Take it easement

Forty-five acres of land along Highway 395 in Washoe Valley will remain as agricultural land and open space in perpetuity thanks to a conservation easement though the Rusk Family and the Nevada Land Conservancy. The property borders the Washoe County Wilson Commons Park and Highway 395, and the agreement limits future development while protecting the land’s ecological values. That includes habitat for more than 215 bird species that depend on wet meadow and grassland, such as that found within the Rusk Ranch, according to the NLC.

The easement was possible through voter-approved funding and the USDA’s Farm & Ranchland Protection Program. The Rusk land will be maintained as productive ranchland and open space, the NLC said.