Land Protection Archives

How Public and Private Dollars Come Together to Protect Marin Farmland

May 20, 2026

The story behind 59,000 protected acres — and the public-private partnership that made it possible.

Why Cowboys Still Wear Blue Jeans

April 29, 2026

It’s embarrassing to admit, but for the past few years I’ve been actively pretending to be a cowboy. I start most mornings with Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” playing on repeat in my head. It started with wrestling goats — learning to manage a small herd on our twenty acres just north of San…

Remembering Rick Lafranchi

April 16, 2026

We are deeply saddened by the unexpected passing of Rick Lafranchi, a beloved member of the Lafranchi family of Nicasio and a tireless ambassador for West Marin agriculture. Our hearts go out to his wife Debby, his siblings Randy, Scott, Jan, Diane, and Kimberly, his children and grandchildren, and to everyone who had the privilege…

Marin County Approves Funding to Protect Tunnel Hill Ranch in Tomales

April 7, 2026

Update, May 21, 2026: We’re thrilled to announce that the Tunnel Hill Ranch easement officially closed on March 20, 2026 — permanently protecting this 110-acre Tomales gateway property and marking MALT’s 99th conservation easement. Thank you to the Etemad family, Marin County, and every donor who made this possible. The Marin County Board of Supervisors…

Rolling green hills of Spring Valley Ranch at sunset, with cattle grazing in the valley below and the Soulajule Reservoir winding through the landscape, surrounded by protected Marin County ranchland.

How to Read a Ranch: What One Photograph Tells Us

February 19, 2026

What 1,179 acres of protected farmland actually does — and why it matters

An Anna's hummingbird hovers among willow branches

The Skydiving Love Language of Anna’s Hummingbirds

March 12, 2025

Anna’s hummingbirds perform a dramatic mating ritual this time of year, revealing their oversized role in our ecosystems.

A view of the Parks Home Ranch near Tomales, CA

Parks Home Ranch: Historic Tomales Farmland Protected for Future Generations

January 9, 2025

In a significant win for Marin County’s farmland conservation, the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) has permanently protected the historic 177-acre Parks Home Ranch in Tomales with an agricultural conservation easement. By leveraging funding from the county’s Farmland Preservation Grants program funded by Measure A and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Agricultural Land Easements…