Use private stewardship initiatives and voluntary agreements to compensate landowners for non-agricultural values and secure interests in land

• Specifically define the relationship between agricultural lands and conservation lands

• Promote voluntary agreements

• Land preservation easements

• Agricultural easements

• Deed restrictions and covenants

• Joint management agreements

• Agricultural Irrigation Discharge Waivers program

• Define monitoring goals in advance for conservation and agricultural preservation easements

• Create acquisition priorities for preserving agricultural lands – places where you want to buy development rights

• Develop locally-based funding programs to buy agricultural easements in the region

Land Preservation Agreements

A land preservation agreement or conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a qualified conservation organization (land trust) or government agency that permanently limits the uses permitted on a piece of property by current and future owners in order to protect its conservation value. This is a voluntary agreement.

By protecting land from development yet leaving the land in private ownership, many advantages occur. First, fee title to the property remains in the hands of the owners who may continue to live on it, sell it or pass it on to their heirs. A land preservation agreement may result in significantly lower estate taxes, property taxes and provide income tax deductions.

The agreement can be flexible and tailored to meet the needs of the landowner while protecting the property’s natural resources. For example, the landowner might choose to limit development on one portion of property while permitting development on another portion of the property as long as the protected historic and natural resources are not impaired. In addition, future owners are bound to the agreement terms.

Land preservation agreements are the most heavily used tool for private land conservation today.

Case Study: Sierra Valley

The Sierra Valley, California’s largest alpine valley, is relatively undeveloped, has an extensive system of wetlands that provides critical habitat to an array of migratory birds, pronghorn antelope, the Loyalton-Truckee deer herd, and a vast diversity of plant communities. A mere 25 miles from the booming population centers of Truckee, California and Reno, Nevada, Sierra Valley is experiencing growing pressures to abandon its rural, ranching lifestyle in favor of second-home residential development, resort growth, and subdivided ranchettes.

In response to this change, the Sierra Business Council sought to deflate the tensions between environmental and economic interests and help Sierra Valley ranchers maintain their way of life and keep their land in production without harming economic stability. To accomplish these goals, the Sierra Business Council formed a partnership with the California Rangeland Trust, The Nature Conservancy, and the new locally created Feather River Land Trust to reach out to ranchers and other community members, in an effort to preserve the Sierra Valley’s unique qualities.

The process started with a series of small meetings with valley residents providing direction about the qualities of life that they wanted preserved. Overwhelmingly, retaining the valley’s natural areas and ranching heritage were of utmost importance. As a result of these meetings, a conservation plan was created with priority properties and resources identified for preservation. Beginning the process, the owners of the Bar One Ranch placed a conservation easement on their property in late 2002 protecting more than 13,100 acres. This laid the groundwork for an expanded partnership, more activity and trust among the local ranchers and community members, and additional conservation opportunities both within and near the valley.

As a result of the initial conservation agreement on the Bar One Ranch, numerous other landowners followed suit. The acquisition of the 574-acre Maddalena Ranch protected both permanent and seasonal wetlands supporting a diverse assemblage of breeding bird species including 19 special status species. A 1,360-acre agreement on the Balderston Ranch served to connect two Department of Fish and Game wildlife areas as well as preserving aquatic habitats that support a variety of breeding and migratory bird species.

A conservation agreement on Atilio Genasci’s 500-acre ranch, adjacent to Balderston Ranch, was completed and is now held by the California Rangeland Trust, linking together protected state and private lands. Linking the easements provides a large block of protected habitat on the floor of the valley. In addition, the Genasci family holds a long-time position in the Sierra Valley community as leaders and custodians of the Valley’s way of life and historic land uses. The momentum from their conservation agreements propelled other landowners into conservation negotiations. The program’s success was based on three factors: the strength and diversity of the partnership, the community’s desire to retain the existing landscape and diversity, and the economic factors that make conservation agreements a viable tool for preserving land.

The Sierra Business Council’s successful work with ranchers and land trust organizations has resulted in the preservation of more than 30,000 acres in and around the Sierra Valley.