PC: Peninsula Open Space Trust
A 1,921-acre ranch in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains has become part of a much larger conservation landscape after the Peninsula Open Space Trust acquired the property for $24 million in 2026. Mead Ranch, located in Santa Clara County west of Morgan Hill, sits between existing open-space preserves and forms part of a patchwork of roughly 50,000 acres of protected and open land around the South Bay’s Coyote Valley. POST acquired Mead Ranch specifically to protect its 1,921 acres, making the property part of a much larger landscape of conserved and open-space land around Coyote Valley.
Because it sits between existing protected areas, mead Ranch’s location is significant. The purchase therefore adds another large block to an interconnected conservation area rather than simply creating a standalone preserve. The acquisition is intended to protect the ranch and its wildlife habitat, while the property could eventually help fill a gap in the Bay Area Ridge Trail, although public access and a trail route have not yet been confirmed. The conservation group has not announced a detailed management or public-access plan for the property. However, access and trail construction are not yet confirmed.
Conservationists have highlighted the landscape as a corridor for animals including mountain lions and bobcats, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “What we’ve seen is, in fact, this is pretty much one of the most vital linkages,” Tedesco told the San Francisco Chronicle, referring to its importance not only for mountain lions and bobcats but also for other plant and animal species. POST says it can’t discuss a route until it learns where key species and habitats are on the property.
The wider area also supports species such as the bay checkerspot butterfly, California tiger salamander and western pond turtle, along with other endemic wildlife. POST has no firm plan to open Mead Ranch to the public at present, although the organisation believes the property could eventually provide an appropriate connection for the Ridge Trail. For now, the primary purpose of the acquisition is conservation rather than recreation.
