Feather River Bulletin April 24th 2004 Patriarch saves the ranch By Mary Ohyen Portola Editor The campaign to preserve Sierra Valley rangelands reached an important mile-stone April 9, when one of the campaign's founders, Attilio Genasci, signed a conservation easement option on the 500-acre Genasci ranch.   Conservation easements leave the ranch property in the hands of private owners, but remove development rights on the land forever.    "This allows us to keep ranching in the family into perpetuity," said Attilio's son, Jim Genasci. The Genasci family celebrated the occasion at their ranch with a gathering of members of the organizations that helped create the easement. The California Rangeland Trust now holds a conservation easement on the ranch, which limits the amount of development allowed on the property. "We were given a gift, and all they ask is that we keep this place beautiful," said Jim's wife Mary, with tears in her eyes. "We would have had to sell the ranch." The Sierra Valley is under development pressure from the Reno metropolitan and Tahoe/Truckee areas. The Genascis were paid approximately one third of the value of the land in return for the easement. The land trust pays the landowner the difference be-tween the land's value with-out the easement and the value with the easement. The trust varies the terms of the easements for each landowner it works with. So far in Sierra Valley, Bar One Ranch with 13,100 acres, Maddalena Ranch with 574 acres and Balderston Ranch with 1,360 acres are pre-served through conservation easements held by the Range-land Trust or the Feather River Land Trust. Other easements near completion are the DS Ranch with 8,100 acres and the Trosi Ranch with 1,360 acres. The combined easements have preserved over 25,000 acres of rangeland in the 130,000 acre Sierra Valley. "This little parcel (the Genasci ranch) is like a rain-drop that I hope will combine and flood the whole valley," said Attilio Genasci. He told the guests that his late wife Angie called the valley her cathedral and was adamant that the ranch be preserved. Genasci was one of the first ranchers to campaign for the preservation of ranching in Sierra Valley. He turned 95 the day of the signing and is rumored to be California's oldest working rancher. The ranch has been in his family for three generations. "We are pleased by the tremendous support that ranchers have shown for conservation easements in the valley," said Jim Sayer, president of the Sierra Business Council.      The council is a nonprofit organization that helped the Genasci Family with the transaction. "Easements provide a win-win solution. They keep the land in the hands of private stewards, keep the land on the tax rolls and preserve the land's ranching and environmental value forever." California Rangeland Trust Executive Director Nita Vail said, "Attilio and his family are the epitome of the many multi-generational ranches that exist in California. Their desire to complete a conservation easement is a testament to the high regard that ranchers have for their property. The wish of so many of these families to ensure that their operations can be passed to the next generation." back to Latest News

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