Overview

• The Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) acquired Pescadero Ranch for $15.6 million to protect it from development and preserve its ecological and cultural significance.
• The 1,340-acre property is part of the larger Sargent Ranch, where a proposed sand and gravel quarry faces strong opposition from environmental groups and the Amah Mutsun tribal band.
• The acquisition preserves a critical wildlife corridor for species like mountain lions, ensuring safe passage between the Santa Cruz Mountains and surrounding areas.
• Pescadero Ranch holds cultural importance for the Amah Mutsun tribe, being part of their ancestral land known as Juristac, a sacred site for ceremonies and prayer.
• POST plans to maintain cattle grazing on the land and eventually transfer it to a conservation steward, ensuring its protection from future development.