ranch

In 2005, a couple bought a 2,300-acre Napa ranch for $8 million; after a 17-year battle over plans for vineyards, the land was bought for $24 million and is becoming a public preserve

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In 2005, a couple bought a 2,300-acre Napa ranch for $8 million; after a 17-year battle over plans for vineyards, the land was bought for $24 million and is becoming a public preserve

2,300-Acre Napa Ranch Bought for $24M After 17-Year Vineyard Battle For years the fate of a large swath of Napa Valley wilderness has been tied up in competing visions: neat rows of vineyards or a continuous landscape for wildlife to roam. Now, after a long legal and environmental fight, the 2,300-acre property is headed for … Read more

In 2024, a Colorado county paid $34 million for a 650-acre ranch privately owned for more than a century; 2 years later, 530 acres are being transferred into the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness

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In 2024, a Colorado county paid $34 million for a 650-acre ranch privately owned for more than a century; 2 years later, 530 acres are being transferred into the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness

In 2024, a Colorado county paid $34 million for a 650-acre ranch privately owned for more than a century In a major expansion of protected public land, 530 acres of a historic Colorado mountain ranch are being formally added to the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, two years after local officials secured the property in a record … Read more

In 1862, heirs sold Colorado’s Baca land for 30 cents an acre; 140 years later its 97,000-acre ranch sold for $31.28 million and helped create a national park nearly four times the monument’s original size

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In 1862, heirs sold Colorado’s Baca land for 30 cents an acre; 140 years later its 97,000-acre ranch sold for $31.28 million and helped create a national park nearly four times the monument’s original size

Photo: Baca Ranch House (clicked in 1920)Photo credit: Denver Public Library Collection via NPS A piece of land can begin as a forgotten investment and end as part of a national treasure. That is the remarkable story of Colorado’s Baca Ranch, a vast property at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. In 1862, … Read more

In 1974, the National Park Service bought the Stewart family’s 890-acre California ranch; they negotiated the right to remain and continued ranching there until 2021

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In 1974, the National Park Service bought the Stewart family's 890-acre California ranch; they negotiated the right to remain and continued ranching there until 2021

Photo credit: Canva (Representative image) When the federal government stepped in to buy the Stewart family’s 890-acre ranch in 1974, most people assumed a century of family cattle operations had reached its end. The acquisition was part of a major initiative to build out California’s Point Reyes National Seashore, setting up an obvious conflict between … Read more

The US offered a California family $4 million for its 6,300-acre island ranch; after they refused, the government seized it and a jury awarded them $12.7 million

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The US offered a California family $4 million for its 6,300-acre island ranch; after they refused, the government seized it and a jury awarded them $12.7 million

A federal jury in Los Angeles ordered the United States government to pay $12.7 million (£7.8 million) to a California family after it seized their 6,300-acre ranch on Santa Cruz Island. The verdict, delivered in February 1999 after a three-week trial, ended a decades-long property dispute between federal park officials and attorney Francis Gherini, whose … Read more

European wild boars escaped a North Carolina hunting ranch in 1912; a century later the Smokies still removes hundreds each year to limit their damage

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European wild boars escaped a North Carolina hunting ranch in 1912; a century later the Smokies still removes hundreds each year to limit their damage

European wild boars are large, powerful wild pigs native to Europe and parts of Asia and North Africa, known for their strong snouts, dark coats and sharp tusks. A shipment of European wild boars brought to a North Carolina hunting estate more than a century ago continues to cause serious ecological problems inside Great Smoky … Read more