Project Description
Please note: Centennial Ranch is private property.
At Bridgeport Valley’s Centennial Ranch, partners John Lacey, Mark Lacey, and David Wood know full well the many benefits of conservation. Back in 2003, they partnered with the California Rangeland Trust to place an agricultural conservation easement on a large portion of their ranch.
However, at that time 718 acres were left unprotected — and so the Centennial Ranch partners turned to ESLT for assistance in conserving this final section of their iconic landscape. Their resulting conservation easement with us was completed in 2011.
This large parcel of open, irrigated rangeland protects Bridgeport Valley’s scenic qualities, as well as historic agricultural resources that drive the local economy and support our region’s rural character. As one of the earliest ranches in the valley, Centennial Ranch has been used for livestock production for over 150 years.
Bordering the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Centennial Ranch also acts as a wildlife “buffer.” This means that mule deer, mountain lions, bobcats, and other species use this property to move safely between adjacent public lands. In addition, the agricultural land management practices used on the ranch have created prime hunting grounds for migratory raptors and owls, on the lookout for small rodents.
Your support has allowed ESLT to provide ranchers like Centennial Ranch partner John Lacey, featured in the video below, with resources to conserve their land — for wildlife, for our community, and for the future:
Learn more about conservation in Bridgeport Valley.