Ag easement to protect farmland surrounding Pajaro River
The Silicon Valley Land Conservancy, a nonprofit whose mission
is to preserve land in Santa Clara County and adjacent areas, won a
$2.2 million grant to put an agricultural easement on 540-acres of
farmland along the Pajaro River in San Benito County.
Ag easement to protect farmland surrounding Pajaro River
The Silicon Valley Land Conservancy, a nonprofit whose mission is to preserve land in Santa Clara County and adjacent areas, won a $2.2 million grant to put an agricultural easement on 540-acres of farmland along the Pajaro River in San Benito County.
“As soon as we put the conservation easement on it, we will turn around and sell it to another farmer so it continues being farmed,” said Craige Edgerton, the executive director of the Silicon Valley Land Conservancy.
Members of the San Benito County Board of Supervisors approved the easement as consistent with the county’s general plan at their June 24 meeting.
Land Conservancy officials will buy the Leong farm and the Vargas Felhman farm. Both were put on the market by the owners.”We were driving along and said, ‘Look, there’s a for sale sign,'” Edgerton said.
An agricultural easement means that Silicon Valley Land Conservancy officials own the development rights, which are usually worth between 20 percent and 50 percent of the land’s value, Edgerton said. Even if the land changes hand in the future, it must still be used for agricultural purposes and cannot be developed.
Land Conservancy officials own the development rights on 1,600 acres of land in Santa Clara County.
Money to buy the rights comes from the state and federal government, Edgerton said.
Land Conservancy officials are not allowed to sell the development rights, Edgerton said. If the Land Conservancy dissolves, the development rights would revert to California officials.
Although farmland is worth less without development rights, there are some very interested buyers, Edgerton said.
“Ideally, we will buy the land and sell it on the same day,” Edgerton said. “If there is anybody interested in buying good quality farmland at a discount, call us.”
Land Conservancy officials started working on the deal in January, Edgerton said. It should be finalized Sept. 30.
“To get a deal done in nine months is almost miraculous,” Edgerton said. “Our last deal took us almost three years to get done.”
State officials approved the easement very quickly, Edgerton said.
“Because they came on the market, we had to move quickly,” Edgerton said. “These were potentially going to be bought by somebody else, so the state cooperated with us and moved very, very quickly.”
Land Conservancy officials are trying to preserve farmland along the Pajaro River, Edgerton said.
“Whether they are on the Santa Clara or the San Benito side, we do not care,” Edgerton said.
They own the development rights on three other properties along the Pajaro on the Santa Clara County side, Edgerton said. They are very close to the Leong and Vargas Felhman farms, Edgerton said.
There are multiple reasons that farmland along the Pajaro should be preserved.
“That’s important from a health standpoint,” Edgerton said. “It’s better to buy our produce locally then to have it shipped from Florida or Mexico or China, for a lot of reasons.”
It also provides flood protection for cities down river, such as Watsonville.
“It got flooded in ’95 and ’97,” Edgerton said. “The whole downtown was under water, and it’s flooded many, many times.”
A lot of wildlife utilize the area.
“It’s also a habitat corridor for wildlife to transition from the Diablo range to the Santa Cruz mountains,” Edgerton said. “A lot of birds use it to cross through. It’s a well known mountain lion crossover point.”
Smaller mammals such as bobcats, coyotes and badgers also use it as a corridor.
The owner of an adjacent parcel is considering an agricultural easement, Edgerton said.
“It’s only in the initial discussion phases,” Edgerton said.
If the landowner agreed, it would create a 749-acre preserve of contiguous farmland along the Pajaro, Edgerton said.
