Spring 2006 Vistas Newsletter, Solano Land Trust

8/3/2019 Spring 2006 Vistas Newsletter, Solano Land Trust

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Rush Ranch Vista, Photo: Craig Hagstrom

President’s Messa

Executive Directo

Perspective

Patwin Programat Rush Ranch

Volunteer ProleDon Taynton

Access Adventurewith Mike Muir

Calhoun CutEcological Reserv

Thank You SLTSupporters!

Activities and Ev

l. 13 #1

Spring 2006

Continued on page 2

Donor Offers $450,000 ChallengeBenefts Rush Ranch

Marilyn Farley, Executive Director

An anonymous donor has gifted $250,000 to Solano Land Trust and pledged up to

$200,000 more if SLT can raise $450,000 from other supporters before October 1, 2006.

“We are privileged to have a donor with such an incredible commitment to helping useach our goals for Rush Ranch,” said SLT President Bob Berman.

This git kicks o an ambitious campaign

pproved by the board o directors at their

anuary 2006 meeting, a plan that calls or

aising a $2-million endowment und or Rush

Ranch in the next year.

A portion o the donation will pay or on-going

management o the ranch’s abundant natural

esources. The balance will guarantee a revenue

stream to cover ongoing maintenance o the new

classroom and nature center, caretaker residence

and acilities or visiting National Estuarine

Research Reserve scientists.

The donor’s commitment is based on his love

o Rush Ranch and desire to help SLT preserve,

protect and enhance the marsh environment. As

he points out, Rush Ranch is home to rare and



President’s MessageBob Berman, President

In January, Solano

Land Trust welcomed a

new executive committee.

Sean Quinn, our presi-

dent since Oct. 2002, has

stepped down. Sean served

as board president during

some dicult nancial

times and deserves special

recognition or spending

countless hours to put

SLT in its strongest nancial position ever. Sean also

guided SLT through the transition to our current ex-

ecutive director, Marilyn Farley. We can’t thank Sean

enough! He remains on the board as immediate past

president.

I am SLT’s new board president, and have served

on the board since SLT’s inception in 1986 as the

Solano County Farmlands and Open Space Foundation.

I am a 33-year resident o Solano County and have

spent much o that time active in land use issues.

Frank Morris continues to serve as treasurer and

Jane Hicks as secretary. Ian Anderson, who has

served on the board since 1999 and is a ourth

generation Montezuma Hills armer, is now vice

president. He is also active on our Ag Conservation

Easement Committee.

Other board changes include the resignation o

Karin MacMillan, whose term as City o Faireld

mayor ended in December. Attorney Carl Debevec also

resigned. Carl, who served on the board since 2004,

was instrumental in starting up SLT’s investment com-

mittee, and has resigned to pursue other community

interests in the city o Vacaville. Thanks to Karin and

Carl or their eorts on behal o the Land Trust. The

new City o Faireld representative is Jack Batson,

a Faireld city council member since 1999. He is a

retired teacher with a strong interest in preserving

agriculture in Solano County.

April 20, 2006 will mark the 20th-anniversary o

the ormation o the Solano Land Trust. We have made

exciting progress in the past 20 years in our eort to

preserve armlands and open space throughout Solano

County. On behal o the board o directors I want to

thank all o you who have helped us in ullling our

mission o land preservation.

endangered plant and animal species and is one o only a ew major mar

remaining in Caliornia.

“Many local residents aren’t aware o what a treasure we have rig

our doorstep,” says the anonymous donor.

The timing o this git will greatly strengthen SLT’s $500,000 g

request to the State Coastal Conservancy (SCC) to complete constructionew acilities at Rush Ranch, according to Ann Buell, SCC’s project man

Buell told SLT that an endowment or other dependable revenue stream

care or the new acility will assure SCC that an investment made with pu

unds will be maintained over time.

