California’s 1,921-acre Mead Ranch protected in $24 million conservation deal

A 1,921-acre ranch in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains has become part of a much larger conservation landscape after the Peninsula Open Space Trust acquired the property for $24 million in 2026. Mead Ranch, located in Santa Clara County west of Morgan Hill, sits between existing open-space preserves and forms part of a patchwork of roughly 50,000 acres of protected and open land around the South Bay’s Coyote Valley. The acquisition is intended to protect the ranch and its wildlife habitat, while the property could eventually help fill a gap in the Bay Area Ridge Trail, although public access and a trail route have not yet been confirmed.California’s ranch links nearly 50,000 acres of protected landMead Ranch's location is significant because it sits between existing protected areas. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, conservationists have highlighted the landscape as a corridor for animals including mountain lions and bobcats.