Photo by Loren Oest
Placer Land Trust has permanently protected 427 acres of prime ranch land in Placer County, known as Oest Ranch Lone Star Preserve. Located along Highway 49 north of Auburn, the protection of this ranch was made possible through partnership with the Oest Family, California Climate Investments, CA Wildlife Conservation Board, and Placer County.
“Placer Land Trust was proud to work with Daryl and Sue Oest to protect the Lone Star Preserve in three phases from 2015-2018,” shared Placer Land Trust Executive Director, Jeff Darlington. “These projects mark the 3rd, 4th, and 5th (and final) phases of protecting the entire 940-acre Oest Ranch in Placer County.”
The Lone Star Preserve is the northern portion of the Oest Ranch, located along Hwy 49 and Lone Star Road close to the Bear River. The other two portions of the Oest Ranch are Lake Clementine Preserve, and Cold Springs Preserve, located east of I-80 near Lake Clementine. All three Preserves contain beautiful oak woodlands and pasture.
The property remains privately owned and managed by the Oests, a pioneering Placer County family that has been farming and ranching in the Auburn area for four generations, since 1859. The Oest Ranch is a commercial beef ranch and an important contributor to the local agricultural economy in Placer County, and Placer Land Trust is proud of our long-standing partnership with the Oest family to permanently protect their ranch for livestock grazing, beekeeping, and other agricultural uses.
The Agricultural Conservation Easements protect the land from subdivision, development and related uses, while allowing for and encouraging continued, sustainable agricultural uses. The Oests use best practices to operate their ranch sustainably, including rotational grazing of pastures, maintaining an appropriate number of animals per acre, using no synthetic fertilizers, and protecting oak woodlands and wetlands.
“This ranch was built by my great-great-grandfather and continued by a lot of hard work down through the generations,” says Loren Oest, the fifth generation of his family to tend the Oest Ranch. “We love the land, and worked with Placer Land Trust because we want to see our family’s ranching legacy continue for future generations.”
While this is a privately-owned ranch and not open to the public, protection of this land from development supports Placer County’s local agricultural economy by maintaining productive ag land for use by local farmers and ranchers. Preservation of the Oest Ranch properties also protects vital wildlife habitat, helps maintain the rural scenery along Highway 49 and nearby roads, and supports clean air and water in the region.
Placer Land Trust is grateful for their partnerships with California Climate Investments(Strategic Growth Council’s Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program, administered by the CA Dept of Conservation), Wildlife Conservation Board (Oak Woodlands Conservation Program), Placer County (Placer Legacy Program), and the Oest Family.
For more information and a photo gallery of the Oest Ranch – Lone Star Preserve, click here.
