SOLD | Bear Creek Valley Ranch | Fay Ranches

B E A R C R EEK VALLEY R ANC H La Grande, Union County, Oregon $5,195,000 | 1,441.9± Acres

Bear Creek Valley Ranch | La Grande, Oregon

INTRODUCTION If you are looking for a beautiful ranch in a stunning location, a ranch with solid production, rich soils, essentially “drought-proof” irrigation and stock water resources, and outstanding fishing and hunting opportunities, you need look no further. To make this a “Turnkey Operation,” cattle and equipment are additionally available to a purchaser of this ranch!

Bear Creek Valley Ranch is located in one of the most beautiful valleys in the State, just minutes from the university town of La Grande. With 577± acres of irrigated, sub-irrigated and riparian lands, timbered and open pastures, draws, four creeks, five developed ponds, and 1.25± miles of the Grande Rhonde River flowing through, Bear Creek Valley Ranch not only produces excellent pasture and feed crops but also provides a lush home for the region’s varied species of wildlife!

Go fishing in the Grande Rhone River, which courses through the ranch and is home to steelhead and native Redband rainbow trout, plus provides rich spawning beds for chinook salmon. Want a shot at a trophy bull elk? Just open your game management fencing gates and give them access to your rich alfalfa fields. Likely they will gladly walk in and give you the opportunity, right on your own ranch! Or you can hunt the timbered hillsides of the ranch or the miles of adjacent National Forest. Bear Creek Valley Ranch is within the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Starkey Game Management Unit #52, an area home to thousands of Rocky Mountain elk. Additional area wildlife includes mule deer, whitetail deer, bear, cougar, turkeys, ducks, and geese. Three Landowner Preference (LOP) tags are available to the ranch owner (Buyer to verify with ODFW). Hunt elk and deer, plus fish for wild Redband trout, right on your own ranch!

Not only does Bear Creek Valley Ranch support substantial agricultural production and provides excellent recreational opportunities, but it also offers a significant depreciable asset base. Blessed with substantial underground water resources, two low-lift wells, plus one artesian well, provide irrigation water for the ranch’s productive hay fields.

Look around a little, and you will see that Bear Creek Valley Ranch, with its many amenities, likely beats any other ranch offering in the Western U.S.! Bear Creek Valley Ranch is truly a great place to live, work, and play; a true legacy ranch!

www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com

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LOCATION Bear Creek Valley Ranch, located in Union County, is in Northeastern Oregon, just 14± miles, or about 17 minutes West of the thriving University town and County seat of La Grande (pop. 13,000±). Ringed by the Blue Mountains, La Grande lies at the Grande Rhonde Valley’s Western edge, a rich agricultural valley of the river that bears its name. The Valley is bounded on the East by the scenic Eagle Cap Wilderness Area of the Wallowa Mountains, characterized by high alpine meadows and granite peaks towering to over 9,000 feet in elevation.

La Grande is the social, trade, and cultural center for the County where one can find fine dining, motels, schools, groceries, clothing, cultural events, medical facilities, and all manner of goods and service necessary to support the local businesses and agricultural enterprises. La Grande is home to Eastern Oregon University, OHSU School of Nursing-La Grande Campus, and Blue Mountain Community College Union County.

Interstate 84, which passes through La Grande, connects the City to the West with Pendleton, 52± miles, or about 1 hour, and Portland, Oregon’s largest City, 260± miles, or about 4 hours. To the East, I-84 connects the City to Baker City, 45± miles, or about 45 minutes; Ontario, 116± miles, or about 1 hour 45 minutes and Boise, Idaho’s Capital City, 171± miles, or about 2 hours and 35 minutes. I-84 also provides access, via I-82, to the Tri-Cities area of Washington State, 121± miles, or 2 hours NW of La Grande.

