MAGNOLIA RANCH AGRICULTURAL CONSERVATION EASEMENTS

Who entered into the Conservation Easement agreement?

The Easements were entered into by CEMR Properties, River Valley Rice & Land LLC, A. & G. Montna Properties, L.P., WGKS Eureka Land, LLC, and the Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust.

When was the Conservation Easement completed?

The original agreement between the landowners and the Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust was finalized on January 18, 2024

Where is the Magnolia Ranch Agricultural Conservation Easement located?

The Property is located in unincorporated Yuba County, approximately 10 miles southeast of the city of Marysville, approximately 3 miles northwest of the city of Wheatland, and southwest of Beale Air Force Base.

What types of conservation values does the agreement protect?

The Magnolia Ranch project created two separate Agricultural Conservation Easements to permanently protect 952.34 acres of prime and unique California farmland, allowing the land to remain in productive agricultural use while also protecting open space into perpetuity.  Conservation values of the Property include protection of important farmland, preservation of agricultural productivity, food security, sustaining compatible land uses that complement present and future missions at Beale Air Force Base, waterfowl habitat for migrating birds, and protection of open space that contributes to the scenic rural character of the region.

How was the easement funded?

SBRLT acquired the Easement with funding from 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.  Additional funding came from Beale Air Force Base and the Department of Defense (DoD) Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program, which provides funding for land conservation or management activities that limit incompatible development in the vicinity of DoD installations and improve military installation resilience.