 161‑acre gift will open a fenced‑off summit above Larkspur, adding the missing crown to King Mountain Preserve. County officials expect the transfer to be finalized this summer.

Heat-driven blazes are shortening evacuation windows in Marin County and across the West; narrow roads and single-exit neighborhoods are forcing planners to rethink how people get out.