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Bear Creek Valley Ranch | La Grande, Oregon

AREA HISTORY Early French trappers from Canada distinguished this area of Oregon by calling it La Grande, meaning the Great Round. The accurate name describes the meandering Grande Rhonde River and nearby valley, but it is also a valid description of the connection felt with past inhabitants. The constant inhabitants who have lived in the La Grande area can be felt in the unchanged and enduring landscape since the beginning of time.

The La Grande region has been home to ancient creatures that have quietly slept in fossilized beds until modern archaeological searches revealed their presence in the ancient ground. Native tribes that included the Nez Perce, Umatilla, and Walla Walla found respite here from each other, silently agreeing to an informal peace while in the shadows of the Blue Mountains. The area’s alpine lakes and meadows that sheltered big game to hunt and provided ample huckleberries to forage, carved glacial valleys with hot springs to soak weary muscles, and streams bursting with robust fish evoked feelings of abundance and plenitude, arousing generosity in the competing tribes.

The city of La Grande was officially established in 1861 by Oregon Trail travelers. The founders provided services to future adventurers on the Oregon Trail and created a welcoming local pride that still resonates with their posterity. The town’s businesses began to move from the valleys to the surrounding flats where the Oregon Railway built tracks in 1884. Eastern Oregon University was founded as a teacher’s college in 1929 and has expanded to provide a vast amount of educational and cultural opportunities to the entire region. www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com

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GETTING THERE Bear Creek Valley Ranch, accessed from Hwy. 244 is just 3.8± miles, or about 4 minutes from Interstate 84, about 4 hours East of Portland International Airport (PDX), or about 2 ½ hours NW from Boise Airport (BOI). Boutique Airlines offers three nonstop flights daily from Portland, OR to Pendleton, OR, just 1± hours NW of the ranch. For private planes, fly into La Grande-Union County Airport (LGD) and drive to the ranch in about 20 minutes!

AIRPORT INFORMATION The Boise Airport (BOI), Boise, ID, is the closest major airport to the ranch, located about 2 hours and 35 minutes SE from La Grande. The airport is served by Delta, Alaska Air/Horizon Air, United, American, Frontier, Southwest, and Allegiant and offers nonstop flights to 20 destinations with connecting flights to thousands of cities worldwide.

P ortland I nternational A irport (PDX) PDX is located about 4 hours West of La Grande and boasts 16 carriers with flights to multiple nonstop locations.

T ri -C ities A irport (PSC) PSC is located in Pasco, WA, about 2 hours NW of La Grande. The airport is served by Delta, Alaska Air/ Horizon Air, United, and Allegiant with flights to Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Mesa, Arizona.

E astern O regon R egional A irport (PDT) PDT is located in Pendleton, OR, about 1-hour NW of La Grande. Boutique Air offers three nonstop flights to Portland daily.

L a G rande /U nion C ounty A irport (LGD) LGD is for private planes, and is located 4 miles SE of La Grande and is open to the public. According to AirNav.com, at 2,717± feet in elevation, the airport has two runways: 12/30 is 6,261 feet x 100 feet, asphalt surface; 16/34 is 3,399 feet x 60 feet, asphalt surface.

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Bear Creek Valley Ranch | La Grande, Oregon

www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com

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ACREAGE Per the Union County Assessor, Bear Creek Valley Ranch encompasses 1,441.9± deeded acres. In addition to the deeded acreage, there is an adjoining United States Department of Agriculture, United States Forest Grazing Permit of 130± acres, for 90 AUMS (Animal Unit Months) of annual grazing.

Spanning 2.5± miles from NE to SW and 2± miles from East to West, Bear Creek Valley Ranch has the feel of a much larger ranch, particularly given its varying topography. The ranch topography gently falls from timbered ridges, brushy draws, and open grasslands, northwesterly towards the Grande Rhonde River channels, which traverse the ranch from SW to NE, near the ranch’s Northern boundary, for approximately 1.25 miles. 1± miles of the river are on deeded land and include both sides of the river!

Four creeks: Moss Creek, Dog Creek, Bear Creek, and Jordan Creek, flow through the ranch to their ultimate confluence with the Grande Rhonde River. Bear Creek and Jordan Creek flow strongly in the spring through early summer and then become intermittent; nevertheless, supporting populations of wild Redband trout.