Rush Ranch was the rst property acquired by SLT ater its oundin

1986. Area armer and businessman Bob Dittmer, whose son Je now

on the SLT board, sold the ranch to SLT in 1988. At that time, no money

available to establish an endowment or on-going stewardship o the la

In past years, stewardship has been accomplished largely by volunte

particularly the members o the Rush Ranch Educational Council, SLT’s LSteward Ken Poerner and Field Steward Terry Chappell, as well as through

o grants received or specic projects. The SLT board is now ocusing on

need or unds to provide or improvements and on-going maintenance

Immediate past President Sean Quinn notes, “This donor has a gen

love o our Rush Ranch property and has absolutely no desire to be in

limelight. He has been more than cooperative in helping us launch

campaign to endow Rush Ranch. We hope this challenge will inspire m

donors to make a substantial contribution.”

Help Match $450,000 Gift!Supporters o Solano Land Trust are asked to make a

generous donation to our endowment und or Rush Ranch

By donating now, you can help ensure that SLT receives th

ull $450,000 promised by our anonymous donor.

Naming rights or the new education center at Rush Ranch

are available to a contributor who makes a signicant

contribution.

Please use the enclosed envelope or contact Executive

Director Marilyn Farley at (707) 432-0150 ext. 201 or mo

inormation.

Donor’s ChallengeContinued rom page 1




Raising money is a large part o the battle or any nonprot. But once

the check is written, wise scal management o the unds becomes very

important. Based on the recommendation o SLT’s Investment Committee,

we began to search or proessional investment management services at alow cost, and ater many months o research, selected Commonund as our

investment manager.

The Center or Natural Lands Management,

nonproit in San Diego County managing

ver 48,000-acres o conservation lands,

ecommended Commonund based on their

ositive experience.

Originally ocused on addressing poor

ndowment returns o higher education

nstitutions, Commonund was establishedy the Ford Foundation in 1971, and is now

edicated to helping non-prots achieve sound

erormance or their endowment unds.

SLT invests endowment money related to

managing our conservation easements, mitigation

rojects, and stewardship o land. Under current

oard policy, a portion o our earnings are drawn

own to cover the cost o monitoring easements

nd mitigation projects and to carry out habitat

nd other improvement projects on lands we

own. The remainder is reinvested to oset

infation and grow our unds.

Sound inancial management will help

ensure our ability to be good long-term stewards

o the land. This move goes hand in hand with

the board’s decision to engage the services o

a consultant, Rob Kusel o Essex and Drake, a

rm specializing in helping non-prots withund-raising.

I personally am committed to helping lead

SLT’s eorts to meet our undraising goals.

I expect to work with a leadership team,

consisting o board members and others, to

seek major contributions to our endowment

und or Rush Ranch. We’re looking orward

to having the money to carry out annual work

plans and to have a caretaker or ranch manager

on-site in 2007.

Executive Director’s Perspective

Grants Fund Stock Fence and Signsseveral hundred sheep to trample the weeds and

thatch that have built up over the years. Then we

will start a controlled grazing regime,” said Ken

Poerner, SLT’s land steward.

SCWA’s unding, designated or mitigating or

threatened and endangered species due to impacts

at Lake Berryessa, comes rom the U. S. Bureau o

Reclamation.

For the Rush Ranch property, the San

Francisco Estuary Project has awarded SLT $8,000

to design, build and install ve interpretive trail

signs. This work will be done cooperatively with

the Rush Ranch Educational Council and the

San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research

Reserve. The signs will help educate the public

about the natural resources and current estuary

research at Rush Ranch.

Thanks to Solano County Water Agency’s (SCWA)

28,000 award, SLT will build a new stock ence

o permit managed grazing in the 20-acre Docent

Triangle Pasture at Jepson Prairie.

Grazing has not occurred in this area — the

ite o Olcott Lake, Jepson’s largest vernal pool

— since the 1980s due to concerns that grazing

would be detrimental to endangered species.

However, recent studies by Jaymee Marty o The

Nature Conservancy have shown that there is

n increase in diversity and abundance o native

pecies with controlled grazing.

The ence will be built later this summer.

esides several large gates to move the animals in

nd out, two sel-closing hiker gates will be installed

o provide access to the sel-guided nature trail.

“We hope to ‘mob’ the pasture this all with

Wanted

A high-quality,

heavy-duty brush

chipper or property

maintenance.

