"There were a number things that made it very attractive," said Kendra Muscarella a spokeswoman with the Open Space Trust. "For one thing it is extremely beautiful, with redwoods and pristine streams. We wanted to preserve that natural beauty. The ranch is also strategically located at the heart of 6,600 acres of public preserves and parks."

The purchase of the ranch will help connect these area parks and preserves, creating a corridor of natural spaces in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The corridor will link two Stevens Creek county parks, the Saratoga Gap, and the Montebello and Pichetti Open Space Preserves.

"It was also very attractive historically, "Muscarella said, with the ranch rooted in the Silicon Valley's agricultural past.

Ohlone Indians are the first known settlers of the site, she said. They've left behind old stone mortars that were used to grind acorns. Subsequently, the Bordi family acquired the land, building a small winery, an old main house that still stands, and they planted orchards. A second family, Jones Glendenning , then bought the ranch in 1950 and has lived there since, maintaining its apple, pear and prune orchards.

However, the family decided recently to sell the property, said owner Beez Jones. She was approached by a developer but, "couldn't stand the thought of having huge mansions on the property."

Instead, Jones turned to the Open Space Trust. The Menlo Park-based nonprofit was able to match the developer's offer, paying $6.6 million for the land with the help of a $5 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

The Open Space Trust plans to eventually transfer the ranch to a public agency such as the California State Parks or the National Park Service.

Jones, whose family first came to Cupertino in 1849, plans to move further down Stevens Canyon Road and live closer to town. "I'm going to enjoy the fact the land will be preserved," she said.