PRESS RELEASE

May 31, 2001

Mendocino County Heritage Preserved
The Pacific Forest Trust Protects 560 Acres

Santa Rosa, CA - A new conservation easement granted to the Pacific Forest Trust will protect more than 560 acres of Douglas-fir, oaks and grassland near Boonville, California in Mendocino County. The owners, who wish to remain anonymous, granted the easement because of their strong commitment to maintaining the conservation values of the land. The property was highly threatened by the pressures of development and vineyard expansion from the adjacent Anderson Valley, where the demand for property has risen sharply because of increased interest by wine and champagne companies, as well as by buyers of second homes and ranchettes.

"Thanks to the foresight of these landowners, a piece of Mendocino County’s and California’s heritage has been preserved," said Laurie Wayburn, President of the Pacific Forest Trust. "California is losing over 60,000 acres of forest a year – and with this comes the loss of wildlife habitat, water quality and open space. These owners have set a tremendous example for reversing this trend."

This easement will protect the ranch’s conservation values by prohibiting subdivision and restricting residential development. Forestry will be focussed on restoring the young, dense forest stands on the property to a mature and old-growth composition, structure and function. The easement also is intended to protect the ranch’s fish and wildlife habitat, safeguard its watershed and preserve its scenery.

The woodlands on the property provide potential habitat for many native species including rate birds and mammals such as the northern goshawk and red tree vole. The property is home to tributaries of the Navarro River, which has been listed as an impaired waterway under the Clean Water Act. Protecting and restoring the Navarro is the highest priority of the Navarro Watershed Restoration Plan, a multi-agency and landowner cooperative effort. This easement will help accomplish these goals.

"Much of the Navarro River watershed is still intact, and maintaining its integrity is important for many reasons," said Ms. Wayburn. "The Navarro provides excellent fish habitat, and well-managed forests also provide esthetic values, biodiversity and the sequestration of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas."

Costs associated with the drafting and stewardship of this easement are covered by California’s Forest Legacy Program. Forest Legacy is non-regulatory program that draws on the resources of federal, state, and local agencies, private non-profit organizations like PFT, and private landowners to conserve forest resources that would otherwise be lost to development or degradation.

"We are pleased to contribute to the preservation of these wonderful oak woodlands," said Andrea Tuttle, Director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the agency in charge of California’s Forest Legacy Program. "As voluntary incentive-based measures, conservation easements are an important tool for achieving the state’s goals of sustainable forestry and watershed protection."

The Pacific Forest Trust has preserved over 10,000 acres of private forestland in Mendocino County alone. A collaborative, problem solving organization, the Pacific Forest Trust works with landowners, forest managers, public agencies, local communities and others to preserve private productive forestland in northern California, Oregon and Washington. With headquarters in Santa Rosa, California, PFT maintains offices in Boonville, California and Seattle, Washington.