The California Rangeland Trust was founded in 1998 to join America's voluntary land conservation movement with the vision of preserving California's working landscapes.

What is a Conservation Easement?
Basically, conservation easements are voluntary restrictions on the use of privately owned land. They are generally designed to be appropriate to the specific circumstances and concerns of both the landowner and the easement holder. Easements can be utilized for various purposes such as to protect a family's viable ranching operation, preserve views or to provide mitigation for a project (environmental or other).

Current Project Overview
Since its inception, the California Rangeland Trust has been able to conserve over 183,000 acres of private ranchlands, preserving the legacy of working landscapes for future generations. These donated and purchased easements held by the California Rangeland Trust make the Rangeland Trust the protector of the largest number of agricultural acres in California.

Standard Agricultural Conservation Easement
The Standard Agricultural Easement developed by the Rangeland Trust, with the assistance of legal counsel, acts as a model for easements held by the Rangeland Trust. This document is designed to both inform ranchers about conservation easements and serve as a starting point for negotiations with landowners. Of course, every project is unique, but the general format and important points in keeping with the Rangeland Trust's priorities are included. If you are considering the possibility of applying to the California Rangeland Trust to hold an easement on your property, you should read through this document to get an idea of the basic agreement. Download the Standard Agricultural Conservation Easement in Microsoft Word below.

Standard Easement Narrative
The Standard Conservation Easement Narrative will guide you through the main points of the Standard Agricultural Conservation Easement. It provides more explanation to the particulars that are set forth in the agreement and should be reviewed in unison with the Standard Agricultural Conservation Easement. Download the Standard Easement Narrative in Microsoft Word or as a pdf file below.

Interested in an Easement?
The project questionnaire below is available to be printed out using Microsoft Word or as a pdf file. Please fill it out and mail, along with any necessary documents to:

California Rangeland Trust
Attn: Project Review
1225 H Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

If you have any questions about the project application or the Standard Agricultural Conservation Easement, feel free to contact our Stewardship Director, Andy Mills.

Downloadable Forms

Easement Narrative- PDF

Master Easement- PDF

Project Application- PDF

  Project Application- Word Doc