AUBURN, CA (MPG) - A 279-acre property of blue oak woodlands along the south shore of Camp Far West Reservoir and the Bear River north of Lincoln is a step closer to being added to the Placer County Conservation Program.

The Placer County Board of Supervisors took action Feb. 4 to approve a resolution authorizing the execution of a purchase and sale agreement to acquire a conservation easement deed on the property, known as Vista Ranch.

“This project is a great example of partnerships in Placer County where a nonprofit organization and local government agencies are working together to combine resources and maximize benefits to conserve our precious open spaces and oak woodlands,” said District 2 Supervisor Shanti Landon.

The project involves Placer County, the nonprofit Placer Land Trust and the Placer Conservation Authority, a California Joint Powers Authority formed to implement the conservation and mitigation actions of the Placer County Conservation Program, including oak woodland mitigation in west Placer.

Placer County will contribute $2.1 million in funding for a conservation easement on the property to protect the oak woodlands and other conservation values in perpetuity. Funding for the easement will come from the county’s Tree Preservation Fund collected from development project impacts on oaks and other tree species protected under the Woodland Conservation Ordinance.

The Placer Land Trust will own the property and contribute funding, staff time and resources toward meeting landowner obligations and conserving the land including grazing management, fuel load reduction and stewardship. The current landowner has agreed to a conservation-valued sale for less than appraised value.

If next approved by the PCA Board of Directors at its Feb. 6 meeting, the PCA will also be a grantee of the conservation easement and the property will be added to the PCCP’s Reserve System. The PCA will be responsible for developing a property-specific management plan in cooperation with PLT, as well as monitoring and reporting on the preserved conservation values using funds from the PCCP’s operations and maintenance and endowment funds.

The PCCP Plan Area covers approximately 260,000 acres of western Placer County. Within the PCCP plan area, 47,300 acres will be acquired and added to the PCCP Reserve System for conservation. Since the PCCP began implementation in 2021, approximately 4,318 acres have been added to the PCCP reserve system so far.  

For more information on the Placer County Conservation Program, click here.

To view and download a photo of the property and a map showing the location of Vista Ranch, click here.