Walt Ranch Forever Protected
Walt Ranch is Now Permanently Protected!
The Land Trust of Napa County is pleased to report the acquisition of the 2,300-acre Walt Ranch property. The property will become the Land Trust’s newest preserve and is now protected in perpetuity.
This has been a major undertaking for us and we’re excited to have completed this purchase and the preservation of this important biological resource for Napa County.
Earlier this year, the Land Trust purchased the property for $24.5 million, with a $6.5M donation of the purchase price from the Halls, who agreed to sell the property to LTNC. Additional funding for the purchase came from grants by The the state Coastal Conservancy of $7M and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation of $4M and initially $7M of the funding came from loans. Our board was comfortable taking on this debt because of the importance of acquiring this property. With the recent Wildlife Conservation Board grant of $7M, the Land Trust can repay those loans and focus on land management.
The Land Trust is now focused on building a $4M fund to pay for land stewardship and expenses of this large property, including a required management plan. The stewardship work to be done will include the of building trails, erosion control on old ranch roads to protect streams, assessment of rare plant and animal habitat and fuels reduction work.
Eventually, the property will be open to the public for hiking, biking and public use.
We thank you for all your help. Your support is critical to the Land Trust’s ability to take on this kind of large-scale project, to carry it forward to a meaningful conclusion and to protect this land forever.
To read more additional coverage in the Register, SF Chronicle and Press Democrat, click on the links below:
It was the most controversial land-use debate in Napa history. Now, Walt Ranch has been sold
Napa Land Trust becomes Walt Ranch owner
Napa Land Trust secures grant to pay off Walt Ranch debt
HELP US meet our $4m Stewardship goal by GIVING TODAY!
