Parks Home Ranch: Historic Tomales Farmland Protected for Future Generations
November 19, 2024
In a significant win for Marin County’s farmland conservation, the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) has secured crucial funding to permanently protect the historic 177-acre Parks Home Ranch in Tomales with an agricultural conservation easement. Today, the Marin County Board of Supervisors approved a grant from the county’s Farmland Preservation Grants program funded by Measure A, putting in place the funding needed to complete the protection of this land.
Nestled just north of downtown Tomales, the Parks Home Ranch has been a cornerstone of Marin County’s farming landscape since the 1880s. The main house, dating back to around 1860, stands as one of the oldest inhabited structures in the county—a testament to the region’s rich farming tradition.
For nearly 150 years, five generations of the Parks family have tended to this land. From chickens and sheep to beef cattle, the ranch has adapted to changing times while maintaining its agricultural roots. With this grant funding now secured, we are close to forever safeguarding this farmland for generations of Bay Area residents to benefit from.
MALT’s partnership with the Parks Home Ranch will ensure it forever remains protected from development and in agricultural production.
A Cornerstone of Tomales Farmland
“Our dream is for this ranch to be a wellspring of agricultural innovation,” shared Mike Parks, a fifth generation rancher and the ranch’s current owner. “Being so close to downtown Tomales, we have a tremendous opportunity to use this ranch as a classroom, and we hope it can be a springboard for the next generation of Marin County farmers and ranchers.”
Today, Stemple Creek Ranch leases the pastures for its cow/calf operation, continuing the land’s productive legacy. But the Parks family isn’t content to rest on their laurels. They’re looking ahead with exciting plans that honor the past while further cementing the future of farming and ranching in Marin County. Some of their future plans include introducing sheep herds, leasing plots for growing vegetables, establishing a new farm stand and providing educational opportunities for students and young farmers.
Vital Ground for Regional Well-being
Straddling the Stemple Creek and Keys Creek watersheds, nearly the entire Parks Home Ranch offers prime grazing lands, ideal for sustaining various agricultural operations. An impressive eighty percent of the ranch is designated as Farmland of Local Importance by the California Department of Conservation, indicating this land’s fertility and role in helping sustain our local economy and our community’s livelihoods.
“Grazing animals are imperative for the health of our local grasslands,” shared Zach Mendes director of land protection for MALT. “Well-managed livestock is the key ingredient to sustaining the health of this landscape. Good ranching practices stimulate grasses, build soil, capture carbon, and mitigate invasive species, not to mention the benefits for our economy and our local community.”
Eighty-eight percent of the ranch is also considered a priority for biodiversity conservation in the region, according to the Bay Area Conservation Lands Network (CLN). Endangered species like the California tiger salamander, tricolored blackbird, and red-legged frog depend upon well-managed farmland like this for the habitat it provides. By protecting this ranch, we are also protecting natural lands and expanding corridors for wildlife.
Bordered by the Glenn Parks and Crayne ranches—both protected by MALT agricultural conservation easements—acquiring an easement on Parks Home Ranch will add to an existing block of protected land, creating 11,465 contiguous protected acres. Large areas of conserved land are essential for our regional ecosystem and the movement of life across the landscape, it’s the room to roam.
Protecting Water Resources
The headwaters of Tomales Creek, a tributary of Keys Creek, originate on the ranch. This creek habitat area is already well-fenced and vegetated, helping to keep the water clear and cool. MALT’s easement will further protect this creek habitat by establishing a Creek Conservation Area buffer of nearly 10 acres and nearly three quarters of a mile of stream, ensuring the health of waterways flowing into Tomales Bay.
“Healthy ranchland is essential to our efforts of protecting water quality in Tomales Bay,” said Ron Mallory, a board member with the Tomales Bay Foundation, an organization that monitors and works to enhance the Bay’s ecosystem. “Tomales Bay is a jewel of ecological abundance and a recreational destination for millions of Bay Area residents. Protecting our local creeks protects this regional asset.”
MALT’s work protecting private farm and ranchland is a key piece in the collective effort to safeguard Marin’s waterways, securing vital habitat for endangered species like coho salmon. Each acre of land conserved in MALT easements builds upon the region’s growing network of protected land, securing our region’s ecosystem health in the face of climate change.
MALT, NRCS, Marin County, and You
Funding for this $795,000 easement will come from two sources: half from Marin County’s Farmland Preservation Grants Program (Measure A) (mentioned above). Since its passage in 2012, MALT has applied for Measure A grant funding to conserve 17 farms and ranches totaling more than 10,972 acres. In total, since 1980, MALT and its partners have now invested more than $100 million in Marin County farmland land conservation.
For the other half of this project’s funding, we’re proud to partner with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Agricultural Land Easements program. The NRCS recognized the ranch’s significant agricultural value and co-benefits of biodiversity, wildlife connectivity, and climate resilience. We’re thrilled to have been able to secure these two public funding sources to safeguard this critical regional asset.
Of course, none of this work would be possible without the commitment of our long-time donors. MALT’s ability to act quickly to protect local ranches and secure public funding such as Measure A and NRCS grants depends upon your continued support and ongoing contributions. Together we can continue to leverage our community’s resources for the future of Marin County’s farmland.
As we celebrate this conservation victory, we invite you to join us in applauding the Parks family for their foresight and commitment to the land. Together, we’re ensuring that the legacy of Parks Home Ranch will continue to enrich Marin County for centuries to come. Stay tuned for updates on this exciting project and opportunities to visit Parks Home Ranch in the future.
The Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) acknowledges that we work in the unceded ancestral lands of the Coast Miwok people of present-day Marin County. We recognize the centuries of attempted erasure, displacement, and genocide these communities have endured and that many inequities exist to this day. We honor with gratitude the land itself and celebrate the ongoing relationship with the Coast Miwok people on their traditional territories. Find more here.