Marin Agricultural Land Trust

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MALT Conservation Easement Protects Iconic Dolcini Ranch in West Marin

July14, 2008
Historic Lands Support Beef Ranching, Nursery, and Organic Row Crops

Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT), with financial assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Conservation Service, has purchased an agricultural conservation easement on the productive and scenic 585-acre Dolcini Ranch located eight miles south of the city of Petaluma.

Because of its location near Petaluma, its short commuting distance to central Marin, and the existence of seven legal parcels on the property, the ranch could have been subject to significant development. Under the conservation easement, the owners will retain one development right for the existing homestead. All other development rights will be extinguished, and the property will be permanently protected from subdivision or non-agricultural uses.

“The area in which this ranch is located is likely to be subject to development pressures in the very near future” said MALT Executive Director Robert Berner. “We are extremely happy to help protect the natural resources on the property while providing a long-term opportunity for the Dolcini family to continue its agricultural operations.”

Situated at the intersection of Hicks Valley Road and Point Reyes-Petaluma Road, the property has been in the ownership of the same family for nearly a century. Arnold Dolcini, Sr. started a dairy at that location in 1918, and the family has had an agricultural operation there ever since. In 1973, the ranch was inherited by seven Dolcini siblings from their father. Kitty Dolcini and her brother Doug will use the proceeds of the easement sale to MALT to buy out their five brothers and sisters and continue various agricultural businesses on the site. A Jersey dairy until 2000, the property now supports a diversified operation. Doug raises beef cattle, while Kitty operates a small nursery on the ranch. A 25-acre field is leased to a local farmer for growing certified organic vegetables.

“The Dolcini ranch has deep roots in Marin County agriculture, and this easement will help protect a historic family legacy in the midst of the San Francisco Bay region,” said Lincoln “Ed” Burton, State Conservationist for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in California. “The Marin County community has demonstrated strong interest in and support of producers of locally-based wholesome foods. We are happy to work with MALT and the Dolcinis to translate these laudable goals into tangible protections.”

A vintage Victorian-era white farmhouse built of redwood in the late 1800s and a cluster of picturesque red dairy and hay barns give the ranch an iconic quality and great appeal as a site for a country estate. Without the protection of a MALT easement, it might have been targeted for development. The conversion of farmland in this way is one of the greatest threats facing the agricultural community in Marin County. The conversions can price out an agricultural buyer and lead to a reduction in total number of agricultural producers.

MALT paid the appraised value of $2,680,000 for the easement. The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources and Conservation Service provided a grant to MALT of $745,000 for the project. The remainder of the funds were raised from MALT members and supporters.

Marin Agricultural Land Trust is a member-supported, nonprofit organization created in 1980 by a coalition of ranchers and environmentalists to permanently preserve Marin County farmland. Some of the Bay Area's most highly acclaimed dairy products and organic crops are produced on farmland protected by MALT conservation easements, which total more than 40,000 acres on 63 family farms and ranches. To learn more about Marin’s family farms and the food they produce, visit www.malt.org.

The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources and Conservation Services provides products and services that enable people to be good stewards of the Nation’s soil, water, and related natural resources on non-Federal lands. With NRCS help, people are better able to conserve, maintain, or improve their natural resources. With technical and financial assistance from USDA, land managers and communities take a comprehensive approach to the use and protection of natural resources in rural, suburban, urban, and developing areas. For more information visit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ .gov/dlrp.

To learn more about agricultural conservation easements or to view a sample conservation easement, click here.

For a complete list of MALT's agriculture conservation easements, download a PDF here.