Hollywood actor James Cagney and his brother William once owned hundreds of acres near Ramona, California. Decades later, 417 acres of the former Cagney Ranch became a conservation priority because of its rare grasslands, vernal pools and threatened wildlife. The Nature Conservancy purchased the property for $2.7 million in 2003, helping protect a key part of Southern California's remaining grassland habitat.

For decades, the grasslands outside Ramona, California, looked much as they had for generations: open country, seasonal pools and wide stretches of native vegetation broken by…

Hollywood actor James Cagney and his brother William once owned hundreds of acres near Ramona, California. Decades later, 417 acres of the former Cagney Ranch became a…