The historic ranch home, additional housing, and significant supporting ranch improvements are centrally located to the ranch crop production fields and grazing pastures. For ease of management, 26± miles of fencing divides the ranch into approximately 30 fields and pastures, each with adequate stock water which the Grande Rhonde River provides, the creeks, five developed stock ponds, a warm water spring, and an extensive pipeline/trough system fed from one of the ranch wells. The varied topography interspersed with some timbered areas, timbered and/or brushy draws, and lush meadows provide excellent cover for the ranch livestock, as well as the various wildlife that calls this beautiful ranch home! With 577± acres of irrigated, sub-irrigated, and riparian lands, the ranch acreage classifications are as follows:

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Bear Creek Valley Ranch | La Grande, Oregon

WATER SOURCES | WATER RIGHTS Unlike many other ranches, Bear Creek Valley Ranch is essentially “drought-proof,” not reliant on or subject to a given years’ snowpack, the filling of a district reservoir, or a curtailment of stream irrigation. One artesian and two low-lift wells provide irrigation water for the ranch hayfields; 207± acres producing alfalfa, alfalfa/grass mixed, and timothy hay.

Truly blessed with significant water resources, both subterranean and surface, the ranch has four creeks that flow through it toward the Grande Rhonde River, which transverses the ranch’s Northern portion. Bear Creek, Jordan Creek, and the Grande Rhone River all provide excellent opportunities to fish for wild Redband trout. Five developed ponds and an extensive well/pipeline/ trough system provide wildlife habitat and livestock watering opportunities.

Under Oregon law, all water is publicly owned. With some exceptions, cities, farmers, factory owners, and other users must obtain a permit or water right from the Water Resources Department to use water from any source, whether underground or from lakes or streams. Landowners with water flowing past, thru, or under their property do not automatically have the right to use that water without the Department’s Permit. The State of Oregon administers Oregon’s waters under a “prior-appropriation” doctrine; first in time, first in the right.

Bear Creek Valley Ranch has a current State of Oregon Permit to Appropriate the Public Waters, Permit G-17277 for irrigating up to 290.8± acres from 3 wells. Though not used or needed, the Permit does allow for up to 3 acre-feet per acre for a total annual use of 872.4 acre-feet! The current deadline to complete construction and apply water to beneficial use under Permit G-17277 is October 1, 2022. As such, there remains an opportunity for a new owner to expand the acreage being irrigated under the Permit, provided this is completed within Oregon Statutory requirements and in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Water Resources. www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com

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Bear Creek Valley Ranch | La Grande, Oregon

IMPROVEMENTS Bear Creek Valley Ranch has a significant depreciable asset base for those seeking tax sheltering opportunities, consisting of multiple building improvements, extensive corral, and livestock handling facilities, a complete irrigation system, miles of fencing, and extensive conservation projects. Add to this real property and fixture assets your livestock, machinery, and rolling stock inventory, and the depreciable opportunities are considerable.

The 2,400± square foot craftsman-style historic ranch home is advantageously situated to the farmstead working facilities. It affords a beautiful view of the meadows and cropland along the Grande Rhonde River to the North and the timbered Blue Mountains to the East and West. The 2,400± square foot, 1.5 story craftsman ranch home, built-in 1918, was completely remodeled in 2008/2009, literally from the studs out, including all new wiring and plumbing! The home features a master suite and guest suite on the 2nd floor, each with their own bathrooms. The main floor includes a modern kitchen with breakfast counter, dining area, a living area featuring a wood-burning fireplace with insert, laundry room, back porch, plus an additional guest bathroom. Quality tiled and wood floors, plus granite countertops, give the home a rich, luxurious feel. A high-efficiency propane furnace and central A/C keep the home comfortable. An unfinished basement of an additional 960± square feet provides for mechanical and other storage. www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com

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O ther I mprovements • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 10

