170-year-old California cattle ranch sold for $15.5m, will open to public
The Wildlands Conservancy has purchased the 14,177-acre AP Ranch in Northern California for $15.5 million to convert it into a public preserve. The acquisition protects critical watershed areas and wildlife habitats that have been privately owned for 170 years.
Why it matters
This deal represents a significant conservation effort to protect biodiversity and water resources while expanding public access to historic wilderness.
The Wildlands Conservancy has agreed to buy one of Northern California’s oldest working livestock operations, protecting 14,177 acres of historic wilderness in Siskiyou County and turning it into a huge public preserve. The $15.5 million purchase of the AP Ranch, detailed in reports by the San Francisco Chronicle and official documents from The Wildlands Conservancy, marks a major change for a landscape that has been privately owned for 170 years. Located in rural western Siskiyou County near Gazelle, the vast property will be combined with the existing 6,094-acre Beaver Valley Headwaters Preserve. Once the deal is complete, the connected public preserve will cover more than 20,000 acres across the Scott River watershed. Founded in 1856 by Alexander Parker soon after the California Gold Rush, the AP Ranch is one of the region’s oldest continuously operating agricultural properties.
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