Federal government drops Dangberg conservation easement

Efforts to purchase a conservation easement on Park Ranch Holdings land surrounding the historic Dangberg Home Ranch were dropped last month.

The easement, which would have preserved 1,373 acres, was terminated in December due to the inability to obtain an appraisal acceptable to the government. 

There was $13.7 million allocated to buy the property that surrounds the historic Dangberg Home Ranch south of Minden. There have been several instances where property owners decided that the amount was not sufficient. Unlike a private buyer, the government won't haggle over a price, but will only pay the appraised value.

The other major conservation easement funded by the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act, on 420 acres of the Van Sickle property, is expected to be consummated around June 2022. 

Dating back to the early years of settlement in Carson Valley, Van Sickle Station was a popular way station on the way to the California gold fields in 1855, prior to the discovery of the Comstock Lode.

The ranch served as a Pony Express Station.

The land proposed for acquisition using funds from the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act, is located on either side of Muller Lane and is next to the River Fork Ranch on the northeast side.

Parcels east of Foothill Road extend toward the West Fork, while south of Muller Lane, parcels don’t start until just past Brockliss Slough and extend to near the West Fork of the River.

While not in Carson Valley, three parcels of land at Lake Tahoe that belonged to a long-time Genoa family have been acquired by the U.S. Forest Service using funding from the Act.

The 487.5 acres in the upper Cold Creek watershed near High Meadows belonged to the Trimmer-Giovacchini family.

The family has owned Ranch No. 1 along Genoa Lane since 1909.

The High Meadows property was originally established by the Trimmer Family in 1929, when cattle were still driven from the Carson Valley over the Carson Range to the family ranch for summer grazing. Old-timers still remember the cattle drives through downtown Stateline.