The Wander N Ranch was purchased by the the Sierra Foothill Conservancy for below market value located mostly in Madera County along the Chowchilla River. SFC photo

A 1,210-acre riverfront ranch in the Central Valley has been preserved from development with help from the Sierra Foothill Conservancy (SFC).

The Wander N Ranch was purchased by the SFC for below market value from landowner Lynn Northrop, who donated the remaining value of the conservation easement, according to an SFC news release.

Located mostly in Madera County along the Chowchilla River, the Wander N Ranch boasts an array of conservation values, including working rangeland, annual grasslands, oak woodlands, mixed conifer forest and more.

The approximately 2,300-acre Wander N Ranch consists of three properties along the Chowchilla River. The Northrop family purchased its first piece of land in 1989, which marked the initial step in subsequently acquiring the rest of the Wander N Ranch.

In October 2023, SFC partnered with Northrop to acquire a conservation easement over the Wander N Ranch’s most-southern property, becoming the first phase of a two-phase approach in protecting the entire Wander N Ranch.

With the Wander N Ranch’s remaining 1,210 acres now protected through this second phase, SFC is honored to have had the opportunity to forever conserve the entire ranch, according to a news release.

SFC’s conservation easements limit development while the landowner retains the right to own and utilize the land, sell it and pass it on to their heirs. The two Wander N Ranch Conservation Easements, like many of SFC’s conservation easements, do not allow public access.

“However, the benefits of these protected private lands reach far beyond beauty – they provide essential ecosystem services like clean air and water, native plant and wildlife habitat, protect family heritage and legacies, and encourage sustainable agricultural productivity,” according to the news release.