Quick Facts:
- 581-acre working organic almond orchard and rice ranch west of Lincoln
- Protected in 2024 by Agricultural Conservation Easement
- Located along Auburn Ravine and adjacent to land that is permanently protected as Swainson’s Hawk habitat
About the Preserve
Lincoln 1079 Ranch is a working organic almond orchard and rice ranch west of the City of Lincoln. Placer Land Trust purchased and recorded an Agricultural Conservation Easement from the landowners, AKT Investments Inc. The conservation easement permanently protects the land from subdivision and development while allowing the landowners to continue their agricultural operations. Lincoln 1079 Ranch is leased by farmers who grow organic almonds and rice on the property.
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
Located on the Auburn Ravine, the ranch is adjacent to land that is already protected for the Swainson’s Hawk, listed as a threatened species, and is also near Lincoln 595 Ranch, another almond and rice ranch protected by a conservation easement held by Placer Land Trust. Together, these properties form a larger area of protected lands, providing habitat and migration paths for a wide variety of wildlife in addition to ensuring these lands will continue to support agriculture. Migratory birds use the seasonally flooded rice fields along with nearby wetlands as critical feeding and breeding areas.
Investing in Farmland Protection
The majority of the funds for the Lincoln 1079 Ranch project were made available through the State of 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.
The State funds were supplemented by funding from Placer County’s Placer Legacy Open Space and Agricultural Conservation Program. Placer Land Trust and the Placer Legacy program have a long history of successfully partnering to conserve thousands of acres of open space and agricultural lands to the benefit of current and future generations. The landowners also generously 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 has been recorded on title in the official records of Placer County. The 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, with limited exceptions supporting agricultural use. The protection of the ranch provides benefits not only to the land itself, but also to the neighbors who should enjoy seeing less sprawl 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.
“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
