LOYALTON – Attilio Genasci, a Sierra Valley rancher who launched a local movement to protect the agricultural area from development, died Jan. 29 at his lifelong home near Loyalton. He was 98.
As development from Lake Tahoe and Reno began encroaching on the 130,000-acre valley, Mr. Genasci explored ways to protect his ranch.
Mr. Genasci was one of the first ranchers in Sierra Valley to campaign for conservation easements, inviting his neighbors to meet around his kitchen table where he explained the benefits to the ranching industry and to them as landowners.
"No one was better at articulating the values of the region and the value of a life that is lived close to the land," said his son Jim Genasci.
He was driven by a commitment to Angie, his wife of 51 years who preceded him in death.
"I can see her standing at the window saying, 'This is my church, my cathedral.' Look at the valley. Isn't it worth saving?" he said in an 2004 interview.
In 2004, on his 95th birthday, Mr. Genasci signed a conservation easement that restricts development and preserves his family ranch for agriculture. Soon other ranchers followed.
"Attilio was a bridge between the ranching culture of the 19th century and a land health ethic of the 21st century, reminding all of us that land has always been a part of the heart and soul of our country," said Steve Frisch, president of the Sierra Business Council.
Mr. Genasci was born the day his parents bought the 500-acre ranch where he spent his life raising cattle, dryland alfalfa and rye. He attended elementary and secondary schools in Loyalton, and he graduated in 1931 from the University of Nevada, Reno, where he was a charter member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
Returning to the family ranch in Sierra Valley, Mr. Genasci served on the Lassen Production and Credit Association board of directors and the Sierra Valley Water Co.
Mr. Genasci's efforts to protect Sierra Valley earned him a lifetime achievement award from the Sierra Business Council.
He valued his ranch and family far more than money, said Jim Genasci. "As Attilio himself said, 'Money comes and goes. But love? You can't buy it, and you can't sell it. The banks could go broke tomorrow, and I wouldn't lose a penny. But I'm happy. I've had a wonderful life.' "
