Resources Agency:

WHO:          Mike Chrisman, Secretary for Resources
              Bridgett Luther, Director, 
              California Department of Conservation
              Ryan Broddrick, Director, 
              California Department of Fish and Game
              Al Wright, Executive Director, 
              Wildlife Conservation Board
              Richard Thieriot, owner of Llano Seco Rancho

WHEN:         Wednesday, June 28, 2006
              10:30 a.m., tour departs
              12:00 p.m., lunch and remarks

WHERE:        Llano Seco Rancho, in Butte County. A tour of Llano Seco
              Rancho will gather at the Cookhouse at 10 a.m.

BACK-
GROUND:       The state of California has committed $6.5 million in
              funding to protect 4,235 acres on Llano Seco Rancho in
              Butte County. With this easement, the ranch's
              18,434 acres of farmland, ranchland and wildlife habitat
              will be permanently shielded from the area's
              fast-growing development. Of the 4,235 acres protected
              under the easement, approximately 1,870 are in
              agricultural production (walnuts, almonds, garbanzo
              beans, sunflowers and other crops); 1,715 acres are 
              used for cattle grazing; and 736 acres are covered in
              sloughs and riparian vegetation including grasslands,
              cottonwood, and Great Valley oak riparian forests.

VISUALS:      A tour of the Llano Seco Rancho including the cattle
              grazing operation, the agricultural land and the
              wildlife.

CONTACT:      Don Drysdale or Carrie Reinsimar, Department of
              Conservation Public Affairs Office, (916) 323-1886.

From Hwy 80 take the exit for "Winters, Redding #505." From Hwy 505, take Hwy 5 past Williams, Maxwell, and Willows. Approximately five miles past Willows, take the "Bayliss-Road 39" exit. After half a mile, take a left at the "T" and then an immediate right on Rd. 39. After 10 miles, Rd. 39 comes to a "T" at Hwy 45. From Hwy 45 take a right on to Rd. 32. Approximately two miles after the river you will see "Llano Seco Rancho" on an arch over the property's driveway. Driving time is about three hours from San Francisco.