Spring 2009 Sonoma Land Trust Newsletter

8/3/2019 Spring 2009 Sonoma Land Trust Newsletter

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Mothers and daughtersSavg Sma Ma Rah gs prsal

by Shri Card

In the mid-1940s, during the war, then-teenagers Pat Peters Eliot andMickey Smith Cooke worked or Charmian London at the ranch she andher late husband, Jack, had built at the oot o Sonoma Mountain. In theirree time, Pat and Mickey rode their horses all over the ranch and up to the2,463-oot summit on the neighboring Stevenson property to enjoy thepanoramic views encompassing Sonoma Valley, the Santa Rosa plain, MountDiablo, Mount St. Helena, Mount Tamalpais and, on very clear days, thePacifc Ocean and the Sierras.

Pat and Mickey ended up residing on Sonoma Mountain as adults, butwere unable to relive the expansive eeling o standing on that mountaintopand savoring the spectacular views because the property was in private hands(and their trespassing days were ar behind them!). But they had both raisedtheir daughters to love the land as they did and to aim high.

Volume 34, No. 1

Spring 2009 Newsletter

Sa Fras

Fda awards$100,000 bsarly rwals

Deadline is April 30!

State unds rozen or land con-servation programs are aectingmany projects, including our plansto purchase the 5,630-acre JennerHeadlands. The date to close es-crow on this coastal landscape hasbeen pushed back and the delaysare running up the costs. The eco-nomic crisis has also put some oour other acquisition and steward-ship projects on hold.

To help bridge the undinggap and keep our work mov-ing orward, The Evelyn Tilden

Mohrhardt Trust o the San Fran-cisco Foundation has awarded us a$100,000 grant but it must bematched, dollar or dollar, by

April 30. Every dollar we raisebetween now and April 30 willbe matched. Werealizethesearedifcult

ms, b f y hav h apay

rw yr mmbrshp arly,

w s h m! Your git will en-

able us to continue the work andnot let critical lands slip away.Thank you or understanding

the urgency o our request. Pleaseuse the enclosed envelope to send

your special git by April 30 todouble your impact.

T O P R O T E C T T H E L A N D F O R E V E R

(Continued on page 3)

Mickey Cooke (left) and Pat Eliot get a chance to revisit Sonoma Mountain Ranch for the rst

time since they were teens. Photo by Kirsten Lindquist.


2/8

Wh w arBard f Drrs

Mark Jacobsen, chair, Robert Brent,Hall Cushman, Mary Haner,Pete Mattson, Johanna Patri, HarryRichardson, Peter Rogers, Maggie Salenger,Allison Sanord, Tom Simone,David Smith, Kathy Tierney,Denny Van Ness, Carol Williams

SaffExecutive Director: Ralph Benson

AcquiSitionS teAM

Conservation Director: Wendy EliotAcquisitions Director: Amy ChesnutBaylands Program Manager: John BrosnanJenner Headlands Project Manager:

Brook EdwardsProject Assistant: Tenley Wurglitz

SteWARDSHiP teAM

Stewardship Director: Bob NealeEasement Program & GIS Manager:

Georgiana HaleStewardship Project Manager: Tony NelsonStewardship Project Manager: Shanti Wright

DeVeLoPMent & MARKetinG teAM

Development Director: Beverly ScottlandDonor Relations Director: Reta LockertPublic Relations & Marketing Ofcer: Sheri CardoMembership & Development Manager:

Stacey Kauman

FinAnce & ADMiniStRAtion teAM

Finance & Administration Director: Lois Downy

Ofce Manager: Dale CarrollSLt MssThe Sonoma Land Trust protects the scenic,natural, cultural, agricultural and openlandscapes o Sonoma County or the benefto the community and uture generations by:

Developing long-term land protectionstrategies;

Promoting private and public unding orland and conservation;

Acquiring land and conservation easements;

Practicing stewardship, including therestoration o conservation properties; and

Promoting a sense o place and a land ethicthrough activities, education and outreach.

caSheri Cardo, Managing EditorSonoma Land Trust966 Sonoma Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95404(707) 526-6930 Fax (707) [email protected]

2 Spring 2009 Volume 34, No. 1

A note from theExecutive Director

Thenancialcrisisand

h Sma Lad trs

Zggg, zaggg, ryg say mblad, as always, dpdg p h

gdwll ad grsy f r mmbrs

Were okay thanks or asking but our commitment is to protect theland orever , so we will need you to hang in there with us through this verypuzzling year and stay connected.

Land conservation is a slow and cumulative kind o enterprise, and notinexpensive, even in down economies. Opportunities to acquire lands vital tothe kind o uture we envision or Sonoma County may pop onto the marketat any time (e.g., Sonoma Mountain Ranch last all), but our capacity to e-ectively respond to those opportunities is years in the making and gettingto closing can take years o eort (e.g., the Jenner Headlands). When you ownand restore land, there are many things that can be deerred and some thingsthat just have to be done so that the rationale or conserving the land in thefrst place is not lost (e.g., hydrological work at Pitkin Marsh).

Needless to say, we are tightening our belts like everyone else. But we arecounting on our supporters to maintain, i not increase, their level o annualcontributions in 2009.

The Sonoma Land Trust requires two kinds o money capital or landacquisition, and operating unds to support the organization and the steward-ship o the lands we hold.