A good quality used

or new 4-wheel

drive

A heavy-duty ride-

on lawn mower

Call Ken Poerner at

(707) 580-6277.

•

•

•



Local Kids Grind Acorns,Learn about Patwins o Yulyul

Aleta George, E

I Travis Air Force Base could harness the vigor o

third-grade kids exploding out o their vehicles

and onto the Rush Ranch property or a eld trip,

they’d have no need or any other uels. Free rom

the classroom’s our walls, the kids leap and bound

into the day.

Throughout the school year, local children

arrive at Rush Ranch or the Patwin Program, an

outdoor, hal-day lesson that teaches about the

Native Americans who once lived on the Rush

Ranch property. Started in 1994, the program has

since grown to serve about 1,500 kids and 350

accompanying adults each year.

Lu King, a Cambridge Elementary teacher, has

been bringing her classes to Rush Ranch or eight

years because the program ties into State-required

third-grade curriculum. For months beore the eld

trip, she teaches the children about the Patwins

and the marsh.

“The eld trip is the culmination o our studies,

where the students experience rsthand the sights,

sounds and smells o the marsh,” said Lu.

The program starts on the wooden deck o the

Kit House—a Sears and Roebuck catalogue house

erected in 1932 now serving as the ranch’s small

museum. With the children sitting on a tarp, the

docents teach them a ew basics about the Patwins,

the southernmost tribe o the Wintun language

group. According to anthropologist Alred L.

Kroeber, a small tribe o Suisunis — a subtribe o

the Patwins — lived on the Rush Ranch property

in a village called Yulyul.

Docents then lead the kids down the marsh

Throwing spears in thePatwin Village

Photo: Dotty Schenk

trail towards the recreated Patwin village loc

on the western edge o the property adja

to the Suisun Marsh. The kids learn that

Suisunis hunted with spears and arrows or

elk and bear; scooped sh out o the water

stunning them with the bulbous root o the

plant; netted ducks ater attracting them

tule decoys; traded or acorns in the Rock

hills; decorated baskets with shells, porcu

twills, and eathers; and, kept their babie

cradle boards to keep them rom harm. The

grind their own acorn four, make shell neckl

with a wooden hand drill, and shoot cattail sp

through tule hoops.

At times the children listen attentively

they are also oten distracted by C-5s fying

overhead, ladybugs in the grass, and birds ca

rom the marsh.

“It’s better to see the nature than to go to

mall and the movies because you learn stu

looking at plants. Thinking about nature is

important,” said Annais Mardirous, an eight-y

old rom Amy Blanc Elementary, who attended

program in February.

The Patwin Program is so popular that R

needs to turn away 10-12 schools each year. In

near uture, RREC hopes to oer the program

days a week so that they can accommodate al

schools interested in participating. They say it

be done with hal-a-dozen more volunteer doce

I interested in resh air and helping Solano Co

teachers and kids, join the RREC docents by ca

Don Taynton at (707) 425-3706.



Volunteer Highlight:Don Tayton Leads Rush Ranch Docents

Aleta George, Editor

Don Taynton signed up to become a docent or the Patwin Native American

Program ater retiring in 1994. “I like working with children. Third graders

are interested and sincere in accepting what we teach them. They get

hands-on experience with Indian culture that they can’t get out o atextbook,” he says.

AttentionInterestedDocents!

A docent orientation

and inormation meeti

will take place at the

Solano Land Trust oc

on April 5, 2006 at 7:3

p.m. Call Don Taynton

(707) 425-3706 or mo

inormation.

Drive Away With MikeSue Wickham, Resource Management Plan Coordinator

Mike Muir at the reinsPhoto: SLT

He taught the “plants

or ood and medicine”

station until becoming

docent coordinator

in 2000, a volunteer

position. Don is also

the ranch’s resident

historian. “History is

verywhere you look at Rush Ranch,” he says.y contacting Rush amily descendents, and

pending hours at the Solano County Recorders

Oce and local libraries, Don has contributed

signicant amount o knowledge about the

anch’s history. In 2003 he updated the Rush

Ranch Handbook (originally published in 1997)

y adding his historical ndings and increasing

he plant list rom 167 to 234. Each spring he

conducts wildfower walks on the property (see

activities on the back page).

