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Siskiyou supervisors approve letter opposing Nature Conservancy's Marble Peaks Ranch purchase
Summary
The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a letter of opposition to The Nature Conservancy's proposed purchase of Marble Peaks Ranch after extended debate about tax revenue, water rights and long-term management.
The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a letter of opposition to The Nature Conservancy's proposed purchase of Marble Peaks Ranch following more than an hour of debate about property tax impacts, water rights and whether past land purchases produced regulatory relief for local agriculture.
The motion to approve the letter passed on a roll call with four votes in favor and one opposed. Supervisor Valenzuela voted no; other supervisors voted yes. A board member made the motion and a second was recorded before debate; the board then returned to the issue after extended public comment and staff remarks.
The Nature Conservancy's senior project director, Amy Campbell, told the board the organization "doesn't wanna create division, but we wanna build transparency around what the project actually entails," and emphasized that TNC has committed to continue paying property taxes on county lands, saying the organization paid "about $70,000 of property taxes" in the 2025 tax year for properties it owns in the county.
Board members who supported the letter cited past transactions, notably the transfer involving Big Springs Ranch, as evidence of long-term consequences the board believes harmed the county's tax base and did not deliver promised regulatory relief for local agriculture. Supervisor Valenzuela said the county had been promised limits on future purchases and criticized the effect of state ownership of water rights, saying that the state's takeover of certain water rights after the Big Springs purchase reduced the county's tax roll.
Other supervisors said they had positive working relationships with TNC in some instances but said the board had insufficient lead time and background materials on this specific proposed purchase. One supervisor said the board had received the agenda materials only about two weeks prior and requested more outreach and information before taking a formal position.
Amy Campbell asked the board to delay or revise its draft letter so that TNC could provide fuller context. She said TNC has hired a full-time stewardship manager focused on weed control and wildfire mitigation, leases land to local ranchers while planning restoration and "remains committed to pay property taxes on Marble Peaks Ranch as long as we own it." She also listed local partners TNC is consulting, including the Scott River Watershed Council, French Creek Watershed Community, state resource agencies and local cooperative extension offices.
The board's adopted letter of opposition does not itself block any purchase; it communicates the board's position to other agencies and stakeholders. No formal change to county zoning, land use or taxation was enacted at the meeting.
The board recorded no ancillary direction to staff beyond the vote to approve the letter in opposition. Campbell and other TNC representatives were invited to continue dialogue with the board and county staff.
