Conservation deals await feds

More than 3,000 acres of prime agricultural land in Carson Valley has been earmarked for conservation easements through the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act. Another 1,360 acres could be approved during the upcoming Round 7.

That's music to the ears of many Douglas County residents, but the Bureau of Land Management hasn't completed one agreement despite the availability of funding.

Commissioner Kelly Kite said local Bureau of Land Management officials are supportive, but once the process is out of local hands nothing seems to come of it.

"We've been getting rosy reports for a couple of years now, but no money," he said. "We have a lot of people depending on them coming through. I don't know what we can do to make it happen, but it hasn't yet."

The funding is acquired from the sale of public land in and around Las Vegas. A small portion is set aside for education and the Southern Nevada Water Authority, but the balance is set aside in a special account for projects throughout the state in a number of categories, including parks and trails, conservation easements and environmentally sensitive land acquisitions.

A portion can be used to purchase the development rights on ranch lands, thus preserving that open space in perpetuity.

Rancher Russ Scossa said he has been waiting for years to complete his transaction.

He plans on ranching for at least another 40 years and there are no financial imperatives at this point, but that hasn't been the case for other ranchers who, due to financial issues, have been forced out of their deals because of delays, he said.

He decided to make the move because he recognizes some long-term needs for the Scossa ranch.

"We'll still be able to work the ranch and have some investment to subsidize," he said. "Our ranch might not survive unless we get some money out of the property to expand, or have money coming in.

"It's getting harder and harder to make a living on smaller ranches."

Like any real estate transaction, the money received for these easements is dependent on an appraisal but the process has been so slow. These properties often appreciate beyond that appraisal by the time the deal is ready to close. The property can be worth much more if it's subdivided and that should also be a consideration during the appraisal process, Scossa said.

"Even a year-old appraisal isn't realistic, with respect to what's happening in the real estate market," he said. "If we had a better appraisal system that looks to the future, a lot more people would be interested."

The Bureau owns the easements, which are overseen by a group associated with the Nevada Cattlemen's Association.

Scossa's fear is, the Cattlemen's Association could be replaced by the Sierra Club, an organization that doesn't always support ranching, he said.

"That's an obvious disadvantage the way I see it," he said.

He voiced some concerns about the viability of the SNPLMA funding.

"The longer the money sits there and isn't channeled, the more pressure there is to do something else with it," he said.

The budget for these projects totals roughly $2.9 billion, according to Bureau officials.

The Flying J Ranch, Hussman Land & Livestock Company, Stodieck Brothers LLC, the Scossa Brothers and Churia Holstein Limited Partnership in Carson Valley are just some of the projects waiting for funding since they were first approved in Round 4, according to information from Terra Firma, a local organization involved in these transactions.

Time is a critical issue, according to Glen Williams of Terra Firma.

"With generational shifts all over the West, it's extraordinary these ranches haven't already broken up. It's also extraordinary that the ranchers are willing to enter the program," he said.

Many ranchers are also feeling pressure from the community to protect their properties and ranchers would like to do that, but compensation is an issue. Without a viable conservation program, ranchers have no choice but to break up their property into 20-acre lots, Williams said.

Often, sellers are not willing to enter into these transactions when the funding is available, but that's not the case in Carson Valley.

"The resources and money are here and support from the Senate delegation is strong," Williams said.

Jim Stobaugh, realty specialist for the Bureau of Land Management said the Carson Valley projects are funded and processing on the Hussman property should close some time in the next month.

"Others are watching to see how this one goes," he said. "As soon as we close the transaction with with the Hussmans, we'll immediately start working on the next one in the que."

David Hussman said preserving the ranch has always been their goal. As the owner, he was able to negotiate his contract and the family was happy with the appraisal.

"There are some things we objected to, but we got those straightened out," he said. "The landowner gets to negotiate the contract. It isn't set in concrete.

"We've learned to be cautiously optimistic," he said. "It hasn't quite worked out yet, but we're hoping this time, it's going to."

Susie Vasquez can be reached at svasquez@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 211.

BREAKOUT

The following is an excerpt concerning land conservation from Terra Firma.

Agriculture is one of Nevada's most important industries, contributing significantly to the economy and providing benefits to groundwater recharge, open spaces and the conservation of wildlife. At the same time, productive agricultural land is a finite and irreplaceable natural resource, particularly in the driest state in the nation.

In Nevada and across the country, farmland is decreasing and the number of farms is declining. Agricultural conservation easements provide an alternative to farmers that are faced with rising land values. Preserving well-managed land enables ranchers to continue to use good management practices that protect natural resources, the preservation of open spaces and the long-term economic viability of ranching.