Don and the other RREC board members

want to increase their docent roster. With six

more docents they could oer the program twice

a week and not have to turn schools away. “We

have a strong, ongoing program, but we need more

docents,” he says. “We have un and enjoy each

other’s company.”Docent Mary Ann Rich, a retired teacher rom

Cleo Gordon Elementary, loves coming to Rush

Ranch on Tuesday mornings. She was at irst

nervous to come out because she thought there

would be a lot to learn. “I was relieved to nd out

that I only needed to learn one teaching station,”

said Rich, who now helps Don with coordinating

the docents.

While visiting Rush Ranch rom April to October

you may see large drat horses pulling a special

arriage on open grassland trails. The brainchild o

Michael Muir, Access Adventure is a local volunteer

roup that provides outdoor access or people with

mobility restrictions on the properties o Solano

and Trust and Muir Heritage Land Trust in Contra

Costa County. The rides are or people with all orms

mobility restrictions, including wheelchairs.

An avid horseman, horse breeder and open

pace advocate (like his amous great grandather

ohn Muir), Dixon-born Michael Muir likes Rush

Ranch because o its past. With harness hooks still

anging on barn walls, a sense o horse history

bounds. Since Muir began Access Adventure

ides at Rush Ranch in July 2005, they have been

xtremely popular. Last autumn one o the outings

had over 45 people sign

up.

Michael says that

a disability does not

need to restrict one’s

world. Having lived

with multiple sclerosis

since age 15, he lives

by the motto: “I we

will not be limited by

the challenges we ace,

we are ree to challenge our limits.” In 2001 he

and an international group o horsemen with

disabilities drove wheelchair accessible, horse

drawn carriages three-thousand-miles rom

Caliornia to Washington, DC.

Where others hike a trail, Michael drives

on Taynton at Rush Ranchhoto: Dotty Schenk

Continued on page 6



Bringing Back Lindsey Slough: SLT Develops Restoration Plan for

Calhoun Cut Ecological ReserveBen Wallace, Conservation Project Ma

Two six-oot long submarine sandwi

were barely enough or the 35 pe

who gathered in February to learn abo

restoration project being designed or

Calhoun Cut Ecological Reserve. In 2

SLT developed a conservation plan or

Jepson Prairie-Prospect Island corridor

raised unds to restore the historic cha

o Lindsey Slough on the Calhoun

Ecological Reserve. The Caliornia Bay D

Authority Ecosystem Restoration Prog

has provided unding or both project

Calhoun Cut was built in 1913 as o an urban development scheme. To

the historic channel o Lindsey Sloug

still largely intact, as it curves and w

outside o the arrow-straight, levee-bound channel o Calhoun Cut. In the Sacramento-San Joa

Delta, where water diversions, levees, and intensiying land use have dramatically reduced the ra

o natural marshlands, Lindsey Slough presents a rare opportunity to restore a natural waterway

SLT has brought together a scientic team, including Philip Williams & Associates and EDAW

environmental planning and design rm, to design a project that reconnects the reshwater tidal m

riparian community without adversely aecting the surrounding land. The project site is next to S

Jepson Prairie Preserve on land owned by the Caliornia Department o Fish and Game.“We are working hard to involve our neighbors early on,” says Ben Wallace, SLT’s conserva

project manager. The outreach eort appears to be paying o: more than a third o the people

came to the meeting were neighboring landowners and local agricultural producers.

The Solano Irrigation District hosted the Feb. 21 meeting at their Vacaville oce, and the So

Resource Conservation District helped organize the event. The project team is also working clo

with the Solano County Water Agency to make sure the project protects the water quality at the ne

pumps that provide municipal drinking water or many communities in the Bay Area.

Calhoun Cut slicesthrough the historic Lindsey Slough channel.Photo: Solano Land Trust

wagon train style over mountain passes, ranches,

and plains. This year he and ellow volunteers at

Access Adventure are planning our wilderness

trips through the Los Padres National Forest, Fort

Hunter Liggett, Fandango Pass and the Lost Coast

above Mendocino.

