Okanogan Land Trust has finalized a deal with Ellis-Barnes Livestock Co to perpetually protect 2,688 acres of rangeland through a conservation easement. The Barnes Rangeland Conservation easement has been in discussion for the past six years. The Wenatchee World reported the deal being made in late December 2020 with the Ellis-Barnes Livestock Co donating half of the easement cost and the other half being covered by the Farmland Preservation program of the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. Read the full article here.
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“The Land Trust is profoundly grateful to the Barnes family for donating half of the easement costs, which include money to cover stewardship and legal defense if the easement terms are challenged in the future,” stated OLT board President Gert Webster.
The Barnes family has fully committed to the practice of land conservation. In 2012, OLT worked with the family to successfully preserve 1,577 acres abutting Whitestone Lake with a conservation easement.
“… We are stewards for a short time, but we believe future generations will benefit from and celebrate land conservation,” said Bob Barnes on behalf of Ellis-Barnes Livestock.