Ireland Ranch

Tuleyome acquired the Ireland Ranch property in 2006.  It encompasses 640 acres in Yolo County, high on the east side of the Blue Ridge about 15 miles northwest of Winters, CA.   The ranch includes a natural spring, the 150-year old homestead location of the Scott cabin, the headwaters of Salt Creek, Enos Creek, and Pine Creek, blue oak woodlands, chemise, grasslands and rocky outcroppings. Home to bobcat, mountain lion, and black bear, the ranch also provides a haven for wildlife.

APN: 047-110-02-1 and 047-110-04-1

Acquisition of the property was important to us for several different reasons:

  • It provides provide access to the 9100 acres of the Bureau of Land Management public lands that had been previously land-locked and inaccessible to the public for over 150 years.  This acquisition allowed us to complete portions of the Berryessa Peak Trail.
  • The property is home to many endemic (limited to California and found nowhere else on Earth), rare and “special-status” plant species.
  • The property was certified organic, and Tuleyome now has a multi-year lease with an organic cattle company to graze the property.

Dr. Ellen Dean of the UC Davis Center for Plant Diversity completed a floristic survey of the property in June, 2008.  Seven visits were made to the ranch, 278 plant specimens were collected, and 239 kinds of plants (species, subspecies, varieties) were documented as occurring at the ranch.  Highlights of the survey included:

  • One verified occurrence of the special-status plant Colusa layia (Layia septentrionalis), also called the “Colusa Tidytips” was encountered. This plant bears small yellow daisy-like flowers, and is a native and endemic species. It is included in the CNPS Inventory of Rare and EndangeredPlants on list 2 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere)
  • One unverified occurrence of the special-status plant Jepson’s leptosiphon (Leptosiphon jepsonii) was encountered.  This California native has small pink flowers, and is included in the CNPS Inventory ofRare and Endangered Plants on list 2 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere)
  • Two occurrences of a form of coyote mint intermediate between common coyote mint (Monardella villosa villosa) and the special-status plant robust monardella (Monardella villosa ssp. globosa) were encountered;
  • Eighteen native plants were encounteredfor which no Yolo County herbarium specimen had ever been collected, and herbarium specimens were collected for 16 of these; and
  • A Yolo County recordfor a nonnative clover, knotted clover (Trifolium striatum), was documented.

It is Tuleyome’s hope that we will be able to further develop portions of the ranch to enhance the local trail system, provide camping for docent-lead groups, and educate the public about the importance of public lands and wilderness protection.

The $640,000 purchase of the ranch was made possible with a grant from the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation and $190,000 in donations for Tuleyome donors like you.

RLF
DSCI0401
IMG_6505
DSCI0406
DSCI0095