POST Acquires 151-Acre Rapley Ranch, Key Link to Other Protected Lands
July 26, 2004
Menlo Park, Calif. – The Peninsula Open Space Trust has acquired 151 acres of ranchland along Skyline Ridge that will help to create an extensive trail system with the adjacent Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve.
The property, known as Rapley Ranch, is located a half-mile west of Skyline Boulevard at the Western boundary of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District's Russian Ridge Preserve. It overlooks Mindego Hill, San Mateo County's only extinct volcano, and Langley Hill, an old rock quarry.
POST purchased the land from private owners for $3.45 million. The property went on the market in the fall of 2002 for $4,495,000 and could have been developed into eight luxury homes. When a group of developers offered $3.5 million for the land in mid-2003, POST stepped in and negotiated a purchase agreement. The deal closed earlier this month. "By purchasing Rapley Ranch, we've ensured that this open space will remain free from development that would have spoiled the scenic landscape and ruined the panoramic views from Russian Ridge Preserve," said POST President Audrey Rust.
"The property has tremendous recreation potential as an extension of the preserve. The existing ridgeline trails offer stunning views of the coastal hills, mixed forest and grassland. Ultimately, when POST transfers this land to a public agency, it will form a wonderful, scenic loop trail system to Russian Ridge."
Beginning in the 1870s, the land was owned and ranched by the Rapley family. Jim Rapley, known as one of the original Skyline cowboys, bought the land from his parents in the 1930s and raised beef and dairy cattle for 55 years. He lived on the property with his wife, Anne, until their 125-year old, two-bedroom cabin burned down after a lightning strike during a heavy storm in 2000. After the fire Rapley, who was 97 at the time, decided to sell the ranch.
Tucked away behind massive Russian Ridge and Borel Hill (at 2,572 feet, the highest named point in San Mateo County), the ranch's diverse terrain is marked by steep canyons and several prominent knobs along a north-south ridge. Lower elevations feature meandering creeks, small waterfalls and mixed evergreen forests. Higher, ridgetop elevations are dominated by open grasslands, wildflowers and oak woodlands.
The property is bounded by Woodruff Creek to the north and Mindego Creek to the south. Springs and deep pools along the creek tributaries provide habitat for several threatened and endangered species, including California red-legged frog, San Francisco garter snake and steelhead trout. Other resident wildlife includes deer, bobcat, coyote, and sharp-shinned hawk. To help complete the purchase, POST is seeking contributions from private donors. A significant gift toward the purchase of Rapley Ranch would afford the donor the opportunity to name the entire property or a feature of the land, such as a canyon, overlook, or trail.