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Prop. 40 money will purchase Palo Corona Ranch
Thirty-two million dollars from Proposition 40, passed by California voters in March 2002, will be used to acquire the 9,898-acre Palo Corona Ranch in Monterey County. The ten-mile-long property extends southward from Carmel to the Los Padres National Forest and ranges from near sea level to over 3,000 feet in elevation.
The purchase links 13 other ecologically important properties that have already been protected, including Point Lobos State Reserve, Carmel River State Beach, Garrapata State Park, Hatton Canyon State Park, Joshua Creek Canyon Ecological Reserve, and several additional properties. Biologists favor connecting protected areas to allow wildlife to migrate.
The Palo Corona Ranch encompasses 16 separate watersheds and contains superb examples of redwood and Monterey pine forests, as well as mountain lions, eagles, and steelhead trout. The property also abuts the Los Padres National Forest and Ventana Wilderness, creating a continuous 70-mile wildland corridor from the Carmel River south to San Luis Obispo County.
The Big Sur Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy were able to acquire the Palo Corona Ranch with interim loans, closing on the property on May 1. Gov. Davis’ decision to include Palo Corona as one of the premier initiatives funded from Proposition 40, will retire the loans and assure permanent protection of this treasure.
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