Project Description
Please note: Centennial Point Ranch is private property.
Nestled below the granite peaks of Yosemite, the historic Centennial Point Ranch sits in the heart of Bridgeport Valley. The working ranch, an emerald gem in the Eastern Sierra, supports a diversity of wildlife in tandem with agricultural production and economic benefits for the region.
The Centennial Point Ranch Conservation Easement permanently conserves 1,741 acres and over five miles of rivers and streams in Bridgeport Valley. Among other conservation values, the easement ensures that the water and wildlife habitat on the ranch are protected, meaning that this land will continue to serve as a haven for species such as the mule deer, American badger, bald eagle, and Bi-State sage-grouse.
We are so pleased to have worked with Mark, John, and David on this important project. Their dedication and perseverance to complete this complicated conservation project was inspiring. Because of their vision, this working ranch will remain undeveloped, protected forever for the wildlife that rely on its flowing waters and wide-open meadows,”
– Kay Ogden, Executive Director/CEO of Eastern Sierra Land Trust.
A Land of Many Uses
Centennial Point Ranch is a historical fixture of this beautiful and productive region, and has been in agricultural production since the 1860s. The original scale house, built prior to 1905, is still in use and includes the first livestock scale in Mono County history. The voluntary conservation easement, which restricts development on the 1,741-acre ranch, will ensure sustainable ranching practices on the ranch are maintained for generations to come.
The East Walker River, and three of its tributaries, meander through the meadows of Centennial Point Ranch. These wet meadows – “emerald islands” – provide important habitat for birds in the Sierra Nevada. For the Bi-State sage-grouse, the meadows serve as critical broodrearing habitat, allowing the birds to raise their chicks in the lush grass of the pasturelands.
A History of Conservation
In 2003, the Lacey and Wood families pioneered the use of conservation easements in Bridgeport Valley by protecting their 6,350-acre Centennial/Dressler Ranch. In 2011, they worked with ESLT to protect an additional 718 acres. The new agreement to protect the 1,741-acre Centennial Point Ranch brings the total land in Bridgeport Valley that these conservation-minded landowners have conserved to over 8,800 acres. These protected lands are contiguous, ensuring habitat connectivity across Bridgeport Valley.
“The Lacey and Wood families are pleased to have once again worked with our trusted partners at the Eastern Sierra Land Trust (ESLT) to permanently protect the last of the Centennial Livestock holdings in Bridgeport Valley.
The Point Ranch conservation easement not only preserves the grazing land, the ranching operation, and the ranching heritage of Mono County, but it also fulfills a promise John and Mark Lacey made to Kenneth and Carolyn Strosnider (the original owners) that if we ever purchased the ranch it would never be developed. Promise kept!
The Centennial partners would like to thank ESLT, SALCP, WCB, and Mono County for funding, and supporting this project.”
– John Lacey, co-owner of Centennial Point Ranch.
Meet the Wildlife that Thrive at Centennial Point Ranch
Mule deer migrate to Centennial Point Ranch Ranch each year. Many spend summers in the Sierra Nevada slopes within the ranch boundary.
Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep live in alpine areas nearby. Centennial Point Ranch buffers their homes, reducing threats to this federally-listed endangered species.
Bi-State sage-grouse gather annually just a few miles southeast of Centennial Point Ranch for their famous annual mating dance. Females then nest in sagebrush and bring chicks to the ranch’s green meadows.
American badger live in the ranch’s grasslands and low canopies of sagebrush and bitterbrush. This fossorial (digging) mammal is a California Species of Special Concern, and requires wide open, undeveloped areas like Centennial Point Ranch Ranch to thrive.
About the Funders
California Strategic Growth Council’s Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC) supported the Centennial Point Ranch project 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.
The Wildlife Conservation Board protects, restores, and enhances California’s spectacular natural resources for wildlife and for the public’s use and enjoyment in partnership with conservation groups, government agencies, and the people of California.
The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service provided crucial technical support for this project.
