District to manage Rapley Ranch District to manage Rapley Ranch (June 22, 2005)

In its first management agreement in the newly annexed Coastside area, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District has agreed to mange the 151-acre Rapley Ranch property for the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST).

The Rapley Ranch property is located west of Skyline Boulevard and adjacent to the 1,827-acre Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve.

The property overlooks scenic coastal hills and valleys, including two extinct volcanoes at Mindego Hill and Langley Hill. The property supports nine special species, including red legged frog, San Francisco garter snake and threatened steelhead trout.

Ultimately, district officials hope to obtain grant funds to purchase the property from POST, a private, nonprofit land trust based in Menlo Park.

Meanwhile, the two-year agreement allows it to clean up the property and plan for its future use.

In the interim, the property will remain closed to public recreation, except for limited permits for neighbors and docent-led activities.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.