Reproduced with permission from the November 2002 issue of the California Rangeland Trust News
First major step in preserving ranch economy and culture in unspoiled California valley
Located 25 miles north of Truckee and only thirty minutes’ drive from Reno, Sierra Valley is a choice target for future development. The cornerstone of one of the most historic and scenic agricultural landscapes in the state is now permanently protected, thanks to forward-thinking ranch owners and a unique partnership between three non-profit organizations. The 13,100-acre Bar One Ranch in Sierra Valley encompasses over 10% of the pristine valley and is the largest ranch in two counties. The easement is the first major step to ensure that the 130,000-acre alpine valley, the largest of its kind in the Sierra Nevada, remains in ranching for generations to come.
The owner-partners, Dick Monfort and Rick Montera of Eaton, Colorado, and Jack and Beverly Sparrowk of Clements, chose to put an easement on the property and to keep it a cattle ranch. Darrel Sweet, manager of the partnership’s ranch and a founding board member of the Rangeland Trust, said that the partners had an acute appreciation of not only how grazing operations must remain intact to keep ranching viable, but also how grazing is good for the environment. “When you subdivide ranches down into smaller pieces, they become less viable,” Sweet explained.
Sweet also points to a recent New York Times article that cites a growing number of scientists and conservationists that are now convinced “that cattle ranching may be the last best hope for preserving habitat for many native species,” says Sweet. “With California’s expanding population, ranching won’t exist for long without substantial blocks of grazing lands offered by contiguous cattle operations. If we lose these ranches, we will also lose many of the plant and animal species that inhabit them.”
The easement was negotiated through a partnership of the California Rangeland Trust, The Nature Conservancy and the Sierra Business Council, a Truckee-based business group that works to secure the economic, environmental and social health of the Sierra. Funding for the easement was provided by the Conserving California Landscapes Initiative (CCLI) of the Packard Foundation and by California’s Wildlife Conservation Board.
Although both Sierra and Plumas counties have indicated a desire to maintain the Sierra Valley’s ranching heritages by designating most of the valley floor in agricultural zoning, large swaths of the valley – especially in Plumas County – Could be subdivided into 80 acre parcels. Parcels of this size are too small to support a productive agricultural operation and would almost certainly be used for residential purposes.
Pursuant to the request by the ranch owners, the easement will be held by the Rangeland Trust to achieve the preservation of a productive cattle ranch while simultaneously preserving valuable habitat and maintaining the scenic views of the historic and pastoral working landscape.
“We are proud to be part of this effort to preserve one of the most beautiful valleys in the world,” said Jack Sparrowk, co-owner of Bar One Ranch. “This easement will help protect rangelands, wetlands, and important habitat and it will also keep ranching at the forefront of Sierra Valley’s economy.”
In addition to its rich ranching culture and economy, the Sierra Valley is also ecologically significant. Blessed with a variety of favorable bio-geographic conditions, the Sierra Valley supports unusually rich flora and fauna, including a number of threatened and endangered species. Several species of animals, such as the pronghorn antelope, uncommon in other parts of the Sierra, venture into the valley from surrounding areas, such as the Great Basin to the east and the Cascade Mountains to the northwest. Finally, the remnant lakebed left wetlands that contribute to the most species rich concentration of bird life in the Sierra Nevada. The Audubon Society recently identified the Sierra Valley as a national priority in the conservation of North America’s bird life.
The Rangeland Trust’s easement on the Bar One Ranch provided ample and exemplary testimony to the new adage that protecting ranching protects nature.