Access Adventure will be showcasing two new

carriages at the Rush Ranch Open House on April

29, 2006. The larger carriage holds 12 passengers

Drive Away With MikeContinued rom page 5

or ve wheelchairs or a combination o both,

the smaller wagon holds two wheel chairs.

Rides at Rush Ranch are ree, and groups

welcome to schedule special trips. Donat

or this program can be sent to the Solano

Trust and will be used or insurance and ve

acquisition and repair. To sign up or an Ac

Adventure trip contact Michael at (707) 426-3

or [email protected].



Donors

Roland AdickesJerrold & Marilyn AllaireAnheuser-Busch, Inc.

Ian & Margaret AndersonJohn & Ursula AndersonHolly & Doremus Athon–GordonRobert & Joy AugustoSharon BakerBalance Hydrologics, Inc.Page BaldwinJoe & Mary Ball Marilyn BardetJack & Leslie BatsonMagnus BennedsenBob & Carol BermanElizabeth BerteauxRaymond BlasKathy BlumeCarolynn BoehmlerJane BognerChip Bouril Gene & Debra BoyceEugene & Ann Breznock

John BriscoeBeth BrittenbachNancy BruceMoira BurkeJill ButlerRosalie CapeTom CasselberryDavid & Joanne CastroAlberta ChewHal & Kathleen Childs-WotheDiji ChristianRichard & Cathy ChristoPaul & Michele Clark-SimmonsR. G. ClayRichard & Molly CohenDoug ComeauDiane CookLarry & Pat CoonsJerey CorbinJ. Ann Cousineau

William & Marjory CraigNatalie CrewJe & Jean CrossleyArley DannD. T. DeDomenicoJames & Laura DekloeDee De RangoRobert DickoverRobert DittmerWilliam & Jean DolterSarah DonovanRoberta DuboisE. DyerBob & Margaret EldredRodger EngebrethsonenXcoMarsha EwigMartin FalarskiMarilyn Farley & Duane KrommMark FeighnerHarvey FeltStacey FletcherLouise FongJohn FosterEdward FryTim & Theresa Gabel-ZumwaltCraig & Sandra GainzaTroy GarotSteven GiacomiHarriett GoodmanGlen & Sheila GrantGreen Valley Landowners AssociationKitty GrinNancy GronertRobert & Margaret GrowDavid GrumioPaul & Mary GrunlandPolly GusaThomas & Joan Hale

Burrows Hamilton

Memorial Gifts

and Bequests

We hope you will

consider Solano Lan

Trust in your estate

planning. Memorial

gits and bequests

are placed in our

endowment und so

that these gits can

permanently support

conservation in

Solano County. We

welcome inquires

about bequests at

(707) 432-0150 × 20

Thanks to All Our Recent Contributers

We want to thank all those who have recently contributed to help us preserve, manage, and educate the

public about agricultural lands, wetlands, and open space in Solano County.

Neil & Elaine HamiltonRichard & Stacy HamiltonA.J. & R.A. Hance

Stephen & Rowena HarrisMichael HayesBarry & Ellen HechtJane HicksDaniel & Valerie HicksDean & Nancy Hiestand-Vogel Henry & Mary HighamKathy HomanJoy HomanKathy HudsonNancy HustonPatricia Jordan-GrinsladeMartin & Joann JoyeJoyce KaumeyerPeter KeatJames & Christine KernCharlotte Kimball Ernest & Melinda KimmeFay KingMichelle Kitts

Doris KleinJames & Elizabeth KnightTheodore KoldaMary KoskiMargaret & Larry Kristo-SeamerCarol La RussaRoger LambertHarry & Phyllis LauritzenDouglas & Laverne LeachJim & Kitt LeeRobin LeongPaul LesterJ. B. Leventhal Irma LibertyLindexJames LitsingerPaul & Gretchen LogueClyde LowTimothy MalteBillie Mangold

