A massive piece of Sonoma County history is now officially protected. The nonprofit LandPaths has acquired the 69-acre Calvi Ranch near Occidental, ending a conservation effort decades in the making.
According to the Press Democrat, the $2.5 million deal preserves a stunning landscape of coastal prairies and old-growth redwoods—including one tree over a thousand years old. The land was once owned by the legendary Rico Calvi, whose small-scale sawmill left the forest’s giants untouched.
LandPaths Director Sven Anderson says the ranch is an ecological treasure, serving as a home for black bears and a vital habitat for steelhead trout. The group plans to work with local Tribes and neighbors to develop a management plan, with the goal of eventually opening the land for school field trips and public education.
While permits and planning will take a few years, the Calvi Ranch is now safe from development forever.