County honored for conservation

By Elisabeth Sherwin/Enterprise staff writer

WOODLAND - The state Department of Conservation honored Yolo County on
Friday with an agricultural stewardship award made in recognition of the
county's work to preserve agricultural land through its administration of
the Williamson Act.

But only hours after the Aggie Award was made, the county was criticized by
the Family Water Alliance, a family farm and water-rights organization, for
being unworthy of the recognition.

Saturday marked the 40th anniversary of the landmark agricultural
conservation program, written by Assemblyman John Williamson of Kern County
in 1965. Yolo County has 67 percent of its land enrolled in the Williamson
Act in 3,000 separate contracts. Williamson lived in Davis for several years
before his death in 1998.

The Williamson Act was designed to provide an economic incentive for farmers
to stay in farming by saving landowners anywhere from 20 percent to 75
percent in property taxes each year. In 1989, one in three Williamson Act
farmers and ranchers surveyed said that without the act they would no longer
own their land.

Debbie Sareeram, interim director of the state Department of Conservation
and John Gamper, director of taxation and land use for the California Farm
Bureau, were on hand at the Heidrick Ag History Museum to present the award
to Helen Thomson, chairwoman of the county board of supervisors.

"Thank you for recognizing Yolo County," Thomson said. She said 92 percent
of the county is made up of ag land and open space. In 40 years, only two
properties canceled and one property rescinded its Williamson Act
protection, she said.

"And we are in the process of acquiring the most significant piece of open
space left in Yolo County, the 17,300-acre Conaway Ranch," she said.

Thomson said one of Yolo County's primary goals is the preservation of its
agricultural heritage.

"Because of our proximity to a rapidly growing urban area, that is a real
challenge. Upholding the Williamson Act is part of the strategy that ensures
our success, and we appreciate the state's recognition for a job well done,"
she added.

In addition to participation in Williamson Act contracts, the county has
also established its own mitigation program in which one acre of land must
be permanently set aside for agriculture for every acre that is developed.

"The county continues to diligently manage growth, confining it to developed
areas," Thomson said. "Consequently, Yolo County has become a statewide
model for agricultural conservation."

Dennis O'Bryant, head of the Department of Conservation's division of land
resource protection and a member of the Woodland Planning Commission, agrees
that Yolo County is a model.

The department administers or supports several programs designed to promote
orderly growth in coordination with agricultural endeavors. That is a
critical job, since the state's population is expected to grow from 38
million, to 55 million by 2025, and the need for new homes will put a strain
on the nation's leading agricultural economy, valued at $33 billion last
year.

"We've encouraged counties throughout the state to use Yolo County's
(farmland mitigation) program as a model," O'Bryant said.

Jeff Sutton of the Family Water Alliance took exception to the award.

"While we completely support the encouragement and enforcement of the
Williamson Act," he said, "the recent actions on behalf of Yolo County are
hardly worthy of commendation.

"Just two months ago, Yolo County suspended the Williamson Act Š to approve
a controversial 18-hole golf course for a local Yolo County casino," he
said.

Sutton also complained that shortly after the golf course was approved,
Paula Lorenzo of the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians announced she would
finance Yolo County's decision to seize the Conaway Ranch no matter what the
cost.

Yolo County has initiated an eminent domain proceeding or taking of the
ranch from private owners. The ranch's price tag, estimated at more than $60
million, will be determined in legal proceedings due to begin on Aug. 23.

"If Yolo County was truly committed to protecting family farmers and their
farmland, they would not have suspended farmland protections over community
objections to build an 18-hole golf course," Sutton said. "Their recent
record of taking farmland out of production is not worthy of state
recognition."

The nonprofit Family Water Alliance represents family farms and community
leaders throughout the Sacramento Valley and sees as its mission public
education on rural issues.

"It does seem ironic that a county that is currently attempting to seize a
17,300-acre private ranch, just recently permitted a golf course to be built
on Williamson Act land, and voted to support a wild and scenic designation
on Cache Creek despite the overwhelming opposition of the agricultural
community, is being commended for its protection of agriculture," Sutton
said.

The Family Water Alliance and the Yolo County Taxpayers Association plans a
town hall meeting to discuss the benefits of public versus private ownership
of Conaway Ranch at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Woodland Public Library, 250
First St.

- Reach Elisabeth Sherwin at gizmo@dcn.org

Monday, July 18, 2005