Richard Estrada has sold 839 acres of redwood forest, grazing lands and critical wildlife habitat in the southern Santa Cruz Mountains — property in his family since 1863 – to the Peninsula Open Space Trust for more than $10.6 million.
“This is a poignant moment for me,” he said. “For more than 40 years I have taken care of these lands, and for many years before that I supported my parents’efforts to do the same thing. Now it is time for me to move on from those responsibilities. I am very happy that POST has purchased these parcels from me to protect and preserve the land, to continue to care for the redwoods and to keep this way of life going at Estrada Ranch.”
The sale closed Dec. 20. The agreement came about over many years of conversation between the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, the Estrada family and POST.
The two parcels purchased by POST are the largest of three parcels that make up Estrada Ranch owned by Richard Estrada, 89, and his brother Frank Estrada, 87 — one of the last large private properties under family ownership in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Estrada Ranch is located on the ancestral lands of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and other Indigenous peoples.
Estrada Ranch runs more than two miles along the ridge above Corralitos, and is bordered to the northeast and south by Mount Madonna County Park. Its protection sets the stage for a contiguous protected landscape of more than 5,400 acres vital to the regional movement of wildlife from the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Gabilan Range and the Central Coast Range beyond.
POST’s acquisition marks completion of the first phase toward permanently protecting this environmentally significant property in partnership with the Estrada family and the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County.
Under terms of the deal, the Estrada family, who have sustainably ranched and harvested timber here for more than 150 years, will continue to manage the land, working with longtime partner Big Creek Lumber. POST has agreed to have the seller manage its property, an unusual arrangement.
“We are grateful to work with the Estrada family and the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County to protect this significant property from development and subdivision and to enable continuity of the family’s legacy of responsible, sustainable timber production and cattle grazing,” said Walter T. Moore, president of POST. “This is a creative conservation solution that benefits the land, people, wildlife and environmental resilience of our region. It’s our shared vision that people and nature will benefit from this land being preserved forever.”
The ranch includes sensitive grasslands, maritime chaparral, riparian and wetland habitats, watersheds and streams important for South-Central Coast steelhead and rare amphibians.
Its steep terrain provides climate change adaptation options to species moving up in elevation as temperatures rise on the valley floor. Its working lands are high in historical and economic value.
Long-time cattle ranching on the property will continue through the efforts of Zach Estrada, grandson of Richard’s brother Frank.
In a future phase, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County will lead efforts to secure a conservation easement that will cover all 1,204 acres of the ranch, including 365 owned by Frank Estrada.
The Land Trust will work with POST, Frank Estrada and his sons Greg and Grant to develop easement terms that ensure the entirety of the property is permanently protected as conserved lands under the management of the Estrada family.
Greg and Grant Estrada support their father and uncle with day-to-day ranch management and stewardship and will continue to do so during POST’s ownership.
“We are so happy to celebrate the initial protection of this ranch with everyone involved,” said Sarah Newkirk, executive director of Land Trust of Santa Cruz County. “To permanently protect Estrada Ranch, we will partner with POST and the Estrada family to raise the necessary funds to place conservation easements on the entire property.”
History
Richard and Frank Estrada’s great-grandparents, Jose Antonio and Loretta (Duarte) Estrada, purchased the land in 1863, where the family grazed cattle and harvested redwood trees.
The brothers were raised on the ranch and have continued to work the lands.
Through Frank’s children Greg and Grant, the next generation is deeply involved in carrying out the family legacy.
The deal’s two-phase conservation approach aligns with the family’s long-term vision for their property.
The Estrada family is prominent in the Santa Cruz community, supporting Ronald McDonald House, the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau and efforts to teach ranching and agriculture to youth of the region.
“Our family has been managing and protecting this ranch since the mid-1800s, and we feel very strongly that it be preserved for the future,” Greg Estrada said. “By entering into this relationship with Peninsula Open Space Trust and the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, we will be able to continue our family’s way of life and preserve the ranch forever.”
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Photos Courtesy of Teddy Miller
