Raccoon Creek property
Auburn, Calif. – Approximately 4,245 acres of prime farmland, natural open space and environmental resources north of Lincoln is a step closer to being secured in perpetuity as part of the Placer County Conservation Program.
The Placer Conservation Authority Board of Directors took action today to execute three purchase-and-sale agreements to acquire conservation easements on the Raccoon Creek property, formerly known as the Teichert property.
The Raccoon Creek property acquisition would approximately double the 4,318 acres in the PCCP's reserve system and represents the largest remaining concentration of prime farmland in Placer County.
How does AI define Raccoon Creek?
CHAT GPT
"Raccoon Creek is a significant waterway in Placer County, California, encompassing approximately 112 square miles. It originates near Auburn and flows through diverse landscapes before merging with the East Side Canal in the Central Valley."
Google Gemini
"Raccoon Creek is a stream in Placer County, California, that runs through the Big Hill Preserves. The creek and its surrounding area are home to a variety of wildlife, including salmon, steelhead, and oak woodlands."
Microsoft Copilot
"Raccoon Creek, located in Placer County, California, is part of the Big Hill Preserves managed by the Placer Land Trust. This area spans 874 acres of oak woodlands and includes several adjacent preserves like Taylor Ranch, Kotomyan Big Hill, Liberty Ranch, and Outman Big Hill"
Composition
The property contains 1,299 acres of active agricultural production, as well as 2,536 acres of vernal pool complex, 283 acres of riverine/riparian complex, 67 acres of aquatic/wetland complex, 3 acres of oak woodland, and 6 miles of stream system with salmonid spawning or rearing/migration habitat in both Raccoon Creek and Doty Ravine.
"If successful, this is likely the most significant acquisition the program will ever make, due to the size of the property and the acreage of valuable resources that can be conserved," said PCCP Administrator and PCA Executive Director Gregg McKenzie. "If this property is not conserved, the zoning allows for it to be split and developed into 20-acre parcels."
Prior utilization
The property was previously permitted in 2003 to be a gravel mine and was known as the Teichert Lincoln Aggregate Facility Project. Teichert did not mine the property, and in 2023 Teichert requested to rescind all mining entitlements, which was approved by the Placer County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 28, 2023.
After the mining entitlements were rescinded, Ecosystem Investment Partners purchased the property from Teichert and has been negotiating conservation easements and habitat restoration projects on the property with the Placer Conservation Authority – a joint powers authority formed to administer the Placer County Conservation Program.
The PCA's Feb. 6 action on the purchase-and sale-agreements allows staff to move forward with further analyzing the property, and to negotiate an agreement for habitat restoration work to provide streamlined mitigation for development and public infrastructure projects.
"This is an exciting opportunity for the PCCP and Placer County," said PCA Chair and Placer County Supervisor Shanti Landon. "This will not only preserve our natural heritage but will also be a lasting legacy for our community, ensuring future generations can enjoy the beauty and biodiversity of our area."
Funding sources
Funding for the acquisition of conservation easements over the entire 4,245 acres will come from mitigation fees collected from development and public infrastructure projects in western Placer County.
The PCCP plan area covers approximately 260,000 acres of western Placer County. Within the PCCP plan area, 47,300 acres will be acquired and added to the PCCP reserve system for conservation. Since the PCCP began implementation in 2021, approximately 4,318 acres have been added to the PCCP reserve system so far.