July 22, 2026 — NAPA, Calif. — The Land Trust of Napa County and the Black Sears family have protected an additional 40 acres on the Howell Mountain plateau, expanding the Dunn-Wildlake Preserve and strengthening a critical wildlife corridor while improving landscape resilience ahead of peak wildfire season.
The newly conserved property, located off Summit Lake Drive, adjoins the existing preserve and builds on the family’s 117-acre donation in 2023. Together, the projects create a larger, contiguous block of permanently protected land in one of Napa County’s most ecologically important regions.
The Black Sears family has owned and stewarded land on Howell Mountain since the late 1970s, with a long-term goal of preventing fragmentation and preserving its natural character. Ashley Sears, who grew up on the property and now lives nearby with her husband and three children, represents the next generation of that commitment.
“This land has shaped our family in countless ways, from childhood exploration to raising our own children here. Protecting it feels like a natural extension of how we’ve always cared for this place, and a way to ensure it remains whole and wild for generations to come.” – Ashley Sears
Though modest in size, the 40-acre addition plays an outsized role in conservation. It expands a buffer around the core of the Dunn-Wildlake Preserve and lies within a high-priority wildlife corridor that supports species including mountain lions, black bears and bobcats.
By keeping landscapes connected and undeveloped, projects like this also help reduce wildfire risk by limiting fragmentation, supporting healthier ecosystems and enabling more effective land management.
The property contributes to the health of the Pope Creek watershed, a tributary of Lake Berryessa and part of California’s State Water Project.
Land Trust CEO Melanie Parker added, “Conservation is ultimately about people, about the choices families make, generation after generation, to care for a place. The Black Sears family has done exactly that. Because of their vision and partnership, this landscape will remain connected, resilient, and alive, not just for wildlife, but for everyone who values the natural character of Napa County.”
The land has been identified as “essential” within the Conservation Lands Network and is expected to support habitat for rare and endemic plant species found in the region.
With this addition, the property will be incorporated into more than 12,000 contiguous acres of Land Trust–protected land on the Howell Mountain plateau, ensuring long-term stewardship and protection.
The Land Trust completed the acquisition using private funding, allowing it to act quickly to secure a key piece of a broader conservation vision.
This latest project reflects a long-standing partnership between the Land Trust and the Black Sears family and helps ensure the forests, wildlife and open space of Howell Mountain remain intact, resilient and accessible for future generations.
