Conservation easement protects 12,000 acres of wild and working lands at Travis Ranch
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 02/09/26
Bayside, Calif. — February 9, 2026 — Northcoast Regional Land Trust (NRLT), in partnership with the California Department of Foresty and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USFS), has completed a conservation easement on the Travis Ranch, a 12,000-acre working ranch in southwestern Trinity County.
The easement protects a key landscape linking the Six Rivers National Forest’s Yolla Bolly–Middle Eel and North Fork wilderness areas with adjoining U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands. It permanently extinguishes the ability to subdivide or develop the property while supporting continued timber and agricultural production alongside habitat restoration, wildfire risk reduction, and long-term stewardship.
“We are honored to work with such forward-thinking landowner and agency partners to protect this remarkable property,” said Dan Ehresman, NRLT executive director. “The Travis Ranch conservation easement will keep the ranch intact while protecting wildlife habitat, conserving natural resources we all depend on, and sustaining resource-based livelihoods that have shaped this landscape for generations.”
Travis Ranch provides habitat for the federally threatened northern spotted owl and Northern California summer steelhead and lies along a well-known seasonal Black-tailed deer and Roosevelt elk migration route connecting mountain and river habitats. The ranch is intersected by the North Fork Eel River, a National Wild and Scenic River, and includes more than 530 acres of protected riparian corridors that help maintain clean, cold water, reduce erosion and support fish and wildlife habitat.
Forest and range management under the easement emphasize long-term resilience and stewardship. Nearly 900 acres are designated as forest reserves, where activities are limited to those that improve forest health, enhance wildlife habitat and reduce wildfire risk. Outside these areas, sustainable timber harvesting and ranching will continue as part of an integrated approach to land management.
The easement will be held by CAL FIRE, with funding provided by the Wildlife Conservation Board and the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program. NRLT worked with the landowner and agency partners to design an easement that balances conservation, stewardship and continued working land use. NRLT will serve as the monitoring agent, ensuring the long-term protection of the ranch’s conservation values.
The Travis Ranch conservation easement reflects a collaborative approach to conserving land in ways that benefit wildlife, water resources and working landscapes across northwestern California. Learn more at ncrlt.org.
About NRLT
NRLT is a nonprofit organization that conserves wild and working lands across northwestern California. Since 2000, NRLT has protected more than 80,000 acres through voluntary partnerships with landowners, tribes, public agencies and community support.
About CAL FIRE
The purpose of the CAL FIRE Forest Legacy Program is to protect environmentally important forest land threatened with conversion to non-forest uses. The primary tool CAL FIRE uses to conserve forest lands in perpetuity are permanent Working Forest Conservation Easements (WFCEs). Since the start of the California Forest Legacy Program (FLP) over 191,000 acres of important forest land have been permanently conserved throughout the State.
About USFS FLP
The Forest Legacy Program (FLP) is a conservation program administered by the U.S. Forest Service in partnership with State agencies to encourage the protection of privately owned forest lands through conservation easements or land purchases. Loss of forested areas poses an increasing threat to the integrity of the nation’s natural resources. By providing economic incentives to landowners to keep their forests as forests, we can encourage sustainable forest management.
About WCB
Established in 1947, the Wildlife Conservation Board protects, restores and enhances California’s spectacular natural resources for wildlife and the public’s enjoyment. WCB works in partnership with Tribes, conservation groups, government agencies and the people of California to safeguard biodiversity and expand access to nature.
Media Contact:
Dan Ehresman, Executive Director
Northcoast Regional Land Trust
d.ehresman@ncrltolrg / (707) 822-2242