POST Purchases Ranch Above Coyote Valley, Linking Nearly 50,000 Acres of Protected Land

Peninsula Open Space Trust Purchases Private Ranch Above Coyote Valley, Linking Nearly 50,000 Contiguous Acres of Protected Land

POST’s purchase of Mead Ranch protects diverse habitats and regional wildlife corridor for threatened mountain lions and other species

PALO ALTO, Calif. (March 3, 2026) – Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) today announced the purchase of Mead Ranch, a 1,921-acre property in the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains in Santa Clara County above Coyote Valley, for nearly $24.3 million. 

The conservation of Mead Ranch bolsters protections for habitat and ecological connectivity across nearly 50,000 acres of protected natural and working lands in and around Coyote Valley. Formerly part of a larger, privately owned property that included the adjacent Lakeside Ranch, protected by POST in 2023, Mead Ranch contains key watersheds, biodiverse habitats and provides many benefits to local communities as a natural and working landscape. The ranch is bordered to the east and west by Lakeside Ranch (now owned and managed by Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency) and Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve (owned and managed by Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority). 

The landscape-scale connectivity this transaction achieves is a significant help to species like the mountain lion, which was recently listed as “threatened” by the California Fish and Game Commission due to habitat fragmentation that ranges from the Santa Cruz Mountains eastward and southward across densely developed areas. Additionally, Mead Ranch contains critical watersheds and is likely home to other rare and at-risk species. As climate change impacts habitat, preventing the subdivision of open lands helps facilitate range shifts by plants and animals, ensuring that natural lands remain healthy and biodiverse. 

Mead Ranch also offers a potential opportunity to close a 1.53-mile gap in the Bay Area Ridge Trail. “By adding Mead Ranch to the previous protection of Lakeside Ranch, we are approaching the level of landscape-scale conservation and connectivity that can deliver support to our local biodiversity and boost climate resilience here at home,” said Gordon Clark, president of POST. “We are pleased and grateful that the longtime owners embraced a conservation outcome that will benefit our local communities of people and wildlife, as well as a diverse range of habitats.”

Ecological Features

Mead Ranch features habitats that are relatively rare in California, such as sycamore alluvial woodland, freshwater wetlands, serpentine grasslands, chaparral and riparian woodlands. The property’s serpentine grasslands may support the threatened Bay checkerspot butterfly and rare endemic plants. It also features numerous water resources, including constructed freshwater ponds, emergent wetlands, springs and intermittent streams. Short segments of the perennial Uvas and Llagas Creeks traverse the property. The property’s streams flow into Chesbro Reservoir, thereby contributing to our local water supply. Other habitat types found on the property include blue oak woodlands, valley oak woodlands and annual grasslands. Several at-risk wildlife species, such as the newly listed mountain lion and northwestern pond turtle, have been observed on the property.

Property History

Mead Ranch sits on ancestral lands of Indigenous peoples who stewarded the land for millennia and whose descendants belong to contemporary Tribes. Since the 1950s, Mead Ranch has been used as a private residence and ranchland. Originally part of a larger private property named Lakeside Ranch, Mead became a separate, independent parcel over the decades.

Next Steps

POST is in active discussions with the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency regarding the near-future transfer of ownership of some unimproved portions of the property for sensitive habitat protection. Long-term planning for the remainder of the property, including ranch infrastructure and residences, and public trail connections, is ongoing. Seasonal grazing at Mead Ranch will continue under POST’s ownership with the current tenant.

The Transaction

POST’s purchase of 1,921 acres for $24.3 million closed on February 24, 2026. The purchase was supported by a significant program-related investment from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

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About Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation fosters path-breaking scientific discovery, environmental conservation, patient care improvements and preservation of the special character of the Bay Area. Visit Moore.org and follow @MooreFound.