Robert & Barbara MarinPeter & Judith MarlerMichael MartinKatherine MawdsleyRichard McCann & Ellen MorattiHelen McCarthyDr. Roger MendelsonRobert Mitchell & Betty PhillipsRobert & Patrice MoranFrank MorrisGaylene MortonPamela MuickJoe MurrayRoger & Kirsti MuskatSally NegroniMoira NicholsAnthony & Deborah NorrisMary Ann NortierDaniel & Sannie OsbornBill & Janice Ostrander-JohnsonJoel PerlsteinRoy PhillipsJohn PianettiJune PistorAlan & Alice PlutchokRobin PlutchokHarry PollackSean & Jan QuinnKessie & Cokie ReddyWilliam ReichertWilliam Robbins IIINorman & Ann RootBonnie RossEmily Grace RuedElna June SchonholtzJoann & Judy SchwartzHoward Shaer & Louise WhitakerSherry SheehanRaymond SimondsCraig & Lee Snider

Michael StoverPeter StraubArthur Swenerton

Swinterton FoundationJohn & Mary TakeuchiRichard & Tracy Taylor-GrubbsRussell & Kathy Turnbull-CraigFrank & Edith Valle-RiestraJed Van WagnerElizabeth VarnhagenLinda VestJames WakeeldDavid & Jacklyn WarnerBryant & Carol WashburneJoe WatsonWesteld Shopping Town - SolanoLouise WhitakerChris WhiteDonald & Dorothy WhittakerPatricia WigginsJames WileySteven Will Lois Wolk

Richard & Mary Wood-BourguignonMurray & Julie Wool Ed & Judy WylieElwood & Elsa YoumanMichael Ziess

Volunteers

C.J. AddingtonMehrdad AmirDan AndersonLars AndersonArmijo Key ClubLiz AyresPhil BabinTim BaileyTim BaskervilleLisa Bell Tim BigleyKathy BlumeRandy BullardMarime BurtonMike CasaglioJoanne CastroAdam CauseyJay ChamberlinRobert ChaplaTerry & Carol Chappell Carole ConwaySusan Cotterel Nancy CoulsonMickey CrawleySarah DaviesMike & Pat EliotMal EvettMart FalarskiCharles FordJoe FosterChris Friel Dave & Aleta George

Rusty GrayRuss GrindleMona Young-GrindleMeg GrowChristine GruhnDoug HamptonPhil HarrisPaul HartScott HewettJane HicksRussell HuddlestonBing HueySpencer JohnsonGreg KareoelasEsther KersterNancie LagomarsinoSascha LinCli LindgrenJim LitsingerJennier Lorenzo

Marilyn Manredi

Rebecca MannionMort MarshJe Maurer

Kate MawdsleySam McGeeMary McGuireGerry MenutJoel MooneyPat MoranMarsha MorrisMichael MuirAndrea MummertEric MutherMoira NeutermanGrant OrnbaunJames OsbornPratt FamilyAnn ParkinsonNeida PetersonDave ReeseMary Ann RichRod RiesJeannette Robertson

Chrystal & Avalon RodriguezBonnie RossLeslie RussoHarry Sandoval Dotty SchenkMary SchiedtBryana SchroderTom SeitzVirgil & Pat SellersLisa SeraniMike SetoMary ShawSherry SheehanDan SilviaNevis SiraSteve SitumRich SperoniSteve SpitlerJim SteinertMichelle Stevens

Earl SwenertonJohn & Mary TakeuchiDon TayntonRobbin ThorpMika and Dan TolsonBart VaioTony VasquezGenevieve WaldenJim WalshDave WarnerTim WellmanDave WhiskersonRollye WhiskersonChris WhiteEd WhittenburgRon WilliamsCarol WithamGary WyattBrian YumaeDarrell ZaballosCelia Zavatsky

Funders

Bay Area Ridge Trail Council City o BeniciaCity o FaireldCoastal ConservancyGreater Vallejo Recreation DistrictGordon and Betty Moore FoundationThe Nature ConservancySan Francisco Bay National Estuarine

Research Reserve in partnershipwith the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration

San Francisco Estuary ProjectSolano CountyTri-City and County

Coordinating Committee.Wildlie Conservation Board



Preserving Farmlands and OPen sPace thrOughOut sOlanO cOunty

Solano Land Trust

1001 Texas Street, Suite C

Faireld, CA 94533(707) 432-0150

Non–Pro

Organiza

US Posta

PaidFairfel

CA 945

Permit # 0

Jepson Prairie Preserve

Rush Ranch Open SpaceOpen to the public Tue. to Sat. rom 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Suisun Hill Trail (across the road rom Rush Ranch) is

open seven days a week, dawn to dusk. For additional

inormation visit www.rushranch.org.

