A 14,000-acre ranch in Carmel Valley, CA, owned by Apple co-founder Mike Markkula, sold for $35 million to an environmental group that plans to turn the property into a nature preserve.
The working cattle ranch, known as Rana Creek Ranch, contains several creeks on both sides of the Carmel Valley, a main residence and six other homes, agricultural outbuildings, an equestrian facility and a 2,900-foot airplane landing strip.
The Nature Conservancy purchased the compound using private and public funds, including $24 million from the California Wildlife Conservation Board, $2 million from the State Coastal Conservancy and the rest from a private loan and the Wildlands Conservancy.
