Apple co-founder and former CEO, Mike Markkula, is selling his massive 14,100-acre Carmel Valley ranch, Rana Creek Ranch, for $35 million to be transformed into a public nature preserve, according to The Mercury News.
Markkula's Rana Creek Ranch, located between Salinas Valley and Big Sur, is half the size of San Francisco and has been a working cattle ranch for around 200 years, and a home to an array of wildlife, including black bears, mountain lions, and golden eagles, which will now be protected and preserved as part of the deal with environmental group The Wildlands Conservancy for $35 million, which is set to close on July 30, demonstrating the commitment to preserving such a beautiful landscape that once belonged to a key player in Silicon Valley's history.
As previously reported by Robb Report, Mike Markkula bought the property back in 1982 for just over $8 million, and has been trying to sell the sprawling ranch since 2013. Today, the property even features its own airstrip, but now with the sale to The Wildlands Conservancy, Markkula's legacy will include the creation of a public nature preserve offering stunning vistas and natural beauty.
Google Maps: Rana Creek Ranch, Featuring Private Airstrip
In cooperation with The Wildlands Conservancy, which operates 22 other preserves in California and one in Oregon, the property will be opened to the public for a variety of recreational activities, such as hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding, offering people of all ages the opportunity to enjoy and experience the ranch's magnificent flower-studded ridgelines and oak-filled valleys, a landscape described as having the grandeur of many of California's state parks by Frazier Haney, executive director of the Wildlands Conservancy, as cited by The Mercury News.
The acquisition of Rana Creek Ranch is supported by a state grant of up to $2,000,000 from California's Coastal Conservancy, designed to protect water quality, natural resources, wildlife habitat, scenic open space, and to continue compatible agricultural practices like cattle grazing, as reported in a Staff Recommendation document earlier this month.
Additionally, the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, who have lived in the area for centuries, will play an essential role in managing the preserve, including historical land management practices like controlled burns to reduce fire risk and the recreation of the original village called Cappany, according to another Mercury News report.
A separate 730-acre adjacent property, Lot 11, will also be acquired by The Wildlands Conservancy with their own funds, showing their commitment to expanding the reach of the preserve, per the same Staff Recommendation report.
The Rana Creek Ranch Acquisition project has garnered wide support from local and state legislators, including State Sen. John Laird who stated that the preservation of the property is of utmost importance, as noted by The Mercury News.
With increasing emphasis on environmental conservation and preserving natural habitats, the sale of Rana Creek Ranch to The Wildlands Conservancy will bring lasting positive benefits not only to the local community and wildlife, but also to visitors who will have the opportunity to experience first-hand the marvels of this breathtaking landscape which until very recently was owned by one of the driving forces behind Apple, which has shaped and transformed our lives and the world in so many profound ways.
