In a state where some of the most valuable land is constantly under pressure from development, a 24,364-acre stretch of California coastline remains remarkably free of subdivisions, highways and resorts — thanks in part to a $165 million donation from two technology billionaires.
In December 2017, Esri founders Jack and Laura Dangermond donated $165 million to The Nature Conservancy to help conserve the land around Point Conception in Santa Barbara County. The donation was said to be the biggest in the history of The Nature Conservancy at that time. The property, formerly known as the Cojo-Jalama Ranch, became the Dangermond Preserve.
