Sonora, CA– More than 70 people gathered in Tuolumne County recently to mark the California Rangeland Trust’s conservation of its 100th ranch and recognize the partnerships that have helped preserve working agricultural lands across the state.
The event was held at Sardella Ranch, the first property in Tuolumne County protected through the trust’s conservation program. The luncheon honored ranching families who have voluntarily placed conservation easements on their properties, including the Mackey family, whose Murphy Ranch became the trust’s 100th conserved ranch at the end of 2025. Under the agreement, the ranch will remain a working agricultural property while being permanently protected from future development. The milestone comes as California continues to lose agricultural land to development. According to the trust, about 47,000 acres of agricultural land are converted to other uses statewide each year.
Since completing the Murphy Ranch easement, the California Rangeland Trust has partnered with six additional ranching families. The organization now works with 106 ranching families and has conserved more than 433,000 acres of working rangelands across California. Since completing the Murphy Ranch easement, the California Rangeland Trust has partnered with six additional ranching families. The organization now works with 106 ranching families and has conserved more than 433,000 acres of working rangelands across California. The event also recognized the Mackey family and the Alger family of Ray-Mar Ranch in Calaveras County, who received signs commemorating their conservation commitments.
Representatives from state and federal agencies attended the event, including California Department of Conservation Director Jennifer Lucchesi and Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist Carlos Suarez. Both officials highlighted the role of public-private partnerships in funding conservation easements through state and federal programs, private foundations, and individual donors.
The California Rangeland Trust said it plans to continue pursuing voluntary conservation agreements aimed at preserving working ranchlands, wildlife habitat, open space and agricultural production throughout the state.
