Deal protects Pajaro Valley farmland (complete article from source)
Source: Register Pajaronian
January 05, 2009
Hundreds of acres of Pajaro Valley and Monterey County farmland were permanently preserved for agricultural use as part of a land deal reached late last month.
Hundreds of acres of Pajaro Valley and Monterey County farmland will be permanently spared from development after members of the Borina Foundation late last month brokered a deal that will protect eight properties from urban development.
In a state that has converted thousands of acres of arable farmland to strip malls and homes, the deal is part of a wider effort to keep California’s farmland for agricultural uses.
“These properties are in the heart of one of the most productive and desirable farming regions in the state,” said Bridgett Luther, director of the California Department of Conservation. “We hope that this project serves as a good example for other local landowners, because it’s important to preserve as much top-quality farmland as possible.”
The conservation effort took organizers three years to complete. Five of the properties are in Santa Cruz County; the other three are in Monterey County.
The DOC’s California Farmland Conservancy Program and the Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture provided funding to purchase the agricultural conservation easements. The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County will hold the easements.
The land is owned by the Borina Foundation, which was created in 2003 to continue the Borina family’s farming tradition and use the farming revenue to benefit the Pajaro Valley. About 100 acres of the land are co-owned by the Miles and Rosanne Reiter Family Foundation and the Garland and Brenda Reiter Family Foundation.
The Borina Foundation will donate $1.85 million of the $3.05 million received for the easement to the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, contribute $690,000 to the land trust’s endowment and retain t2he remainder for charitable giving locally. The Community Foundation will use the funds to build its endowment for the long-term conservation of Santa Cruz County.
“I applaud the landowners, partners, and individuals for their efforts and commitment that helped secure the easements for these properties in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties,” said Ed Burton, state conservationist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. “The easements ensure that these rich, bountiful farmlands will produce nutritious food for California and the world for generations to come.”
Both Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley are experiencing significant growth pressure. Watsonville voters in 2002 passed Measure U, which defines planning areas and an urban limit line. However, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County is attempting to protect a sizeable amount of farmland in the Pajaro Valley prior to the measure’s expiration in 2022.
“This is the first time anyone has permanently protected prime farmland in the Pajaro Valley,” said Terry Corwin, executive director of the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County. “We are working now on protecting other farms, with the goal of permanently protecting the valley’s agricultural future.”
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File photo by Tarmo Hannula/Register-Pajaronian
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