Quick Facts:
- 595-acre working almond orchard and organic rice west of Lincoln
- Protected in 2023 by Agricultural Conservation Easement
- Funding was provided by California Climate Investments and Placer County
- Located along nearly one mile of Markham Ravine, adjacent to other permanently conserved lands
About the Preserve
Lincoln 595 Ranch is a working almond orchard and organic rice land west of the City of Lincoln. Placer Land Trust purchased the Agricultural Conservation Easement at below market value thanks to the generosity of the landowners. The easement permanently protects the property from subdivision and development while allowing the landowners to continue their agricultural operations.
Placer County remains one of the fastest-growing counties in California, and the growth of Lincoln has been particularly explosive, with hundreds or even thousands of acres of farmland being converted to development every year. The agricultural easement allows the landowners to realize some of the value that would have come from selling for development, while keeping their land in agricultural production.
Conservation Values
The property is located on Markham Ravine, adjacent to other permanently conserved lands. Together, these properties form a larger area of protected lands along the waterway, providing habitat and migration paths for a wide variety of wildlife in addition to ensuring these lands will continue to support agriculture.
Investing in Farmland Protection
The majority of the funds for the Lincoln 595 Ranch project were made available through the California Strategic Growth Council’s Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC) in collaboration with the Department of Conservation. SALC is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities.
These State funds were supplemented by funding from Placer County’s Placer Legacy Open Space and Agricultural Conservation Program.
The landowners also discounted the sales price and contributed a significant donation to Placer Land Trust to complete the project and ensure the permanent protection of the property.
Protecting Farmland in Rural Placer County
The Agricultural Conservation Easement is permanent and runs with title to the land, meaning that any future landowners will be prohibited from subdividing and developing the property. This provides benefits not only to the property itself, but also to the neighbors who should enjoy seeing less growth and greater property values, to our community that benefits from our continued agricultural economy, and to everyone who values the beauty, bounty, and quality of life of rural Placer County. And we should add … it benefits anyone who likes rice and almonds!
“Our agricultural lands are really attractive for development, but the real value of these lands is food production by local farmers and ranchers. We’re pleased to provide conservation funding to local farmers and ranchers who are willing to protect their productive agricultural lands forever.”
Jeff Darlington, Placer Land Trust Executive Director
