POST Receives $50,000 Grant from The San Francisco Foundation's Evelyn Tilden
Mohrhardt Fund

November 15, 2004

The San Francisco Foundation (TSFF) has awarded POST a grant in the amount of $50,000 to help protect Rancho Corral de Tierra, a dramatic expanse of rugged green hills on the San Mateo Coast. The grant will go toward the purchase of Rancho Corral, where POST is safeguarding habitats for rare and endangered species and preventing development. TSFF, a leading Bay Area philanthropy, awarded the grant through its Evelyn Tilden Mohrhardt Fund for the protection and preservation of endangered animal species and of redwood trees.

Located 20 minutes south of San Francisco along Highway 1, Rancho Corral de Tierra is a large and highly visible property. It was acquired in 2001 as part of POST's $200 million, 20,000-acre Saving the Endangered Coast campaign. POST tapped its revolving land fund to come up with the $29.75 million purchase price. The TSFF grant will help POST replenish its land fund, freeing up much-needed cash for other urgent, high-priority land acquisitions along the rural Coast.

Saving Rancho Corral de Tierra is a high priority for several reasons:

  • Size: At 4,262 acres, Rancho Corral de Tierra is the largest privately held intact remnant of a Spanish land grant on the San Mateo County Coast.
  • Scenic Value: A prominent landmark, Rancho Corral provides the visual backdrop east of Highway 1 from Devil's Slide all the way to the Half Moon Bay Airport. Its spectacular slopes, including 2,000-ft. Montara Mountain, cradle the coastal towns of Montara and Moss Beach.
  • Agricultural Value: Rancho Corral's lush fields of brussels sprouts and artichokes include some of the most productive farmland in California.
  • Exceptional Biodiversity: Rare coastal prairie and maritime chaparral terrain characterize Rancho Corral. The property is home to plants found nowhere else in the world, including Montara Manzanita and Hickman's cinquefoil, a native yellow wildflower. Animal species found here include the endangered peregrine falcon, San Bruno elfin butterfly, San Francisco garter snake and California red-legged frog.
  • Major Watersheds: The property contains three intact Mid-Coast watersheds-Montara, San Vincente and Denniston creeks–and part of a fourth, Martini Creek.
  • Accessible Recreation: Awe-inspiring views, miles of public trails and proximity to San Francisco make Rancho Corral a valuable recreational resource. The ridge provides sweeping vistas of the Pacific coastline, surrounding agricultural lands and the San Francisco Bay. Adjacent to existing parkland, Rancho Corral presents an excellent opportunity to expand parkland and complete trail routes from Montara Mountain to the coast.
  • Development Threat: POST estimates that as many as 40 homes could be built on Rancho Corral if it is not protected. The land's previous owner had plans to develop estate homes opposite Montara State Beach.

POST aims to transfer Rancho Corral de Tierra to the National Park Service for inclusion within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), the largest urban national park in the United States. Legislation approving changes in the GGNRA's boundary to include Rancho Corral is before the U.S. Congres.

The San Francisco Foundation has served the Bay Area since 1948. It is the fifth largest community foundation in the United States, serving San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and San Mateo counties.