Seeking applicants for the future stewardship of Leavey Ranch, a 240-acre property in Blue Lake, CA

I received this from a community organizer permie friend, with invitation to pass it along:

Memorandum



To: Our Community Partners
From: Humboldt Area Foundation + Wild Rivers Community Foundation & nRhythm
Date: July 31, 2023

Request for Proposal: Leavey Ranch



Humboldt Area Foundation + Wild Rivers Community Foundation is seeking applicants for the future stewardship of Leavey Ranch, a 240-acre property in Blue Lake, CA. Potential applicants must be a 501c3, government or tribal entity. The selected applicant will either take full ownership and operation of Leavey Ranch immediately upon selection, or they will enter a short-term partnership (up to 24 months) with the Foundation focused on supporting a transition of full ownership and operation to the new steward.



The successful applicant will understand the historical context of and donor intentions for Leavey Ranch and will submit a proposal that takes into consideration both the donor’s intent and the historical inequities of the Foundation’s service region. The successful applicant will preserve the ecology of Leavey Ranch and take a holistic approach to stewardship of the property as well as promote equity for historically excluded populations in the Foundation’s service area, which encompasses Humboldt County, Del Norte County, Tribal Lands, Trinity County, and Curry County.



The property is located across the Mad River from Blue Lake and the Blue Lake Rancheria, and includes three terraces encompassing riparian frontage, pastureland, and woodland. There are several structures on the property, including two houses, two barns and an aviary. There are six ponds and a solar well system. The pastureland is currently leased as a working cattle ranch. The region is the historic home of the Wiyot people. The property is not open to the public and we request no applicants or potential applicants disturb the current tenants or try to access the property.



The RFP opens on Monday, July 31, 2023. Proposals must be submitted via email to leaveyranchrfp@nrhythm.co. Proposals must be received by 11:59pm PT on September 8, 2023. This deadline is firm. Extension requests for up to 2 additional weeks for cultural event observance or extenuating circumstances must be submitted in writing by September 1, 2023. Proposals received after the deadline will not be reviewed or considered.



Potential applicants are invited to submit questions to leaveyranchrfp@nrhythm.co until midnight, August 14, 2023. We will be having a virtual Q&A session on August 15 at 11:00 am PST. Parties expressing interest in the event will be emailed the Zoom invitation and the link will be posted on our website the day before at hafoundation.org/leavey. We have attached the full RFP details to this email. For more information visit hafoundation.org/leavey and/or contact nRhyhm at leaveyranchrfp@nrhythm.co.



Please feel free to share this in your networks. Thank you for your time!



Sincerely,



nRhythm & Humboldt Area Foundation+Wild Rivers Community Foundation

I wish I was in a better place financially for this! What an amazing opportunity.