PRESS RELEASE

December 18, 2000

Conservation Agreement Secures Oaks
and Open Space in Mendocino County

Santa Rosa, CA — More than 1500 acres of oak woodlands and mixed conifer on the hills above Ukiah, California will be preserved indefinitely as open space under a conservation easement signed by the Twining family and the Pacific Forest Trust. Olive Twining, a fifth generation Californian, and her three daughters donated the easement on the adjoining Twining and Oracle Oak ranches. Funding for costs associated with establishing the conservation easement were granted from California’s Forest Legacy Program, a cooperative effort of the California Department of Forestry and the USDA Forest Service.

"Ranches such as the Twining’s are under intense conversion pressure from sprawl," said Laurie Wayburn, President of the Pacific Forest Trust. "Through the protection of this working landscape, the Twinings are helping to preserve the character of the Valley especially the wonderful oak woodlands, which are rapidly disappearing in this state."

At the signing of the easement, Olive Twining stated "My late husband, Howard Twining, and I bought this land in 1957. We always felt strongly that it should be preserved in its natural state. Our children agree wholeheartedly. We know that some day in the future the city of Ukiah will realize the value of such an open natural area and prize it even as we do. Donating this easement creates a lasting legacy of conservation."

The conservation easement protects important habitat values of the ranches including most of the upper half of Howell Creek, which flows into the Russian River. Restoration and protection of the Russian River watershed is of major concern to the state and the County. The creeks provide habitat which support rainbow trout.

The forests and grasslands of the two ranches provide substantial habitat for a diverse array of wildlife, including an occasional mountain lion or black bear. Bird species include a number of threatened, rare, and vulnerable species such as golden eagles and white-tailed kites. Rare plants found on the property include uncommon vernal pool varieties.

"The Forest Legacy Program is a valuable tool in helping landowners like the Twinings preserve the conservation values of their land,"said Sandra Stone, Forest Legacy Program Manager for the USDA Forest Service in Vallejo.

"The future of protecting California’s natural resources lies in forging partnerships with private landowners to conserve the land," said Andrea Tuttle, Director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "Olive Twining is an outstanding example of a landowner who understands that the needs of conservation and working ranches can go hand-in-hand."

The Twining and Oracle Oak ranches have been carefully managed to conserve the oak woodland while maintaining cattle ranching and other traditional uses. The conservation easement will help Eloise Twining, a San Francisco resident, and her sisters, Mary and Margery, continue this tradition of conservation-based range and woodland management.

The Pacific Forest Trust, based in Santa Rosa, California, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing, restoring, and preserving the private productive forests of the Pacific Northwest. PFT currently holds conservation easements on approximately 25,000 acres of forestland, including about 12,000 in Mendocino County.

A conservation easement, such as the one signed today, permanently restricts specified activities on a given piece of property and stays with the property through future ownerships. The gift of a conservation easement can provide the landowner with often significant income and estate tax benefits, in recognition of the development value foregone through the easement restrictions.