Financier’s Northern California ranch to become public park

COVELO, Calif. (AP) — A ranch once owned by the late financier Dean Witter has been sold to a nature conservancy that plans to convert into a park in Northern California. The nonprofit Wildlands Conservancy announced Wednesday it has closed escrow on the nearly 30,000-acre, $25 million property, providing public access to a wild and scenic stretch of the Eel River for the first time. The river runs from the Mendocino National Forest to the Humboldt County coast. The property features a 10-bedroom lodge and a stretch of mountains and valleys that is home to dozens of endangered species and rare wildlife.