After a decade-long battle to save Pinnacles Ranch from possible
development, the Nature Conservancy has purchased the 1,967 acre
property ensuring it will stay in the hands of the National Parks
Service forever.
Paicines – After a decade-long battle to save Pinnacles Ranch from possible development, the Nature Conservancy has purchased the 1,967 acre property ensuring it will stay in the hands of the National Parks Service forever.
The $5.3 million sale, which was announced Thursday, is being celebrated as a huge victory by environmentalists, park staff and the ranch’s owners, Peggy and Stu Kingman, who have sat on the sale of the ranch for over a decade to ensure it could be purchased by the national monument.
“It’s been a fabulous week for us,” said Cicely Muldoon, the superintendent of Pinnacles National Monument. “This has been the effort of so many people over so many years.”
The park received half the funds last November as a result of a federal appropriations bill that was heavily lobbied by U.S. Congressman Sam Farr and U.S. senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein. The other $2.6 million came as a loan from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to the Nature Conservancy, who used the money to acquire the ranch.
“The sale means that the ranch is secured,” said Jessica Schafer, spokeswoman for Congressman Farr’s office. “Having the land there and assured that it is ready to go is really great.”
The Conservancy plans to transfer the property over the next three years to the National Parks Service, giving them time to secure the remainder of the money for the purchase of the land.
Muldoon is optimistic that Congress will approve the funds or that the money will be raised by private donors.
“The full funding for the park was in the president’s budget,” she said. “It’s got bipartisan support and is recognized as an important acquisition.”
The sale will add 700 acres of oak woodlands and extensive grass and riparian, or creekside, habitat to the park and ensure the continuity of the condor release program, started in December of 2003. Currently, monument staff use a service road that runs through the ranch to get to the location where the scavenger birds are released and the ranch purchase means the spot will be protected in future years.
The ranch and the greater park are also home to bobcats, golden eagles, deer and 148 species of birds, making it a unique wildlife corridor in the Gabilan Mountains, said Peggy McNutt, managing director of Nature Conservancy’s Central Coast Region.
“The habitat that exists on the ranch is different from the rest of the park and actually helps support a wider variety of plant and animal life,” she said.
Pinnacles Ranch dates back at least several centuries and has been home to the Kingmans for close to 30 years. The couple could not be reached for comment on Thursday. However, in previous interviews, Stu Kingman said that he had been trying to sell the land for a decade and was afraid the park would not be able to come up with the money to buy the ranch.
Through the agreement with the Nature Conservancy and the National Park Service, the Kingmans will get to live on the property until they die or decide to move away.
The 120 site campground that is on the property of the ranch will also be saved and eventually upgraded, said Muldoon. And because the land is flat, more accessible trails will be added, ensuring that the beauty and biological diversity of the park is enjoyed by more people.
“The land owners displayed great patience in waiting for us to get to this point,” said Muldoon. “They’ve been fabulous stewards of the land because they know how special it is.”
Karina Ioffee covers education and agriculture for the Free Lance. Reach her at (831)637-5566 ext. 335 or ki*****@fr***********.com
