Peak Oil -- And What Do We Do Now?

Marin Agricultural Land Trust [MALT] was the first land trust in the United States to focus on farmland preservation. Founded in 1980 by a coalition of ranchers and environmentalists to preserve farmland in Marin County, California, MALT acquires agricultural conservation easements on farmland in voluntary transactions with landowners. MALT also encourages public policies that support and enhance agriculture. It is a model for agricultural land preservation efforts across the nation. MALT has so far permanently protected 35,000 acres of land on 54 family farms and ranches.



With neighboring state and federal parklands, agricultural open spaces comprise a greenbelt providing watershed protection and habitat for some of the greatest concentrations of birds, plants, and wildlife anywhere in the world. However, the beauty of West Marin increasingly attracts non-agricultural buyers who are eager and able to purchase farm properties for luxury home sites and non-agricultural uses.



Today, all around the town of Tomales, sheep graze on emerald pastures. In Point Reyes Station, Inverness, and the coastal valleys, beef cattle range freely. Dairy cows wend their way to milking barns. Organic growers cultivate fruit and vegetable crops. On Tomales Bay, oyster farmers harvest shellfish as they have for decades. But the future of this coastal treasure is at risk. Sprawl, development, and rising land prices threaten agriculture and family farms.