POST to Protect Historic 865-Acre Ranch in Morgan Hill
November 30, 2007
In a major push for land protection in the western hillsides of south Santa Clara County, the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) announced today that it has reached an agreement with a longtime ranching family to protect a scenic property in Morgan Hill. The proposed purchase, to be completed in March 2008, signals a significant expansion of POST’s conservation work in South County and introduces an effective land trust partner with whom local landowners can save agricultural and open space properties from rapidly encroaching development.
“The pressure to build luxury ranchettes and private estates in the western hills of south Santa Clara County is intense. This project will be a dramatic leap forward for conservation here,” said POST President Audrey Rust. “We recognize the urgent need to step up strategic planning and action in this part of the county. With proposed development in Coyote Valley just minutes away, it is critical that we act now to protect open space, agricultural lands, wildlife habitat and scenic views in the surrounding area. With support from community members, POST, collaborating with public agency partners, will be able to lead the way.”
POST plans to buy the property for $8.65 million from the Blair family, which has owned it since the 1950s. Immediately upon close of escrow, ownership of the land will likely transfer to the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority. Funding for the purchase will come from several sources, including the Open Space Authority, a $2 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation as well as possible funding from the California Coastal Conservancy.
The Open Space Authority will likely incorporate the property into the adjacent Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve. The public agency purchased a portion of the land for the preserve in 2003 from POST. The proposed addition would help create a future trail and wildlife corridor weaving through Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve and Calero, Uvas Reservoir, Uvas Canyon and Almaden Quicksilver county parks. Without this newest property protected, linking these parks and preserves would be difficult, and the public would lose the chance one day to hike continuously through these exhilarating South County landscapes.
Originally part of the San Jose Pueblo Lands Tract II, the property is located on Uvas Road, a county designated scenic road, in the rolling foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Blair family currently leases the land, protected under the Williamson Act, to a cow-calf operation for grazing.
The dramatic terrain of buckling, windswept hillsides is studded with massive rocky outcroppings, including rare Morgan Hill Poppy Jasper, and gnarled, weatherworn oaks. The property’s upper reaches present sweeping views of the Diablo Range to the east, Santa Cruz Mountains to the west, and the towns of Morgan Hill and Gilroy in the valley below.
The diversity of life on the land is extraordinary. Mountain lions, bobcats and black-tailed deer roam the hills, while rare and threatened species such as California red-legged frog, California tiger salamander and Bay checkerspot butterfly have known habitat here. Nearly 50 species of birds—including golden eagles, great blue herons and wild turkeys—have been spotted on the land.
“Once protected, this property will expand the open space and wildlife corridor extending all the way from San Jose to Gilroy, setting the stage for a strategic balance between development and natural landscapes in the area,” said Rust. “POST is acting now to protect this land before it’s too late. Once land like this is built up, there’s no way to bring it back to its original natural state. Not only do the animals lose out, people living here lose out, too, because views are ruined and the character of the landscape they know and love is forever changed. POST is eager to work with property owners, farmers, ranchers, neighbors and anyone else interested in seeing these heritage landscapes protected for future generations to experience and enjoy.”