Payne Ranch

Protecting a Keystone Ranch

In December 2006, ALC completed the acquisition of a 3,140-acre conservation easement on the Payne Ranch, a private working cattle ranch in Colusa County, California. Funded by the California Wildlife Conservation Board, the easement conserves the agricultural, ecological, and scenic resources of the property while contributing to the environmental health of the surrounding 70,000-acre Cache Creek Natural Area.

Located in the folds of the coastal range north of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Payne Ranch connects to two other ALC projects in the region – Bear Valley Ranch and Sulphur Creek. Together, these projects conserve nearly 20,000 acres that contribute to the region’s rich biodiversity.

The southern border of the Payne Ranch is contiguous to 27,245 acres specially-designated as the Cache Creek Wilderness Area, home to one of the largest free roaming Tule Elk populations in California, the second largest wintering bald eagle population in the state, as well as numerous rare and endangered plant and animal communities.

Neighboring Bear Valley Ranch is renowned throughout the State for its extraordinary spring wildflower displays. While both Ranches are privately held and not open to public access, one can appreciate their resident wildflowers from along Bear Valley Road, north of Highway 20.