MENDOCINO CO., 2/3/26 – The Mendocino Land Trust announced Monday that it has protected 219 acres of forest along the Eel River east of Willits through a conservation easement completed earlier this year.
The protected land, known as Windswept Ranch, includes about three-quarters of a mile of river frontage. The Eel River is designated as a federal and state Wild and Scenic River and is an important habitat for Chinook and coho salmon, steelhead and Pacific lamprey.
The property includes oak woodlands, Douglas fir and mixed hardwood forest. According to the land trust, the agreement prevents future development while keeping the land connected to nearby protected areas, allowing wildlife to continue moving through the area.
The land trust said the effort to protect Windswept Ranch dates to the 1990s, when former Mendocino Land Trust executive director Roger Sternberg first discussed conserving the property with then-owner Chuck Ream. The easement was completed with the support of current owners Conrad and Gianna Smart.
According to the California Council of Land Trusts, a conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement in which the property owner restricts what types of activities can take place on their land. In this case, Windswept Ranch will be forever protected from any form of development.