There are few views more idyllic than gazing down upon Gabilan
Ranch from Fremont Peak State Park.
There are few views more idyllic than gazing down upon Gabilan Ranch from Fremont Peak State Park.
Rolling grassland, oaks, a pond, ranch houses. Many of the elements that make San Benito County one of the most beautiful spots on earth can be viewed from the craggy rocks of the Peak.
So news that the development rights to the 11,000-acre ranch were purchased by The Nature Conservancy is gratifying. The $4.2-million land-trust deal means that the ranch, which sits atop a portion of the Gabilan Range straddling San Benito and Monterey counties, will not be developed.
The notion of Gabilan Ranch being developed may seem somewhat of a stretch. It is difficult to reach. It is a lot more strenuous than a Sunday drive to San Juan Oaks or over San Juan Grade. It is hard to imagine homes or a conference center being built up there. Now, it won’t be an issue.
For those who are counting their natural blessings, the Gabilan Ranch sale, which was finalized on May 31, comes on the heels of nearly 1,700 acres of Pinnacles Ranch becoming protected and absorbed into Pinnacles National Monument. In that deal, completed in April, the National Park Service purchased the land for $5.3 million from the Nature Conservancy.
We owe the Nature Conservancy thanks for putting these deals together. San Benito County will grow, in population and in physical development. Setting aside sections of out-of-the-way land for posterity isn’t going to slow the progress of growth.
One other noteworthy aspect of Wednesday’s announcement of the Gabilan Ranch deal is the fact that the land reportedly will not be open to the public. We can still climb to the flagpole at Fremont Peak and look down upon the ranch, but we will not be allowed to go over there. Apparently, scientists will. The shutting out of the public always makes the hair on our neck stand up a bit. The notion of setting aside land for the good of the country, and then allowing only a chosen few to tread upon it, is disconcerting.
But so is the notion of that land being trampled and littered. Many of us have had a weekend camping sleepover at Fremont Peak nearly ruined by the trappings of our loud culture, the trappings of noise and refuse that others brought with them from home.
So if the Gabilan Ranch land is to remain pristine, so be it. It is better to treasure that view than wonder if it will be bought and paved.
