[This is a huge win! This was shaping up to be a battle royale, and we won, no doubt thanks to the persistant resistance to the development proposal by many dedicated activists. It's equally a huge win for Efren Carrillo, whom this article credits as the "driving force" behind this agrement. - Barry]
$24.5 million deal to protect 20,000-acre Sonoma County forest
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130226/ARTICLES/130229626/1350?p=all&tc=pgall
Kent Porter / Press Democrat
By BRETT WILKISON
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 7:24 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 7:46 a.m.
A national conservation group has reached an agreement to buy nearly 20,000 acres of timberland in northwestern Sonoma County, a move that derails the long-disputed, forest-to-vineyards conversion project pushed by CalPERS, the giant state workers pension fund.
The $24.5 million purchase of the so-called Preservation Ranch, to be completed by the end of May, is led by The Conservation Fund, based in Virginia. It would contribute up to $6 million toward the purchase.
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