FALL 2022 MALT.ORG
723 Acres Protected for Local Agriculture from the threat of development and will forever remain in agricultural production. This latest easement builds upon a block of more than 9,000 acres of contiguous MALT-protected land, stretching from the county border to the mouth of Tomales Bay. As a cornerstone for conservation efforts locally, these large blocks of protected land offer ideal refuge for a host of vital biodiversity and are essential in our work to build regional resilience in the face of a rapidly changing climate.
We are thrilled to announce MALT’s protection of the 723-acre McDowell Ranch just east of Tomales near the Marin and Sonoma county line. In August, we acquired an agricultural conservation easement from the ranch owners, ensuring this land’s verdant, organic-certified grasslands are safeguarded
The Wilson family, the ranch owners, have depended upon this land—first a dairy, now home to organic beef cattle— since owner Kenny Wilson’s great-grandfather, an Irish dairyman, purchased the ranch in 1900. Today, nearly every acre of this property has been deemed “Farmland of Local Importance” by the California Department of Conservation, indicating its critical role in contributing to Marin County’s food economy. Continued on page 7.