Conservation easements are legal agreements set by a landowner specifying the future use of their land. Siskiyou Land Trust helps landowners create easements, and we are also the holders of easements, taking on the permanent job of monitoring that land and working with the landowners to make sure that the promises of the easement are kept “in perpetuity.” This responsibility stretches into the future whether the land is sold or is passed from generation to generation through the family.

The Plank/Whipple Ranches in Scott Valley – Siskiyou Land Trust worked with the Whipple and Plank families in Scott Valley to place 5,680 acres of their land into five conservation easements, ensuring that this agricultural landscape would remain as working ranches while protecting watershed and wildlife, forests and rangeland. READ MORE…

Trinity River Easement – Through a private donation from the Ward family in 1998, this easement along the Trinity River helps protect wildlife habitat and migration, salmon habitat (spawning and rearing), a prehistoric cultural resource site, and preserves the parcel as open space within the Wild and Scenic Trinity River area. READ MORE…

Spencer Ranch – The Spencer Ranch Conservation Easement preserves working ranch land in the Scott Valley, including critical salmon habitat on the Scott River. Because Spencer Ranch borders the Scott River Ranch in the uplands above the river, the adjoining easements ensure that a mile of riverfront is protected in perpetuity. READ MORE…

The Scott River Headwaters Easements – Siskiyou Land Trust has been working with Ecotrust Forest Management since 2018 protect and restore nearly 40,000 acres of working forest above Scott Valley. With more than a dozen streams and the South Fork of the Scott River, this vast project contributes to the health of Endangered Species Act listed salmon, the aquatic community and the diverse communities on the land. READ MORE…

Bouvier Ranch – Inspired by the opportunity to create positive change for salmon recovery, Western Rivers Conservancy purchased the property in 2017 and began a partnership with Siskiyou Land Trust to place a conservation easement on the 1,596-acre ranch. The land is almost entirely forested, and contains 2.5 miles of the South Fork Scott River and miles of perennial streams. READ MORE…

Thompson Creek – The Thompson Creek conservation easement covers 67 acres of forest and riparian land on Thompson Creek, located along the Klamath River between Happy Camp and Seiad Valley in western Siskiyou County. Thompson Creek provides critical cold water to migrating Chinook and coho salmon, and steelhead. READ MORE…