Palo Alto environmental group buys three farms for $7.8 million

"Hoping to restore wildlife and preserve farming in a part of the Bay Area that has seen growing development pressure in recent years, a Palo Alto environmental group announced Monday that it has completed the purchase of 668 acres of farmland along the border of Santa Clara and San Benito counties for $7.8 million. The three contiguous properties are located on the east side of Highway 101 about 3 miles south of Gilroy along the Pajaro River."

"Since 1977, the trust, which has been funded over the years by large Silicon Valley donors like the Packard, Hewlett and Moore foundations and other wealthy Bay Area benefactors, has preserved 93,000 acres of open space an area three times the size of the city of San Francisco mostly in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. Although some of the lands it has preserved have become parks and open space preserves on the San Mateo County coast and in the Skyline-Summit area, the group is increasingly buying farms and ranches in and around southern Santa Clara County."

"There's a lot of development pressure along the 101 corridor from Santa Clara County to San Benito County, said Marian Vernon, wildlife linkages program manager with the Peninsula Open Space Trust. Our concern is that increased development there could make it more difficult for animals to move from the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Diablo Range. We want to retain the connection. Preserving undeveloped open space for both agriculture and wildlife habitat is super valuable."

Peninsula Open Space Trust completed the purchase of 668 acres of farmland along the Pajaro River on the border of Santa Clara and San Benito counties for $7.8 million. The three contiguous properties lie east of Highway 101 about three miles south of Gilroy. The trust plans to restore riparian areas for birds, fish and other wildlife while continuing to lease much of the acreage for farming. Since 1977 the trust has preserved 93,000 acres of open space with support from major Silicon Valley donors. The organization is prioritizing farmland and ranchland acquisitions to maintain working agricultural land and wildlife linkages between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo Range.

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