Poet Jane Mead's Estate Donates 1,318-Acre Ranch to Create Napa Valley Wildlife Corridor
The estate of the late poet Jane Mead has donated the 1,318-acre Mead Ranch in Napa Valley to the Land Trust of Napa County. This significant land gift, announced on May 7, 2024, connects with the previously protected 2,300-acre Walt Ranch and the Land Trust’s 1,380-acre Sutro Preserve, forming a continuous wildlife corridor. Mead, who passed away in 2019 at 61, was a renowned poet and former poet-in-residence at Wake Forest University before returning to manage her family's Napa property. Her decision to protect the land in perpetuity was driven by its rare biodiversity, its potential as a wildlife corridor, and a desire for future educational opportunities for children. The ranch is home to unique species, including Mead’s Owl’s Clover (Castilleja ambigua var. meadii), which is found almost exclusively on this property and one other nearby location. Other endangered species like Few-flowered Navarretia and Napa Bluecurls also thrive in the ranch's vernal pools, which are considered the most species-diver...
