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Barnes Ranch owner talks of possible sale
By LEE JUILLERAT
Woody Barnes isn't sure what comes next. Whether or not his family's cow-calf cattle operation will continue in the Fort Klamath area or elsewhere is up to others.
Barnes, 68, and his wife, Jane, 66, own the Barnes Ranch, the 2,785-acre property regarded as a key for providing additional water storage in the Upper Klamath River Basin.
Last week it was an-nounced that the American Lands Conservancy has obtained an option to buy the ranch, which the group hopes to sell to the federal government. Purchase of the ranch would allow for up to 50,000 acre-feet of water to be stored for the Klamath Reclamation Project.
Attempts to buy the land had been ongoing for years because the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which owns the adjacent 7,400-acre Agency Lake Ranch, cannot fully use that property's water storage capabilities without flooding the Barnes Ranch.
In a telephone interview, Barnes said he and his wife were reluctant to sell the property, which they bought in 1993.
"We're not red-hot to go out looking for a new place," said Barnes, who lives in Julian, Calif., a small community near San Diego. The family has grazed upwards of 1,000 cows and calves on the property between early May and early November. Cattle are shuttled between the Klamath Basin - "Fort Klamath is probably 'the' place to grow grass" - and Corning, Calif.
"I think the complication with this whole issue is the property fits well with the Bureau's plans and it fits well with our plans," said Barnes. "We arrived at a proposal that we hope will make a lot of sense to everybody."
ALC spokesmen said the sale price is $9.1 million, including a 7.5 percent administrative charge and cost reimbursement for brokering the deal. The sale, Barnes cautioned, is contingent on Congress providing the money within an undisclosed time period.
"The proposal the ALC made was more appropriate than the earlier talks had been," said Barnes, referring to previous efforts by federal agencies to buy the ranch.
Last June, Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith and Rep. Greg Walden sent a letter to President Bush that recommended buying the ranch to increase water storage.
Barnes believes the purchase proposal is economically feasible. The ALC said that over a 50-year period the cost amounts to $3.42 per acre foot.
"From the standpoint of the Bureau, it's probably the cheapest water they can get and, environmentally, the best place they can store it."
Barnes said selling the ranch to help resolve the Klamath Basin's water problems was "not a major consideration" and emphasized that he and his wife celebrate their agricultural backgrounds. Both his and her families have had ties in Southern California farming and ranching for more than a century. Along with cattle ranching, the family is involved in growing apples, pears and cut flowers.
"We happen to love it," said Barnes of cattle ranching. "It is an addiction, and probably a personality deficiency."
He enjoys ranching in the Fort Klamath area because of relations with neighbors and federal agencies.
Problems did result, however, because of complications when the Bureau wanted to raise water levels on the Agency Lake Ranch. The existing dikes leaked water onto the Barnes Ranch. It was also determined that raising dikes between the two properties was not feasible.
"We had very good relations, but we were probably a thorn in each other's sides," said Barnes of dealing with the Bureau.
Although ALC spokesmen have indicated they hope the sale can be done soon enough to complete the sale this year, Barnes expects the process will take longer.
"Absolutely," he said of grazing cattle this summer, whether at the Fort Klamath area ranch or new property. "We don't know exactly how or exactly where - that's something we haven't begun to think about. We plan to stay in the cattle business."
Regional Editor Lee Juillerat covers Lake, Siskiyou, Modoc and northern Klamath counties. He can be reached at 885-4421, (800) 275-0982, or by e-mail at lee@heraldandnews.com.
Barnes, 68, and his wife, Jane, 66, own the Barnes Ranch, the 2,785-acre property regarded as a key for providing additional water storage in the Upper Klamath River Basin.
Last week it was an-nounced that the American Lands Conservancy has obtained an option to buy the ranch, which the group hopes to sell to the federal government. Purchase of the ranch would allow for up to 50,000 acre-feet of water to be stored for the Klamath Reclamation Project.
Attempts to buy the land had been ongoing for years because the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which owns the adjacent 7,400-acre Agency Lake Ranch, cannot fully use that property's water storage capabilities without flooding the Barnes Ranch.
In a telephone interview, Barnes said he and his wife were reluctant to sell the property, which they bought in 1993.
"We're not red-hot to go out looking for a new place," said Barnes, who lives in Julian, Calif., a small community near San Diego. The family has grazed upwards of 1,000 cows and calves on the property between early May and early November. Cattle are shuttled between the Klamath Basin - "Fort Klamath is probably 'the' place to grow grass" - and Corning, Calif.
"I think the complication with this whole issue is the property fits well with the Bureau's plans and it fits well with our plans," said Barnes. "We arrived at a proposal that we hope will make a lot of sense to everybody."
ALC spokesmen said the sale price is $9.1 million, including a 7.5 percent administrative charge and cost reimbursement for brokering the deal. The sale, Barnes cautioned, is contingent on Congress providing the money within an undisclosed time period.
"The proposal the ALC made was more appropriate than the earlier talks had been," said Barnes, referring to previous efforts by federal agencies to buy the ranch.
Last June, Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith and Rep. Greg Walden sent a letter to President Bush that recommended buying the ranch to increase water storage.
Barnes believes the purchase proposal is economically feasible. The ALC said that over a 50-year period the cost amounts to $3.42 per acre foot.
"From the standpoint of the Bureau, it's probably the cheapest water they can get and, environmentally, the best place they can store it."
Barnes said selling the ranch to help resolve the Klamath Basin's water problems was "not a major consideration" and emphasized that he and his wife celebrate their agricultural backgrounds. Both his and her families have had ties in Southern California farming and ranching for more than a century. Along with cattle ranching, the family is involved in growing apples, pears and cut flowers.
"We happen to love it," said Barnes of cattle ranching. "It is an addiction, and probably a personality deficiency."
He enjoys ranching in the Fort Klamath area because of relations with neighbors and federal agencies.
Problems did result, however, because of complications when the Bureau wanted to raise water levels on the Agency Lake Ranch. The existing dikes leaked water onto the Barnes Ranch. It was also determined that raising dikes between the two properties was not feasible.
"We had very good relations, but we were probably a thorn in each other's sides," said Barnes of dealing with the Bureau.
Although ALC spokesmen have indicated they hope the sale can be done soon enough to complete the sale this year, Barnes expects the process will take longer.
"Absolutely," he said of grazing cattle this summer, whether at the Fort Klamath area ranch or new property. "We don't know exactly how or exactly where - that's something we haven't begun to think about. We plan to stay in the cattle business."
Regional Editor Lee Juillerat covers Lake, Siskiyou, Modoc and northern Klamath counties. He can be reached at 885-4421, (800) 275-0982, or by e-mail at lee@heraldandnews.com.
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