family legacy Archives - California Rangeland Trust

Keegan Ranch: Ensuring Nature’s Colorful Tradition

Along the Valley floor between Three Sisters Summit and Walker Ridge in Colusa County lies a 10-mile stretch of rangeland, otherwise known as the Bear Valley. This landscape is not visible by freeways or main thoroughfares, yet every spring thousands of people flock to the area to catch a glimpse of some of the best remaining panoramas of Northern California’s wildflowers. These springtime super blooms have been around longer than many even realize thanks in part to the diligent stewardship of local, ranching families, like the Keegan family.

Nakagawa Ranch: An Unwavering Spirit of Resilience

In the face of war, internment, and personal tragedy, the Nakagawa family has persevered. Their ranch, remaining as one of the last Japanese American-owned agricultural enterprises in the United States, stands as a symbol of their unwavering resilience. And though Yokichi, the family patriarch, has passed on, his indomitable spirit will continue to live on through the land and his family’s hearts forever.

Rana Ranch: Taking a Leap in Land Conservation

Calaveras County, as known as “Frogtown, USA”, was made famous by jumping frogs, so it only seems fitting that frogs are helping a local ranching couple take the leap to conserve their beloved ranch.

25 Years of Fighting for the Future by Keeping Ranchers Ranching

25 years ago, the California Rangeland Trust was born out of need— a need to keep ranchers on the land and a need to keep working lands productive in California.

The year was 1997— land prices were rising, taxes were becoming more burdensome, and the threat of development loomed over California’s rangelands. Feeling the pressures, some ranchers got out of the business altogether, while others moved across state lines to continue their operations. It seemed like the sustainability of California’s ranching industry was in jeopardy.

Rancho San Lorenzo: Blazing and Grazing Their Own Trail

Richard and Sharon Kline, current owners of Rancho San Lorenzo, were “city folk” by circumstance, but they are ranchers by choice.

Despite their urban upbringings, each held an appreciation for agriculture and the western way of life, and it was this shared appreciation that brought them together over 38 years ago.

Silva Ranch: A Perfect Union

It is often joked that the signing of a conservation easement is like a wedding—forever uniting a landowner and land trust in an ongoing collaborative partnership. Ranching is unique and complex, with highs and lows as cyclical as the weather. So, it makes sense that ranchers pursuing conservation want assurance that the organization they are signing a perpetual contract with understands these challenges and supports their efforts to steward the land while also making a living off it. The Silva family is no exception.

Goodwin Ranches: Fostering Passions on the Land

When George Goodwin bought the Goodwin Ranch in 1987, he was seeking to reconnect to the land and his agricultural upbringing. George grew up in Southern California and together with his wife, Martha, they raised their six children in San Bernardino County. But deep down, George knew he wanted to one day return to the place he spent many childhood summers—Northern California’s scenic Sierra Valley.

Endangered Species Habitat and a Family’s Legacy Conserved on Palomar Mountain

Today, the California Rangeland Trust announced the permanent conservation of 117 acres of the Mendenhall Ranch on top of Palomar Mountain in San Diego, County. The conservation agreement, held by the Rangeland Trust, will prevent the sale of smaller parcels from the ranch and protect the grassy mountain meadow valley at the top of the Palomar Mountain.

Tag: family legacy

Keegan Ranch: Ensuring Nature’s Colorful Tradition

Nakagawa Ranch: An Unwavering Spirit of Resilience

Rana Ranch: Taking a Leap in Land Conservation

25 Years of Fighting for the Future by Keeping Ranchers Ranching

Rancho San Lorenzo: Blazing and Grazing Their Own Trail

Silva Ranch: A Perfect Union

Goodwin Ranches: Fostering Passions on the Land

Endangered Species Habitat and a Family’s Legacy Conserved on Palomar Mountain

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