7132 Acres of Development Rights purchased in Tehama County

Ranches Conserved in Tehama County

January 26, 2011
(Chico, CA) – The Northern California Regional Land Trust (NCRLT) has acquired two voluntary conservation easements protecting two working ranches and approximately 7,132 contiguous acres of rangeland in western Tehama County, approximately 15 miles west of Red Bluff. Hailed as a “hallmark conservation project for the region” by Executive Director Jamison Watts, these easements will preserve the region’s ranching tradition and ecological values that are present today for future generations of Californians. Funding for the purchase of the two easements was provided by the California Wildlife Conservation Board in the amount of $3.9 million.

Among the resources conserved, the “Red Bank Project” will permanently protect 4,275 contiguous acres of oak woodland as well as annual grassland, working farmland, chamise-redshank chaparral, spring-fed wetlands, intermittent and perennial streams, riparian habitat along Red Bank Creek and North Fork Elder Creek, scenic open space, and habitat supporting several special-status species including valley elderberry longhorn beetle, foothill yellow-legged frog, and California red-legged frog. The project also provides an essential buffer along approximately 7,000 acres of land owned by the Bureau of Land Management and Mendocino National Forest, helping to prevent the area from being compromised by incompatible land use or development. As with all of its conservation easements, NCRLT will hold and monitor the easements into the future.

FOR FULL PRESS RELEASE:
http://landconservation.org/pressreleases.php

http://www.landconservation.org/ncrltpreserves.php

PROPERTIES INVOLVED:
Burrows Ranch
In December 2010, NCRLT acquired a 3,356-acre conservation easement on the Burrows Ranch in western Tehama County.
Big Bluff Ranch
In December 2010, NCRLT acquired a 3,776-acre conservation easement on the Big Bluff Ranch in western Tehama County. Family owned since 1960, Big Bluff Ranch has transitioned from a seasonal farming and stocker cattle operation into a sustainably managed ranch utilizing year-round grazing and the Holistic Management Model.