Manager’s house: 2-bedroom, 1 bath, kitchen, dining room, living room; 1,445± SF Loft Barn: built in 1918, the centerpiece of the farmstead; 6,464± SF Shop with additional living space: 2,200± SF, 220 wiring, walk-in cooler Bunk House: 1 bath, kitchenette, propane fireplace, baseboard heat; 500± SF Utility Building: 1,500± SF living space, laundry, kitchen area, bathroom, bunk room Saddle barn Newer horse barn: featuring pipe stalls, power for heated watering, fluorescent lighting, frost-free watering hydrants; 56’ x 120’ 160’ x 240’± outdoor riding arena Three hay sheds capable of storing 900± to 1,000± tons of hay Covered livestock working facilities with easy handling chute system, hydraulic Powder River chute, calf scale; sorting pens all new in 2015 Covered and open livestock pens; rock-filled base Pump house with 2 pressure tanks One domestic artesian well serves the headquarters needs plus supplies livestock water to a pipeline system serving 8 stock tanks Miscellaneous storage and livestock shelter structures Bear Creek Valley Ranch | La Grande, Oregon

www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com

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Bear Creek Valley Ranch | La Grande, Oregon

www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com

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AGRICULTURE Rarely does one find a ranch that has so much going for it in natural beauty, abundant wildlife, and multiple recreational opportunities, yet it is also a very productive agricultural operation. Bear Creek Valley Ranch, under current management, maintains both Registered Angus and Registered Quarter Horse operations. The very capable ranch manager can presently handle operations with only part-time assistance and with the owner participating in the summer months for an average labor requirement of 1.5± people! Bear Creek Valley Ranch currently supports a cattle herd averaging 300± head on a yeararound basis. The present cattle inventory includes approximately 130 pairs, 50 yearling replacement heifers, and 30 yearling bulls, plus herd bulls.

Additionally, the ranch supports approximately 20 Quarter Horses. In addition to pasture adequate to meet the ranch livestock needs, the ranch raises its own alfalfa, alfalfa/grass mixed, and timothy hay requirements, producing 1,000± tons annually, with excess hay being sold. Bear Creek Valley Ranch can be managed under a variety of production options. The ranch would work well as a summer grazing unit, either converting the hayfields to additional irrigated pasture, or marketing hay. Stocking rates can be adjusted accordingly.

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Bear Creek Valley Ranch | La Grande, Oregon

The following highlights the ranch production features: • 4-Center Pivots and wheel lines are used to irrigate the hay fields • 2- shallow lift wells and 1 artesian well provides irrigation water • Irrigation well pumps are powered with diesel generators • Hay storage for 900± to 1,000± tons • 300± Head year-around cattle operation • Excellent and extensive set of working corrals, chute system and sorting pens for livestock handling needs • Pasture is a mix of timbered and open upland meadows and range, plus sub-irrigated and riparian areas • 26± miles of fence creating 30± separate fields enable quality livestock and pasture management • Excellent livestock water distribution with 4 creeks, the Grande Rhonde River, 5 developed ponds, well/pipeline trough system, warm spring • Additional housing for seasonal and full-time ranch help • Timber: a well-managed stand of Ponderosa Pine adds value to the ranch; ever increasing growth • Excellent management in place that would like to continue on-relatively low labor requirements Bear Creek Valley Ranch can be managed under a variety of production options. The ranch would work well as a summer grazing unit, either converting the hayfields to additional irrigated pasture, or marketing hay. Stocking rates can be adjusted accordingly. www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com

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Bear Creek Valley Ranch | La Grande, Oregon

CLIMATE Bear Creek Valley Ranch elevation ranges from 3,000± feet at the Grande Rhonde River to 3,400± feet near the ranch’s southern boundary. The elevation of La Grande is a little lower, at 2,785 feet. Temperatures in the summer, average in the high 80’s with many sunny days and the occasional thunderstorms, help keep the forests green. Winter month temperatures average in the 20’s with approximately 30% of the days being sunny. Precipitation averages 17± inches of rain with 29± inches of snow throughout Grande Rhone Valley, with more falling at the ranch. Considered a high mountain desert area, the region has a mild climate with four distinct seasons. Summer and fall are typically dry with the occasional rainstorm.

