MROSD agrees to manage Rapley Ranch for POST

The Midpeninsula Open Space District (MROSD) has agreed to manage Rapley Ranch, a 151-acre property owned by the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST). The ranch is adjacent to MROSD’s 1,827-acre Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve.

This is the first POST property that MROSD has agreed to manage on the Coastside and this announcement follows last week’s that the District is looking to buy two other POST properties on the coast.

For two year license the District will patrol, manage, clean, and secure the property—and plan for future use of the property as part of Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve. MROSD will seek grant funds to purchase the property from POST. 

The property be closed to public access, except for neighbors and docent-led activities with special permits.

Click "read more" to see the press release.

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Rudy Jurgensen Public Affairs Manager (650) 691-1200
June 2, 2005

DISTRICT ENTERS INTO FIRST MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT IN COASTSIDE PROTECTION AREA

—Goal is Future Purchase of 151-acre Rapley Ranch —

LOS ALTOS [June 2, 2005] - Concluding its first License and Management Agreement within the Coastside Protection Area, the District’s Board of Directors last night unanimously adopted a management agreement for the 151-acre Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) Rapley Ranch property.  The ranch is located adjacent to the District’s 1,827-acre Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve.

The two-year license allows the District to patrol, manage, and secure the property, clean up miscellaneous debris, and plan for future use of the property as part of Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve.  There are nine special status species, including red-legged frog, San Francisco garter snake, and federally threatened steelhead trout on the Property. Rapley Ranch may also provide potential habitat for the endangered coho salmon.

Over the next two years, the District will continue to pursue grant funds to assist in a possible purchase of the property from POST.  If awarded, the grant funds could become available after approval of the State’s fiscal year 2005-2006 budget.

The property will generally be closed to public recreational access although a limited use-permit system will be developed for neighbors and docent-led activities to allow access during the term of the management agreement.

The Property sits high on the west-facing slopes of Russian Ridge and overlooks scenic coastal hills and valleys, including the extinct volcanoes of Mindego Hill and Langley Hill.  Diverse terrain and plant communities, including a densely forested canyon that makes up part of the headwaters of Mindego Creek, an important spawning and nursery area for the federally threatened steelhead trout, are also part of the property.

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Created by voters more than 30 years ago, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District has successfully protected and managed nearly 50,000 acres of open space. The public enjoys the District’s diverse and beautiful preserves 365 days a year. The District is an independent, non-enterprise, California special district whose mission is to acquire and preserve a regional greenbelt of open space land in perpetuity, protect and restore the natural environment, and provide opportunities for ecologically sensitive public enjoyment and education. www.openspace.org