THE ‘GRAND CANYON OF THE EEL RIVER VALLEY’
30,000-acre ranch owned by financier to be ‘preserved in perpetuity’
The Wildlands Conservancy recently secured the purchase of the Lone Pine Ranch, nearly 30,000-acres of diverse forests, rolling ridgelines, and wetlands along the scenic Eel River. The future Eel River Canyon Preserve will provide new opportunities for environmental restoration and conservation of endangered species and pave the way for the proposed Great Redwood Trail.
Over the past two-and-ahalf years, the Wildlands Conservancy has worked alongside North Coast state Sen. Mike McGuire, state agencies, partner organizations, and private donors to arrange the purchase of the $25 million property, formerly owned by San Francisco financier Dean Witter.
Witter purchased a handful of parcels in Southern Humboldt
and northern Mendocino counties during World War II to create
the ranch. He built a 10-bedroom lodge on the property and used the land to graze cattle and harvest timber.
Witter’s family took over the ranch following his death in 1969 and cared for the property since then. In recent years the expansive property became difficult to manage and the family decided to sell.
“Our family is incredibly grateful to be passing this precious property on to the Wildlands Conservancy,” said Brooks Witter, who spoke on behalf of the family in a prepared statement. “At every step of this process, we grew increasingly confident in their vision and capacity to preserve this place for future generations. It is an honor to know that the Lone Pine will serve a key role in protecting the vitality and health of the whole watershed.”
Wildlands Conservancy executive director Frazier Haney said the Witter family “has done a fantastic job stewarding the property over the last 80 years.”
“They have taken wonderful care of the place and it shows in the wetlands, in the creeks, and the forests,” Haney told the TimesStandard on Thursday. “We think that our vision of both maintaining that stewardship and being able to share it beyond the family with the general public as well as keeping the entire property as one consolidated piece is what put us above all of the other possible buyers.”
Peter Galvin, co-founder and director of programs at the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the organizations that contributed key funds to arrange the purchase of the ranch, said the Witter family did not want to see the property go to the highest bidder.
“There were wealthy people interested in buying the properties that weren’t conservancies but, as I understand, the Witter family didn’t go with the highest offer, they wanted to see it preserved in perpetuity. They gave us and the Wildlands Conservancy the time to raise the money to make it happen,” Galvin told the Times-Standard. “If that property had ever been subdivided into new ranches, the jigsaw puzzle would never be possible to put back together. This remote area is the Grand Canyon of the Eel River Valley.”
The conservancy purchased 3,000-acres of the property fronting 3.5 miles of the Eel River in 2019. The acquisition “secured a twoyear option to purchase the remaining 26,600 acres for $25 million, which is being completed in four separate transactions,” according to the conservancy.
The acquisition of the property removes another hurdle for the proposed Great Redwood Trail which would transform 320-miles of defunct rail lines into a hiking trail connecting San Francisco and Humboldt bays.
“Sen. McGuire is quickly building himself into the champion for the Eel River, both in terms of conservation and in terms of public access. We couldn’t have done this without his help and the help of his staff,” Haney said. “This property is in the Eel River Canyon which is the most remote and unstable part of the former rail line and is what caused the failure of the rail because it’s hard to get to.”
McGuire said he “couldn’t be more thrilled” about the future of the Eel River Canyon Preserve.
“The Eel River Canyon is like no other place in the west, and it will be the crown jewel of the Great Redwood Trail,” McGuire said in a prepared statement. “The $10 million that we were able to secure this year helped the Wildlands Conservancy acquire this spectacular piece of earth, Lone Pine Ranch. This amazing property will be opening to the public soon and will feature a breathtaking twelve miles of trail along the Eel River with a total of 18 miles of riverfront.”
The Wildlands Conservancy will begin taking reservations for groups to tour the preserve in the next year. “Within two years, we should have it open to the general public,” Haney said.
More information can be found at wildlandsconservancy.org.
“They have taken wonderful care of the place and it shows in the wetlands, in the creeks, and the forests.” — Frazier Haney, Wildlands Conservancy executive director