India, Oct. 30 -- Some people leave behind money. Others leave behind a ridge. When poet Jane Mead died in 2019 at 61, her estate donated her family ranch to a trust. According to the Land Trust of Napa County, the 1,318-acre Mead Ranch sits near Atlas Peak, above Yountville, in California's Napa Valley. The group announced the gift on May 7, 2024, and says the land is now permanently protected. The ranch is rich in rare plant species, and behind the gift is a poet who spent years taking care of this land.

Jane Mead was a celebrated poet. Her obituary in the LA Times noted she had a literary career of more than 20 years and wrote five collections of poetry. She taught at several universities, including a tenured post as poet-in-residence...