Overview

• The Peninsula Open Space Trust completed three contiguous purchases totaling 668 acres for $7.8 million: Bloomfield South Farm (185 acres, $2.4 million), Ojeda Ranch (318 acres, about $4.7–$4.8 million), and Gonzales Ranch (165 acres, about $665,000–$667,000).
• All acquisition funding came from POST donors, and the nonprofit plans a multi-year process to shape riparian and floodplain restoration while keeping the properties in production through leases.
• Partners include The Nature Conservancy, the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, and the San Benito Agricultural Land Trust, with a Wildlife Conservation Board grant supporting restoration and land-use planning.
• The properties sit along the Upper Pajaro River and Soap Lake floodplain near Highway 101 south of Gilroy, an ecological corridor connecting the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo Range.
• POST cites recent flood damage in the watershed, including the 2023 event, as a key rationale for restoring natural water storage and improving habitat on the newly acquired lands.