POST transfers three properties to MROSD

Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) has transferred three properties totaling 374 acres to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) for permanent management and protection. The properties include 32 acres in the hills east of Half Moon Bay, Bluebrush Canyon (seven miles southeast of Half Moon Bay along Purisima Creek Road), and a strategically located parcel east of Lexington Reservoir, near Los Gatos.

POST completed the sale of these lands to MROSD on June 30.  "It’s extremely gratifying to know these valuable properties are being added to the thousands of acres of already protected public land POST has helped save in our region," said POST President Audrey Rust. "Saving land is as urgent as ever, and strong private-public partnerships like the one POST enjoys with the District means threatened local landscapes will get the protection and care they need and deserve."

The northernmost property consists of 32 acres in the hills east of Half Moon Bay. POST purchased the land on December 23, 2008, and has now sold it to MROSD for $400,000 for inclusion in the District’s adjacent Mills Creek Open Space Preserve, also originally protected by POST. Situated at the heart of 1,600 acres of protected public land, the steeply sloped addition connects Mills Creek OSP and Burleigh-Murray State Park. Under MROSD ownership, it connects migration routes for wildlife and creates an opportunity for future recreation trails. The land is part of the upper Arroyo Leon watershed. Its protection helps ensure water quality for aquatic species and preserves the scenic natural backdrop for the city of Half Moon Bay.

The second property transferred to MROSD is 260-acre Bluebrush Canyon, for $3.2 million. Located seven miles southeast of Half Moon Bay along Purisima Creek Road, the land will be added to the District’s adjacent Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve. POST purchased the ranch property from the de Cesare family in 2006 for $3.2 million through its Saving the Endangered Coast campaign. The property is now poised to create a vital link in a nearly completed corridor and creates the possibility for future hiking access along Lobitos Ridge from Skyline Ridge to the sea, connecting redwood forests with the California Coastal Trail. The land is potential habitat for the San Francisco garter snake and California red-legged frog as well as hunting grounds for birds of prey including red-tailed hawks and golden eagles.

In the South Bay, POST has transferred 82 acres to the District for $250,000. The property is located just east of Lexington Reservoir, near Los Gatos, where the District will add the land to its adjacent Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. POST acquired the property from private owners in February 2008, at the same time the District purchased an adjoining 80 acres for $300,000. The new addition will be included in the Cathedral Oaks section of the Sierra Azul preserve.