The Nature Conservancy Acquires Conservation Easement on Kirman Field

Kirman Field
© Tim Torell

The Nature Conservancy has acquired a conservation easement on 1,027 acres of Carson Valley landowner Don Bently's Kirman Field property. Kirman Field contains 4 miles of the Carson River and extensive willow thickets, which are critical breeding bird habitat and have become rare along western Nevada’s desert rivers. The primary purpose of the conservation easement is to protect and improve 1) important riparian habitat for wildlife, 2) the meandering river and its associated oxbows, and 3) an undeveloped floodplain. In addition, the conservation easement reserves portions of the land for continued agricultural uses.

The easement gives The Nature Conservancy the right to conduct river restoration on the property, and the Nevada Department of Wildlife will be able to lead a limited number of educational hunt day events. Eventually, public access will be allowed along the river, following development of a Recreational Management Plan, which will be completed in the next year.

The easement was made possible by funds provided by the Nevada Department of Wildlife, Nevada Division of State Lands, The Nature Conservancy, and Mr. Donald Bently. The Nevada Department of Wildlife and Nevada Division of State Lands each contributed $750,000 for the purchase of the conservation easement, for a purchase price of $1.5 million. This funding came from the Question 1 Resource Conservation Bond, which authorizes up to $200 million in support of natural and cultural resources throughout the state. Mr. Bently provided a donation of $500,000 by accepting less for the conservation easement than the appraised value of $2 million. In addition, Mr. Bently is giving The Nature Conservancy a gift of $250,000 for the establishment of a stewardship endowment fund. The Nature Conservancy is matching Mr. Bently’s gift by contributing an additional $250,000 toward that project endowment. This endowment fund will be used to fund ongoing biological monitoring and scientific studies, as well as management of the Kirman Field conservation easement.

Donald Bently is a local entrepreneur and land manager perhaps best known as founder of Bently Nevada Corporation, the world's leading supplier of condition monitoring instrumentation and services, which he sold to GE Power Systems in January 2002. He has made important agricultural achievements that contribute significantly to the quality of the environment in the Carson Valley. This has been accomplished through Bently Agrowdynamics, a business focused on environmentally sustainable agricultural practices and the innovative use of renewable resources. The company includes 50,000 acres of land and reservoirs for the production of alfalfa, small grains, and beef cattle. Their program also includes improved range land, compost production, and biofuels development.

In January 2003 Mr. Bently began leasing the River Fork Ranch along the Carson River from The Nature Conservancy. Bently Agrowdynamics is working with The Nature Conservancy to balance environmental improvements, including wildlife habitat and river stabilization, with hay production and cattle grazing. This lease led to discussions between The Nature Conservancy and Mr. Bently to place a conservation easement on Mr. Bently’s Kirman Field property.

Since 2000, The Nature Conservancy has been working with local landowners and public land agencies to protect high-priority conservation targets in the Carson watershed, home to more than 200 bird species. The Kirman Field was among the properties identified by Nature Conservancy scientists as a top-tier priority. Numerous river channels, sloughs, and the vast open spaces of agricultural lands provide nesting and migratory sites for redhead, cinnamon teal, long-billed curlew, willet, bald and golden eagles, sandhill cranes and numerous other bird species which depend on woodland and riparian habitat. The Carson River’s riparian corridor is vital for migratory songbirds as well. Wildlife species, including deer, mountain lion, bear, and other mammals traverse the Carson River corridor in search of water, food, and shelter. Biologists have recently documented the occurrence of several rare butterfly species in the Carson Valley.