RANA CREEK PRESERVE
About the Property Future Public Access, Events, and Docents Conservation OutcomesABOUT THE PRESERVE
With its iconic California oak woodland landscape, a journey through Rana Creek Preserve is like going back in time before highway traffic, strip malls, and power lines marred coastal California. Situated between Salinas Valley and the Santa Lucia Range in the upper Carmel Valley, Rana Creek Preserve is one of the largest historic landholdings in the range, with 12,400 contiguous acres ranging from 500 to 3,400 feet in elevation, and is critically important for flora, fauna, and people. The Preserve is co-stewarded by The Wildlands Conservancy and the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County.
The Wildlands Conservancy’s $40 million acquisition, which was completed on July 28, 2023, was funded with a mix of private and public support, including $24 million from the California Wildlife Conservation Board, the largest grant for acquisition the agency has made this year, and $2 million from the State Coastal Conservancy.
Additionally, The Wildlands Conservancy acquired the 1,720-acre Tularcitos Creek parcels, a portion of the former Rana Creek Ranch south of Carmel Valley Road, with the goal of returning the land to its original stewards- the Esselen Tribe.
RETURNING ANCESTRAL LANDS
Rana Creek Preserve is the traditional homeland of the Esselen tribe, and The Wildlands Conservancy welcomes a growing partnership with the tribe to help steward the land, restore its fish and wildlife, and host the visiting public. With funding now secured from the California Wildlife Conservation Board and the California State Coastal Conservancy, the Tribe is poised to reclaim 1,720 acres of culturally and ecologically significant lands along Tularcitos Creek, a portion of the former Rana Creek Ranch south of Carmel Valley Road. The Wildlands Conservancy is serving as a key “bridge” partner to facilitate the acquisition, and has created the opportunity for the Tribe’s purchase over the past three year period.
FUTURE PUBLIC ACCESS
Over the next year, The Wildlands Conservancy will plan and fundraise for infrastructure improvements that will allow us to safely invite the public to Behold the Beauty of this spectacular landscape.
Partnerships for outdoor education, conservation projects, and cultural resource management are being formed to foster access to the Preserve from diverse communities.
PUBLIC EVENTS
Discover the beauty and wonder of Rana Creek Preserve! We invite you to explore, learn, and help steward this incredible nature preserve through engaging experiences such as guided hikes, volunteer workdays, and interactive interpretive events.
All events are free of charge.
NEW DOCENT PROGRAM
We are happy to announce our new docent volunteer program. Docents are long-term volunteers who work independently and alongside staff to help us achieve our goals of public outreach, engagement, and land stewardship. They are Wildlands ambassadors, with a key role in sharing our organization’s mission with others.
CONSERVATION OUTCOMES
Rana Creek Preserve contains some of the best oak woodland habitat remaining in Central California. Nurtured by the fog and rain blowing in from Monterey Bay, the trees show little impact from recent drought, and because of careful past management, the oak forests are replete with an understory of native plants and a surprising absence of invasive plant species.
The acquisition of Rana Creek permanently protected the property from subdivision and development into luxury estates, safeguarding critical wildlife corridors and sensitive habitats for species such as steelhead trout, California red-legged frog, California condor and many others.
The Tribe’s stewardship vision includes riparian restoration, cultural fire practices, oak woodland regeneration, Indigenous food sovereignty and expanding youth education programs to reconnect future generations with their ancestral lands and cultural heritage. Protecting and caring for sacred sites will be a central focus of this work.
Photos in carousel and above courtesy of Hall and Hall.
