Protecting Our Placer County Open Space Vistas

Through Placer Legacy, Placer County Conservation Plan (PCCP), Placer Land Trust, Conservation Easements and Agri-tourism

Placer County Supervisor Robert Weygandt has been an instrumental leader and spokesperson for the protection and conservation of open space throughout our county. Weygandt was a featured speaker at the 2005 Lincoln Creek Week Community Forum on April 6th. During his presentation Weygandt gave a slide show overview of the Placer Legacy program, as well as the Placer County Conservation Plan (PCCP) components of Placer Legacy.

Placer Legacy is a Placer County "publicly sponsored" program, with the primary goal of protecting and preserving our county’s open-space and agriculture resources through conservation easements and land acquisition of pristine rural countryside. The Placer Legacy program seeks to maintain the high quality of life, natural beauty and economic vitality enjoyed by all of us who have come to live and work within Placer County. It is built upon six objectives:

• Maintain Agriculture as a viable part of the Placer County economy

• Protect the diversity of plant and animal communities, including endangered and other special status species

• Protect and expand outdoor recreation areas

• Protect important areas that are scenic or have historical significance

• Establish open space buffers between communities

• Ensure Public Safety

As a component of the Placer Legacy efforts, the Board of Supervisors also asked County staff to explore and find a comprehensive way to meet the the state and federal requirements for the Endangered Species Acts and federal laws related to wetlands protection. In response to the Board's request, the Planning Department initiated an effort to prepare a Natural Communities Conservation Plan - NCCP - (Section 2800 et. seq. of the California Fish and Game Code) and a Habitat Conservation Plan - HCP - (Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973). In developing these two conservation plans, the County also included requirements for meeting federal laws and regulations related to wetland impacts (Section 404 of the Clean Water Act). When completed, these individual planning efforts will result in an overall Placer County Conservation Plan - PCCP.

There have already been three recent public hearings conducted throughout Placer County to provide information and receive public comment about the Placer County Conservation Plan as it is being developed, including one in Lincoln on March 17th, 2005.

A highlight of Weygandt's April 6th, 2005 Creek Week Community Forum slide show was the presentation of information about two major Placer Legacy land acquisitions east of Lincoln, including portions of the former Spears Ranch and Didion Ranch. Eventually these land parcels will become components of a major new regional park in Placer County.

The publicly sponsored Placer Legacy efforts compliment the activities of Placer Land Trust. Placer Land Trust was founded in 1991 as a community-based "private" nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving lands that hold valuable natural, historic, agricultural, and recreational resources within Placer County. The PLT mission is to work with landowners and conservation partners to permanently preserve natural open spaces and agricultural lands in Placer County for future generations.

One of the primary vehicles being utilized by Placer Legacy and Placer Land Trust to protect open space lands, besides outright land acquisition, is "conservation easements." What is a conservation easement? It is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust or government agency that permanently limits uses of the land in order to protect its conservation values. Conservation easements offer great flexibility. They allow property owners to continue to own and use their land and to sell it or pass it on to their heirs, while protecting the important natural features of the property.

When a property owner donates a conservation easement to a land trust, they give up some of their rights associated with the land. For example, they might give up the right to build additional structures, while retaining the right to grow crops. Future owners also will be bound by all of the terms of the easement. The land trust is responsible for enforcing these terms with current and subsequent landowners.

A landowner sometimes sells a conservation easement, but usually easements are donated. If the donation benefits the public by permanently protecting important conservation resources and meets other federal tax code requirements, it can qualify as a tax-deductible charitable donation. The amount of the donation is the difference between the land's value with the easement and its value without the easement. Conservation easements offer an alternative to property owners desiring to sell their land. Instead of selling to developers they can preserve the lands in their natural state.

Another increasingly popular option for property owners who are considering the sale of their open space land due to declining income is to start an agri-tourism business. Instead of selling to developers the property owner can start a "tourism" business to generate income, thereby enabling them to remain living on their open space land. Some examples of agri-tourism within our area include the Lavender Pick Your Own Farm just outside of Lincoln, and the Bishop's Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland. In Central California there is the V6 Ranch where city folk are given the opportunity to take part in a cattle drive, a la in the movie "City Slickers."

For more detailed information about the Placer Legacy program, the Placer County Conservation Plan activities, the new proposed regional park east of Lincoln, Placer Land Trust, conservation easements and agri-tourism please go to the websites linked below.

You will be amazed at what is happening to protect and enhance our beautiful pristine countryside throughout Placer County. The MRNC even foresees the time when our local Markham Ravine habitat and trail system will eventually tie into the larger Placer County regional parks and other protected lands. As Supervisor Weygandt states, "We have the makings of a mini National Park in our back yard."

Related Links:

• 2004 Placer Legacy Slide Show Presentation

• 2005 Placer County Habitat Conservation Plan (PCCP) Slide Show Presentation

• New Regional Park (Mini National Park) - Being Created East Of Lincoln

• Placer County Vistas

• PCCP Public Hearings

• PCCP Public Notice

• Federal Endangered Species Act - Habitat Conservation Planning - US Fish & Wildlife Service (HCP)

• California Natural Community Conservation Planning Program - Department of Fish and Game (NCCP)

• World Wildlife Fund - For a Living Planet

• Placer Land Trust

• Placer Legacy - Placer County Website