Monday, May 21, 2007 11:41 PM PDT

Dry Lake at Waddle Ranch would be part of the acreage preserved in an open space preservation effort for which the Placer County Board of Supervisors is being asked today to provide funding. Courtesy of Truckee Donner Land Trust

Supes to consider adding funds for Martis Valley

By: Gus Thomson, Journal Staff Writer

Placer County is poised to add $10 million to the $23.5 million needed to buy and preserve 1,462 acres in the heart of the Martis Valley, east of Highway 267.

Supervisors will be asked today to dedicate a total of $5.3 million from funding already collected in developer fees to the Truckee Donner Land Trust effort to buy the property.

The remainder of the county's commitment would come from future contributions by Martis Valley developers to the open space purchase and management fund. As much as $5,000 per unit can be charged and the county expects that its $10 million total expenditure would be paid through fees collected with buildout of other approved projects in the valley over the next 20 to 25 years.

The remainder of the $23.5 million is being sought from several other sources, including the Truckee Tahoe Airport District and the state's Sierra Nevada Cascade Grant program.

Placer County Supervisor Bruce Kranz, the current board chairman, said Monday that the purchase would fulfill one of the key goals he sees for open-space preservation.

"It will be open for recreation," Kranz said. "I wouldn't want to see it tied up when no one can use it."

If protected, Waddle Ranch will provide miles of new cross-country skiing, hiking and biking trails, enabling the public to gain access to the adjoining Tahoe National Forest, Martis Creek Lake National Recreation Area, and Mount Rose Wilderness Area. Putting it under protected status would also contribute to the creation of a 10-mile open-space corridor for wildlife movement.

The Land Trust has until Oct. 31 to come up with the funding. It would be the most expensive land purchase the Land Trust has pursued. It's working in partnership with The Trust for Public Land.

The trust brokered an agreement three years ago with developers that protects the valley north of Highway 267 while allowing development to the south adjacent to existing developments and nearby Northstar ski resort.

The open space would also help the Truckee Airport by providing a buffer zone of undeveloped land for landings and takeoffs, Kranz said.

The Waddle Ranch is also linked to Auburn's history, with Auburn's Waddle family owning the Sierra rangeland and grazing livestock there for Waddle Meats' locations in Old Town Auburn and off the old Central Square at Lincoln Way and High Street. The business' feedlot was located in South Auburn, where the Falcon's Point subdivision is now situated.

Janice Forbes, Sierra Heritage magazine publisher, said her great-grandfather bought the Truckee-area property in the 1880s. It was sold by the family in the 1960s.

Forbes, a director on the Sierra Business Council board, said that the 700-member business organization has played a role "mostly behind the scenes" in moving the purchase forward.

"It's wonderful that it's going to be open space," Forbes said.

In other board business today:

n Supervisors will consider fee increases in North Auburn's Sewer Maintenance District One and other districts. A proposal intended to keep up with operational costs calls for a 14 percent increase from the current $59.51 a month to $67.84 in District One.

The Journal's Gus Thomson can be reached at gust@goldcountrymedia.com.