b'the orme ranchPreserving the LegacyNEARLY 1,000 ACRES OF ORME RANCHLAND IS NOW PROTECTED IN YAVAPAI COUNTY UNDER CONSERVATION EASEMENTN early 1,000 acres of historicranching, which has continued in thebeing subdivided or developed beyond ranch land along Ash Creekdecades since. Today, the ranch is pri- what is needed to maintain existing in Yavapai County will now bemarily operated by Paul Orme, his wiferanching operations.preserved for sustainable agriculturaland his three grown children, alongI truly believe that agricultural food uses, preventing development whilewith his nephew. production is critical to this country ensuring the protection of water andOf course we always really lovedand with Arizona having such small land resources. the land and we never saw this as aamounts of private lands, I just think Thats all thanks to a new conserva- short-term profit-making endeavor,that its really critical that we keep tion easement on the Orme Ranch. Orme said. So we always had in- as much of this land in agricultural It was a way to protect the landcentives to treat the land as best weproduction as we can, Orme said. The we love, but at the same time have acould. ranchs location, which sits about 75 productive agricultural enterprise onUnder the conservation easement,miles north of Phoenix, would tradi-it, ranch owner Paul Orme said. the almost 26,000-acre Orme Ranchtionally make it appealing for future The Orme family originally boughtwill continue operating with thedevelopment, especially in light of the the land in 1929 and began cattleprotected lands restricted from evergrowing population across northern Arizona.46'