The Marin County Board of Supervisors has voted to award a matching grant of $1.8 million to the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) so it can purchase an agricultural conservation easement at McDowell Ranch.

The 723-acre ranch is an organic grass-fed beef cattle facility along Stemple Creek between Tomales and the Marin-Sonoma County line.

The easement will protect the area environmentally and agriculturally while supporting its ecosystem.

Stemple Creek runs through the McDowell Ranch property and acts as a tributary to Estero de San Antonio. (Photo courtesy of Marin County Parks)

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the land is one of the most critical habitats in the state, including the Stemple Creek watershed, which is a tributary to the Estero San Antonio. The property also includes 667 acres of grasslands and 56 acres of coast oak woodland and California bay forest. Most important to backers of the easement, it is now protected from development.

Funds for the matching grant will come from Measure A, which was passed in 2012 by Marin voters. The county’s contribution to the easement matches that of MALT, bringing the total to $3.6 million, the county said.

MALT has safeguarded more than 54,000 acres to support sustainable agriculture in Marin and protect habitats, according to the county.

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.