Spring Wildfower Walk Apr. . 9 a.m. – Free

Take a beautiul spring walk through open grasslands and

along the marsh’s edge while learning about many o the

region’s wildfowers rom docent Don Taynton.

BOard memBers

Bob Berman, President

Ian Anderson, Vice President

Jane Hicks, Secretary

Frank Morris, Treasurer

Sean Quinn, Immediate Past

Pres.Frank J. Andrews, Jr.

Jack Batson

Jeff Dittmer

John Isaacson

Russell Lester

staFF


Terry Chappell, Field Steward

Rob Goldstein, Mitigation Coordinator

Wendy Low, Land Transaction Specialist

Kirsti Muskat, Bookkeeper

Tina Nixon, Finance Ofcer

Ken Poerner, Land Steward

Ben Wallace, ConservationProject Manager

Sue Wickham, ResourceManagement PlanCoordinator

Aleta George,

Editor, SLT Vistas

Access Adventures: Challenging the Limits o DisabMichael Muir leads a recreational horse-drawn carriage

program or people with disabilities. For more inormat

go to www.access-adventure.org, or contact Mike at

[email protected] or (707) 426-3990.

Volunteer WorkdaysFirst Saturday of the month:

Apr. 1, May , June 3. 9 a.m. – Free

Call Ken at (707) 580-6277.

Blacksmith Shop DemonstrationsThird Saturday of the month:

Apr. 15, May 20, Jun. 17. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Free

Night Photography Workshop July - $100

Learn how to photograph the ranch under a ull moon

with proessional photographer Tim Baskerville. To regi

contact Tim at [email protected] or call

(707) 645-9860.

Lynch Canyon Open SpaceCurrently Lynch Canyon is open to the public during

sta- or docent-led activities only.

Volunteer Trail Care DaysSecond Saturday of the month:

Apr. , May 13, Jun. 10. 9 a.m. – Free

Call Ken at (707) 580-6277.

Scenic HikesFourth Saturday of the month:

Mar. 5, Apr. , Jun. 10. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Free

Call Ken at (707) 580-6277

King and Swett Ranches

The newly acquired King and Swett Ranches are part o Sky Valley-Cordelia Hills Open Space and are currently o

to the public during sta- or docent-led activities only

Scenic HikesSaturdays, Apr. , May , Jun. 3. 9 a.m. – Free

Meet at the Park-and-Ride lot at the Hiddenbrooke Parkw

American Canyon Road exit at I-80. Co-sponsored with t

Bay Area Ridge Trail Council. Kathy Blume is April hike le

Jim Walsh is May-June hike leader.

Jepson Prairie’s Peak Wildfower Season!

Docent-led ToursSaturdays & Sundays, Mar. thru May 14. 10 a.m. - Free

Join docents on easy walks around fower ringed vernal

pools and ogle rare airy shrimp and tiger salamanders.

A $1 donation per person is requested. Located on Cook

Lane, 11 miles south o Dixon o Highway 113. Groups

larger than ve should contact (707) 432-0150, x-202.

Visit www.solanolandtrust.org

16th Annual Rush Ranch Open House

Apr. 9. 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. - Free

Learn about the ranch’s natural and cultural history while

enjoying horse-drawn wagon rides, live music and square

dancing, blacksmithing, alconry, working sheepdog

demonstrations, and an art sale and poetry reading. Call

(707) 422-4491 or visit www.rushranch.org or details

Marsh Discovery Walk May 1. 10 a.m. - Free

Discover the amazing wetlands o Rush Ranch with San

Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve’s

educational coordinator, Sarah Davies. Please RSVP to

[email protected].

Documents

Spring 2006 Vistas Newsletter, Solano Land Trust