Most of the precipitation falls in the form of snow in the winter months, with rain in the late fall and early spring.

Data provided by: http://www.city-data.com/city/La-Grande-Oregon.html

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RECREATION The region’s most appealing characteristic is the peaceful vastness that endures from the time native tribes roamed. Adventure seekers can find uncrowded solace in the surrounding 1.4 million acres of the Umatilla National Forest or 2 million acres of the Wallowa Whitman National Forest, with plenty of opportunities for every outdoor enthusiast. There are more than 715 trails to bike or backpack, campgrounds to rest at, and birds to be seen. The Starkey Game Management #52 area is home to white-tail deer, mule deer, black bear, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, and one of the largest Rocky Mountain elk herds found on any national forest. The Grande Ronde River is famous for the migratory Chinook salmon and steelhead lurking beneath its surface. However, the large Redband rainbow trout are often left out of the conversation. This may be attributed to the local’s desire to keep the secret of the native, colorful fish that fight by taking to the air with athletic spins and dives. The Anthony Lakes Ski Area, just 51± miles, or about 45 minutes from the ranch, has a base elevation of 7,100 feet with 21 downhill skiing runs and over 30 km of Nordic skiing tracks.

H unting & W ildlife The ranch attracts a wide variety of wildlife, with thousands of acres of National Forest at its boundaries.

Oregon’s Blue Mountains are home to large numbers of Rocky Mountain elk. The owner has witnessed over 1,000 head of elk at one time migrating across the ranch! Other game species frequenting the ranch and surrounding areas include mule deer, whitetail deer, bear, cougar, turkeys, ducks, and geese.

Oregon has the second-largest elk herd in the U.S., just behind Colorado. The ranch owner can receive three Landowner Preference Tags (LOP tags). A Buyer should verify LOP tags’ availability with ODFW, as availability can vary with ODFW management decisions.

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Bear Creek Valley Ranch | La Grande, Oregon

O ther A ctivities • Downhill and cross-country skiing at nearby Anthony Lakes Ski Area • Miles of snowmobile terrain • Rafting the Grande Rhonde River • Exploring the Eagle Cap Wilderness; climbing, hiking or horseback riding • Bird watching

F ishing Fishing for wild Redband trout is available right on the ranch, in Bear Creek, Jordan Creek, and the Grande Rhonde River!

The Grande Rhone River also supports steelhead trout and chinook salmon populations. Additionally, Northeast Oregon has multiple fishing opportunities in its many rivers and lakes! Within easy driving distance from the ranch, some of the most notable area fishing for trout and steelhead can be found in the Wallow River, Minam River, Imnaha River, Snake River, Anthony Lakes, etc. Wallowa Lake.

The lower Grande Ronde River is known far and wide for its large Redband trout, steelhead, and bass fishing opportunities, both from a drift boat or raft and by wading from the bank!

www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com

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La Grande, Oregon - Flickr

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS & ACTIVITIES The City of La Grande offers conveniences and opportunities not found in the wilderness. Eastern Oregon University hosts the Eastern Oregon Film Festival, the Crossing the Blues Art Festival, and the Grande Ronde Symphony Orchestra. Another popular activity is watching cowboys compete during the Pendleton Round-Up. The nearby rodeo saw its first competitors in 1910 and is one of the PRCA’s most exciting rodeos while holding to the traditional values and adhering to the “Let ‘er buck!” slogan coined at its induction. More than 50,000 spectators come to watch the grit on the grass arena that lacks sponsor banners every year. Like the Eastern Oregon of old, tradition combines with progress to make a richer experience for those lucky enough to experience it. In the summer, live bands play at the Starbottle Saloon with local craft brews on tap. The Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area is more than 6,000 acres of pre-agricultural developed Oregon and home to bird watching opportunities.

