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Palo Alto-based conservation nonprofit the Peninsula Open Space Trust announced on Oct. 7 that it had acquired 668 acres along the Pajaro River within the Soap Lake floodplain, in Santa Clara and San Benito counties.
The $7.8 million purchase includes three adjoining properties that POST plans to restore through sustainable farming and riverland rehabilitation.
The acquisition was the result of a partnership among various organizations from across the region, including The Nature Conservancy, the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, and the San Benito Agricultural Land Trust.
“Working with local partners to restore this landscape over time will support a mosaic of agricultural and natural lands that benefit biodiversity, climate resilience and sustainable working lands,” POST president Gordon Clark said.
The three properties—currently used for row crops and grazing lands—are located within a watershed that POST says has been reshaped by decades of human activity and is increasingly vulnerable to flooding.
“A long history of human intervention in this watershed has impacted its ecological function, which is now further exacerbated by climate change,” POST wrote in a statement. “This region frequently experiences flooding, posing significant challenges for agriculture and other uses.”
San Benito Agricultural Land Trust executive director Lynn Overtree said she was grateful for POST’s effort, noting that conserving farmland is one of the trust’s central goals.
“We’re pleased that POST shares our vision for sustainable agriculture alongside natural resources and open space protections to generate climate resilience benefits for our community,” Overtree said. “We are excited to be involved in the restoration planning process for these three properties in the Upper Pajaro Valley.”
POST said it will now work with local partners—including the San Benito Agricultural Land Trust and the Amah Mutsun Land Trust—to design restoration plans that combine habitat recovery with sustainable agriculture.
Several concepts will be developed, and after gathering input from community members and partners, one will move forward to the design phase.
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