Over 8,800 acres permanently protected to support agriculture, fish, and wildlife in eastern Oregon
Unity, OR - The Blue Mountain Land Trust (BMLT) recently completed a project to protect 8,877 acres of property in eastern Oregon, the largest working lands conservation easement for the organization. Secret Valley Ranch represents a model for the protection of viable working ranch land in tandem with conservation values, ensuring a healthy future for the operation, landscape, fish, and wildlife.
The conservation easement was completed in late January in collaboration with Mark and Patti Bennett to ensure their working cattle ranch and landscape are protected from development and fragmentation. A conservation easement provided the Bennett family with an opportunity to protect their land from conversion to non-agricultural uses and remain available for the next generation of ranchers.
“We wanted to protect the land for the following generation. We went through the process with the family and realized they weren’t going to come back and run the ranch and we realized the ranch would be really vulnerable. There was the potential that the property could be segmented,” said Mark Bennett. “One of the goals that we set was, not only would there be conservation protections, but that it would be an economically viable ranching operation.”
Patti & Mark Bennett host a soil health property tour with NRCS. NRCS photo by Tracy Robillard.
As a conservation-focused cattle operation, the Bennett family is committed to responsible stewardship and holistic grazing practices to support the landscapes and species that call it home. Bordered by the Bureau of Land Management, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, and private lands, the Bennett Ranch is composed of sagebrush steppe habitat that supports a healthy greater sage-grouse population in the region. Once prolific in the Pacific Northwest, greater sage-grouse populations have drastically declined throughout the years due to fragmentation and loss of habitat from the spread of juniper and invasive grasses, increased fire, and human disturbance. The Bennetts approach their operation in a way that manages for agricultural uses and healthy wildlife simultaneously. By adjusting grazing strategies and other practices, greater sage-grouse population numbers and habitat are supported across the property.
“The connection with the land and the sagebrush sea we live in is so important. The protection, enhancement, and strengthening of the land are just as important. Conservation practices really made us more efficient and better producers,” said Bennett.
Throughout the years, the Bennett family has worked on several habitat improvement projects, including invasive plant species removal, treating encroaching juniper, riparian plantings along the streams, and enhanced fish passage. The property contains over five miles of West Camp Creek, which provides year-round habitat for redband trout. The Bennetts have also installed wildlife-friendly fencing with flags that help reduce bird collisions.
“We believe that we need to be good stewards of the landscape that we were entrusted with. I know it’s corny, but the motto of the 4-H clubs as we were growing up is to make the best, better. And we’ve worked hard to make what we feel is one of the best ranches around here, better.”
NRCS photo by Tracy Robillard
With a decade worth of planning, the conservation easement brought together the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as project funders. BMLT worked with these funders to blend ecological protections and goals with the needs of working lands. NRCS characterized the property as ‘Grasslands of Special Environmental Significance’ or GSS, meaning it’s composed of native grasses, shrubs, or forbs that can provide habitat for threatened or endangered species. The Bennett family received the 2015 Riley Freeman Award for their stewardship efforts. The property will continue to operate as a holistically grazed working ranch, with the rangeland and riparian areas managed for ecological outcomes. With this easement, BMLT protects over 22,300 acres across the Blue Mountain ecoregion.
“It has been a privilege for BMLT to work with the Bennetts to preserve their family ranch,” said BMLT Stewardship Director Genevieve Perdue. “This property is a unique blend of many values that characterize the Powder River Basin – from the strong agricultural community, to the fragile sagebrush steppe ecosystem, to the picturesque rural landscapes – we are honored to have had the opportunity to protect a piece of land that encapsulates it all.“
“I’m really excited about the partnership with BMLT. We are really grateful for the land protection and we don’t want to lose sight of that. It’s a working ranch and it will continue to be a working ranch,” said Bennett.