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Bear Creek Valley Ranch | La Grande, Oregon

MINERAL & TIMBER RIGHTS All mineral rights appurtenant to the Seller’s property and owned will convey to the Buyer at closing.

Mineral rights are not guaranteed. It is suggested that the Buyer conduct a mineral search with a title company.

CONSERVATION | STEWARDSHIP Each of us at Fay Ranches has a love of the land and a desire to see it remain as productive agricultural ground as well as quality fish and wildlife habitat. Through promoting the use of thoughtful land stewardship, Fay Ranches has guided owners toward a legacy of conserving wide open spaces, enhancing and creating fisheries and wildlife habitat, and implementing sustainable agricultural operations. Fay Ranches is proud to say that since our company began in 1992, the landscape on which we work has been significantly enhanced by our clients’ conservation ethic and land-use practices. A Conservation Easement currently unencumbers the Bear Creek Valley Ranch. www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com

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QUICK FACTS • 1,441.9± deeded acres; 577± acres irrigated, sub-irrigated and riparian lands, plus adjoining USFS Grazing Permit; Beautiful setting-stunning views in every direction • Essentially “drought-proof” irrigation water supply-Water Right Permit for 290.8± acres from 2 lowlift wells and 1 artesian well; 872.4 Ac. Ft. annual use permitted • Four creeks and the Grande Rhonde River flow through the ranch; 5 developed ponds, plus warm water spring • Significant agricultural production with varied management options • Excellent management in place that would like to continue on-relatively low labor requirements • Significant depreciable asset base: multiple building improvements, extensive livestock facilities, irrigation system, miles of fencing and extensive conservation projects • Excellent set of ranch improvements centrally located-comfortable main home, additional housing, barns, hay storage, shop, cattle facilities, riding arena • Timber: A well-managed stand of predominately Ponderosa Pine adds value to the ranch; ever increasing growth • Excellent hunting opportunities-game species include Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, bear, ducks, geese • Three Landowner Preference (LOP) Tags for deer and elk (Buyer to verify with ODFW) • Joins thousands of acres of National Forest-the Blue Mountain elk herd is huge!

• Fishing for native Redband rainbow trout. The Grande Rhonde River also supports steelhead trout and chinook salmon • Excellent location, just 3.8± miles to I-84 and 14± miles to La Grande, Oregon 22

Bear Creek Valley Ranch | La Grande, Oregon

www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com

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Bear Creek Valley Ranch | La Grande, Oregon

SUMMARY As you approach Bear Creek Valley Ranch and see the historic, red barn set against the backdrop of the timbered Blue Mountains and your gaze shifts to take in the lush, green valley, you will know you are home. You will never tire of this dramatic setting, a picture fitting of a favorite postcard, a special place to create your treasured life memories!

www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com

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PRICE $5,195,000

TERMS Cash, Conventional Financing, 1031 Tax Exchange

CONTACT Please contact Scott Hawes at (541) 419-0770 | shawes@fayranches.com to schedule a showing. This is an exclusive listing. An agent from Fay Ranches must be present at all showings, unless otherwise noted or other arrangements are made. To view other properties, fly fishing properties, and sporting ranches that we have listed, please visit our web page at www.fayranches.com.

NOTICE Offer is subject to errors, omissions, prior sale, change or withdrawal without notice, and approval of purchase by owner. Information regarding land classification, carrying capacities, maps, etc., is intended only as a general guideline and has been provided by the owners and other sources deemed reliable, but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Prospective purchasers are encouraged to research the information to their own satisfaction.

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Bear Creek Valley Ranch | La Grande, Oregon

www.fayranches.com | (800) 238.8616 | info@fayranches.com

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Bear Creek Valley Ranch | La Grande, Oregon

SCOTT HAWES principal broker

Licensed in: OR, ID c. 541-419-0770 shawes@fayranches.com

FAY RANCHES INC. (800) 238.8616 info@fayranches.com www.fayranches.com