Press Release

November 22, 2004

Hundreds of Acres Adjoining Yosemite National Park Permanently Protected

Land Part of Original Boundaries Proposed by John Muir

Santa Rosa, California - The Pacific Forest Trust, a non-profit conservation organization, which preserves private forestlands, has teamed up with the descendants of an old California family to permanently protect 730 acres next to Yosemite-the largest land conservation project adjacent to the Park in decades.

Part of the original park boundaries proposed by John Muir, the land connects Sierra National Forest with the National Park and provides a buffer from increasing developmentpressures such as the neighboring Yosemite West development.

"Protection of this land was one of our highest priorities," said Mike Tollefson, the park superintendent. "It benefits the Park by adding further protection to Yosemite's Boundary and increasing connections between protected lands, while decreasing demands on water supplies and sensitive park resources. We are very pleased to have a private partner take the initiative to conserve this critical property."

Negotiations for the land purchase began in January 2004 and concluded this week. Funding for the project came from a grant from the Surdna Foundation and the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation as part of their Preserving Wild California program. The grants were put into PFT's Forest Conservation Capital Fund - which is used for projects that conserve private forests with high conservation values.

Originally part of 3,800 acres owned by the Yosemite Timber Company, the ranch was sold to the OÕConner family in 1925. Concerned about the long-term prospects for the property, the descendants of the original landowner, Jim and Robert Ransome, are the current sellers.

"We are delighted to work with this family, and protect this treasured place," said Laurie Wayburn, President of the Pacific Forest Trust. "Like many parts of rural California, forests that were once "safe" from development are now increasingly at risk. California loses over 60,000 acres of forestlands a year to development. We look forward to working with the Park to restore this land to its original state."

Founded in 1993, PFT is the only organization dedicated to preserving private productive forestlands for all the public values they provide. PFT has protected more private forestlands in California than any other organization, and has a focus on protecting critical private lands which border national parks, wilderness areas and other vital public lands.

"We are pleased and proud that "our" Ranch will be conserved," said Jim Ransome. "This land and landscape have been in our family for many years. We have seen the impact of development here --and want to ensure that this special place is protected for generations to come." The Pacific Forest Trust is a non-profit organization dedicated to sustaining the public benefits of America's private forests and can be found online at www.pacificforest.org. PFT has protected private working forests valued at over $120,000,000 to date.