Hearst Ranch
Challenge
Preserve and secure in perpetuity 82,000 acres of the some of the most historic and scenic land in the state for the people of California.
Background
The Hearst Corporation wanted to preserve the Hearst Ranch, an 82,000-acre jewel of California. An opportunity arose to enter into a conservation agreement with the State of California that would preserve the ranch in perpetuity for future generations to enjoy its natural beauty. However, such an agreement relied upon easements that, though they were a fraction of outright acquisition costs, still had to be funded by the State of California. But the State didn’t have enough money to do so.
Solution
We developed a unique strategy that emerged from understanding the role Highway 1 played for both the State and Hearst Ranch. This transportation component presented the unusual opportunity to access the Transportation Enhancement (TE) program funds to acquire the largest scenic easement in California's history of the program.
Approved by the California Transportation Commission in May 2004, $23 million in TE funds were used to provide the State with over 1,400 acres of scenic easement west of Highway 1 for an eighteen-mile stretch of the central coastline, some of the most beautiful in the world, leveraging the available monies from other state sources to complete the overall conservation agreement.