This last week has brought another wave of good news along with the rain. To our surprise, the unimaginable has happened: The Napa County Land Trust announced their intent to purchase Walt Ranch from Hall Wines. The Press Democrat and Napa Register provided excellent coverage of the fuller story. 

It’s not a done deal yet. To make it happen the Land Trust will have to raise the purchase funds by May 31, as stipulated in the signed contract. CEO Doug Parker declined to state the total sale price but noted that Craig and Kathryn Hall, who own Hall Wines, have agreed to donate more than a quarter of the value of the land. That amounts to one of the largest gifts the land trust has ever received. Hoped-for state grants would provide much of the money, with another $7 million to $9 million needed beyond that.
 

This purchase will protect thousands of mature trees in our precious Ag Watershed lands, at least two priority wildlife corridors, the biological “hotspots” rich in biodiversity, and the wells of the Circle Oaks community. In no small part, it will also help Napa County reach its goal of net GHG emissions by 2030.