DS Ranch

Plumas County

Conservation agreement to pass on land stewardship and ranching legacy

In March 2005, the California Rangeland Trust completed a land preservation agreement on the 7,947-acre DS Ranch located in Plumas County.The California Rangeland Trust also holds easements on two other ranches in the Sierra Valley --Bar One and Genasci.These three projects combined permanently protect 21,000 acres of rangeland agriculture in California's largest alpine valley.Home to migratory, foraging and breeding bird habitat, the Sierra Valley is a bordered by the Sierra Nevada range on the east and the southern-most extension of the Cascade Range on the north. The owners of the DS Ranch entered into a conservation agreement in order to pass along the ranching way of life for generations to come.From start to finish, the owners of the DS Ranch insisted on including all family members-- both young and old-- to shape their conservation easement.Partners contributing to the DS Ranch transaction include the Sierra Business Council, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the California Wildlife Conservation Board with initial support provided by the Resources Law Group and The Nature Conservancy.