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Nature Conservancy Protects Two Properties in Northern Sierra

Goal Is Preserving Habitats in Little Truckee River Watershed

Truckee, CA — April 1, 2002 — The Nature Conservancy announced today two real estate transactions protecting important natural areas in the northern Sierra Nevada.

On March 19 the Conservancy purchased a conservation easement on the 450-acre Ranz property, located in eastern Sierra County on the Little Truckee River where Highway 89 meets Kyburz Flat Road.

Conservation easements are permanent deed restrictions that protect a property's natural values by prohibiting development and other actions that would harm fish, wildlife, and plants. A typical conservation easement forbids subdivision, private or commercial real estate development, mining, dumping, and conversion to agricultural uses incompatible with preserving natural habitats.

Earlier, in November 2001, the Conservancy was a key player in a transaction to protect a 485-acre parcel near Babbitt Peak in the Bald Mountain Range. The property, some 20 miles northeast of Truckee in eastern Sierra County, was the last private inholding within a 24,000-acre block of public land owned by the U.S. Forest Service. Title to the property went to the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, historical steward of these lands. Immediately after the acquisition, the tribe donated a conservation easement on the property to The Nature Conservancy.

These transactions represent the first land protection deals for The Nature Conservancy's new Northern Sierra Project. The mission of The Nature Conservancy, the world's largest conservation organization, is to preserve biological diversity by protecting the natural habitats that native species need to survive.

"The Ranz and Babbitt Peak properties lie within the Little Truckee River drainage, which contains some of the best remaining mountain meadow and aquatic habitats in the Northern Sierra Nevada," said Jim Gaither, director of the Conservancy's Northern Sierra Project. "The Nature Conservancy is working to safeguard the Northern Sierra's finest unprotected natural areas."

The Little Truckee River is north of the town of Truckee and flows east to its confluence with the main Truckee below Boca Reservoir near Interstate 80.

The Ranz property includes more than a mile of both the Little Truckee River and Independence Creek, as well as two other streams that cross its lush mountain meadows. These waterways are home to six species of native fish. Along their banks are extensive willow groves that provide important nesting habitat for migratory songbirds.

"We are delighted to work with The Nature Conservancy to protect and preserve this diverse bit of montane meadow," said Gary Ranz. "We look forward to future cooperation with the Conservancy."

"The Conservancy's work with the Ranz family is a wonderful example of a conservation partnership," said Gaither. "The Ranzes are dedicated conservationists who chose to protect their property through a permanent conservation easement. They asked to sell us the easement at a price well below fair market value, demonstrating their intention to give something back to nature and to society."

The Babbitt Peak property is located in a natural area important not only for aspen groves, natural springs, mountain meadows, old-growth red fir, and spectacular views, but also because the area supports one of the rarest pine species in the United States, the Washoe pine.

The Babbitt Peak deal was overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and paid for by the ARCO Corporation because of their failure to treat pollution on the eastern slope of the Sierra near Markleeville as agreed upon with the EPA. The ARCO corporation also made a grant to the Conservancy to cover the cost of administering the easement.

"The Washoe Tribe is committed to preserving and restoring the natural and cultural resources of its ancestral lands," said Brian Wallace, the tribe's chairman. "We are pleased to work with The Nature Conservancy to protect this property, which makes up part of the lands that have been important to the Washoe people for thousands of years. We plan to use this parcel for summer programs to teach Washoe children about their traditional culture and its relationship to the environment and our well-being."

"Our work with the Washoe Tribe reflects how The Nature Conservancy does business," commented Gaither, "We respect the cultural heritage of a region, work cooperatively with people, and forge conservation partnerships to preserve the best natural areas for present and future generations."