BMLT Supports the Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program (OAHP)
The Blue Mountain Land Trust (BMLT) and Mark Bennett of the Secret Valley Ranch were recently featured in an advocacy short by the Oregon Agricultural Trust (OAT) on the importance of farmland preservation through the Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program (OAHP). BMLT completed the Secret Valley Ranch conservation easement and ranch preservation project in 2021, the largest project in BMLT history.
From the Coalition of Oregon Land Trust 2023 Oregon Policy Priorities:
OAHP was designed by agricultural and conservation groups to protect farm and ranch land, keep it in production, and enhance its natural resource value. The program received its first allocation of $5 million in 2022, but additional funds are needed to build a successful program that will serve as a sustained source of state match funding for federal Agricultural Conservation Easement dollars. Learn more about OAHP here.