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At 88, Jane Fonda has a story linked to nature conservation that goes beyond her environmental activism. In 2000, the actress bought a historic ranch in New Mexico, United States, which years later she sold to other owners so they would continue conserving the land, which today has 902 protected hectares.
The property, known as Forked Lightning Ranch, has a history tied to Hollywood and the Pecos River. During the years she owned it, Fonda promoted initiatives to preserve the natural surroundings, a process that continued even after she left the place.
Protection was completed in 2018, when the new owners expanded the conservation agreements together with an environmental organization. Thus, some 902 hectares were subject to measures aimed at preserving its landscapes, habitats and farmland in the long term.
What the historic ranch Jane Fonda bought in New Mexico was like
In 2000, Jane Fonda bought Forked Lightning Ranch, a rural property located near Pecos, in New Mexico, United States. This land stretches across some 902 hectares and has a distinctive feature, since the Pecos River runs through its incredible landscapes for nearly 6.5 kilometers.
In 1987, British actress Greer Garson sold the land after the death of her husband Buddy Fogelson and donated part of the land to the United States National Park Service. The rest of the property, which had gone through different divisions and sales, was later acquired by Jane Fonda.
There, she built her house, which she called River House, and found a peaceful space to share with her family and write. However, during the years she stayed there, she also worked to preserve and improve its natural environments.
To whom she sold the property and what Jane Fonda did to protect her land
After nearly 15 years as owner, Fonda decided to sell the ranch. The property went on the market in 2014 with an asking price of US$19.5 million and in 2015 she sold the property to Scott and Kimberly Sheffield, although the final price was not made public.
The sale did not mean the end of the conservation initiatives; in fact, the process began much earlier in June 2010 when the New Mexico Land Conservancy, a land conservation organization, had advanced agreements to protect parts of the ranch. These measures seek to preserve its natural and productive characteristics, as well as prevent the land from being fragmented through future subdivisions.
How 902 hectares were protected after the sale
The decisive step came in October 2018, three years after the sale of the ranch. That month, the New Mexico Land Conservancy completed a new conservation agreement that incorporated another 403 acres, about 163 hectares, to the areas that were already protected and remain so today.
With that expansion, the total reached 902 protected hectares through a mechanism called a conservation easement. This is a legal agreement that establishes permanent restrictions on certain land uses, even though the property remains private, and prevents the ranch from being divided into lots that would compromise the integrity of the landscape.