[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 132 (Thursday, October 19, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PRESERVING OUR HERITAGE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 18, 2000

  Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to commend 
and congratulate the Porter family from my district for preserving the 
California heritage that is threatened daily by the pressures of urban 
sprawl.
  According to the California Department of Conservation nearly 70,000 
acres of open space was devoured by development in my state between 
1996 and 1998.
  Soaring land values and the incessant demand for new homes and stores 
often make it hard for rural families to say no when developers want to 
buy their land.
  But the Porters already have their minds made up. Bernice H. Porter's 
estate recently bequeathed the family's 684-acre Circle P Ranch in the 
Pajaro Valley to the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County. The family's 
perpetual agricultural conservation easement is a major coup for the 
land trust, a small local non-profit group. It is the land trust's 
largest easement of this kind, ever.
  Under the terms of the easement, the ranch can only be used for 
grazing and irrigated agriculture. It cannot be subdivided or developed 
now or by any future owner.
  The parcel stretches for miles east of the city of Watsonville, with 
farming and ranching operations side by side. The rolling hills at the 
base of the Santa Cruz Mountains are green or gold depending on the 
season.
  Bernice's daughter Diane Porter Cooley said recently that the hills 
help to define the local climate and ``form the scenic and historic 
backdrop for the valley.'' They should be preserved, she added, not 
only for the sake of agriculture, not only for the rare habitats they 
contain, but also because they are simply beautiful to behold.
  There are deer, coyotes, bobcats and a wide variety of birds. For 
decades, the Porter family has invited school and church groups, 
history buffs and birding enthusiasts to tour the ranch.
  The Porters and others who bequeath their land in a conservation 
easement often receive some tax incentives. With today's soaring land 
values in California, estate taxes can often be a real burden, and 
conservation easements can provide some relief.
  But the Porters' decision went far beyond good business sense. 
Increasingly in California, we are dependent upon farmers and ranchers 
to act as stewards for our rapidly vanishing farm land and open space.
  And the Porters have clearly risen to the occasion. This family 
embodies what is best about our California heritage--deep reverence for 
our shared past and great concern for our destiny.
  These actions should serve as a model for land owners in California. 
Land assets should be used to preserve the heritage of our great state 
and our families, for the benefit of all who ever live among us. I 
encourage others to follow the Porters' example.

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