Score one point for endangered steelhead and the
threatened California red-legged frog: The 82,000-acre Hearst
Ranch, on the Pacific Coast just south of Big Sur, may be forever
protected from development.
Famous for Hearst Castle, the
elaborate mansion built for media tycoon William Randolph Hearst
early in the 20th century, the sprawling, hilly ranch includes
habitat for steelhead and red-legged frogs, and over 18 miles of
undeveloped coastline. Now, after 50 years of flirting with massive
development ideas, the Hearst Corporation plans to sell a
conservation easement to a San Francisco-based land trust, the
American Land Conservancy.
The land trust signed an
option to buy the easement on Feb. 19. If the deal goes through,
the land will remain privately managed rangeland, but the coastline
will be open to the public and incorporated into the California
Coastal Trail. The deal comes in the wake of public outcry over
Hearst’s most recent development proposal — a resort
that would have included a 27-hole golf course, an equestrian
complex and 650 hotel rooms. State regulators downsized the plan in
1998, but local and national groups continued to protest.
“We love the property, we believe in good conservation, and
the recent development ideas were not well received by the local
community,” says Steve Hearst, the primary negotiator for
Hearst Corporation.
The American Land Conservancy has a
year to raise at least $100 million. A major source may be
Proposition 50, a conservation bond measure approved by California
voters last November.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Coastal open space gets a boost.
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