A large part o what we do (at the Baylands and on Sonoma Mountain andthe North Coast, in particular) is to assemble capital rom multiple sourcesto acquire and protect large landscapes. Generally, the Open Space District

will have some unds available, which we will supplement with state unds byworking with the Caliornia Coastal Conservancy and Caliornia WildlieConservation Board. Where possible, we seek ederal and private philan-thropic unds.

Our 5,630-acre Jenner Headlands deal is in escrow. State agencies have

been planning to contribute $16 million to the acquisition rom Proposition84. Those unds are currently rozen. Our purchase contract runs through thesummer and we are hopeul that Caliornias unding situation will thaw wellbeore then.

Printed on recycled paper using soy-based inks.

(Continued on page 5)


3/8

In September, Mickeys daughter,Kirsten Lindquist, a real estate bro-ker with Sothebys, learned by sheerluck that the Stevenson property wasbeing listed or sale. She immediatelyalerted Pat, who notifed her daugh-ter, Wendy Eliot, SLTs conservationdirector. Well aware o the importanceo this 283-acre property at the topo Sonoma Mountain, Wendy and

Andrea Mackenzie, general managero the Open Space District, explored

what it would take to protect this land.They learned that the seller wanted$9.95 million and insisted on closingescrow by the end o the year, which

is a startlingly short timerame or aconservation purchase.

But that didnt deter them and,ater many long days at the ofce, allthe pieces came together. The SonomaLand Trust secured the contract witha $125,000 deposit rom its LandProtection Fund, and the Open SpaceDistrict and Caliornia Coastal Con-servancy committed to unding theast-tracked acquisition with $8.45 and$1.5 million respectively. On December30, 2008, the purchase became fnal,but only ater, with clihanging drama,the Coastal Conservancys check wasissued one o the last beore thestate unding reeze!

Jack London is known to have

rambled rom his Beauty Ranch overto Sonoma Mountain Ranch to fnd

inspiration or some o his writings atGraham Creek, then known as WildWater Creek. Following in his oot-steps has not been possible or many

years, but that will change as a resulto this acquisition. The Open SpaceDistrict now owns Sonoma MountainRanch and plans to connect the top oSonoma Mountain to the trail systemin Jack London State Historic Park andto the proposed North Slope Trail.

Mountaintops are special and theybelong in the public domain, saidWendy. People can hike to the tops oMt. Tam, Mt. St. Helena, Mt. Diabloand San Bruno Mountain, and, in theuture, theyll be able to hike to the topo Sonoma Mountain, too.

Very special thanks to Kirsten, whodonated $50,000 o her commission tothe Land Trust so that we can move justas quickly on the next prime opportu-nity that comes our way. And to Pat andMickey, or creating a legacy throughtheir daughters that will beneft every-ones children and grandchildren.

Sheri Cardo is the SLT public relations andmarketing ofcer.

Pat (left) and Mickey take in the view of the Sonoma Valley from the top of the ranch. Photo by Kirsten Lindquist.

Looking toward Mt. Tamalpais from Sonoma Mountain Ranch. Photo by Wendy Eliot.

TO PROTECT THE LAND FOREVER 3

Savg Sma Ma Rah (Continued rom page 1)


4/8


In 1887, Charles Lauenburg rode upto a fne piece o land outside o Cali-stoga and liked what he saw: a brandnew barn, a new house, clean water

and good soil. He bought the propertyand moved his amily there. Eventually,his son, Charlie, took over the arm,spending his entire lie there and pass-

ing the care o Lauenburg Ranch onto the Sonoma Land Trust at his deathin 1988. Charlie let behind ledgersflled with handwritten entries detail-ing his arm dealings over the decades crops sold, supplies purchased his old-time lie.

Last year, Ken Orchard, a success-ul organic armer rom Sebastopol,

visited Lauenburg Ranch and likedwhat he saw: a historic barn, cozyranch house, and good water, soil and

weather. So in January, Kens OrchardFarms took over arming at the Ranchand his arm manager, Scott Pinkert,moved into the arm house. Kens newplans have the eel o Charlies old re-cords crops to plant, soil to build, anew arming lie at Lauenburg Ranch.

Some o you may have bumped intoKen or Scott at a local armers market

Farmer Ken Orchard will sell some of the vegetables he raises at Laufenburg Ranch at farmers

markets throughout the North Bay. Photo by Scott Hess.

Wlmg orhard Farms Lafbrg Rahby Bb Na

ScA sds ld

hr msl

In early February, the Land Trustand the Student Conservation

Association (SCA) LeadershipCorps joined together or a stew-ardship weekend at LauenburgRanch. Twenty-seven students andsta showed up bright and earlyon Saturday morning, ready to put

on their hard hats and get to work.For the third year in a row, SCAstudents combed both banks oBidwell Creek, quickly pulling outall the French broom a persistent,invasive weed rom the damp soil.Removing the weeds provides theroom and light necessary or native

riparian plants to thrive. This was the

fth consecutive year o broom pull-ing and the results were apparent:The students had only about hal asmuch broom to pull this year as last.

Ater a rereshing lunch, thecrews hit the trails and moved sev-eral downed trees, cut brush and re-moved debris that was blocking theloop trail in the conier orest. Thestudents worked hard and ast, thesounds o laughter and tools echoing

through the orest. They ound Cali-ornia newts and Caliornia slendersalamanders on the trail by the creek,and a pair o red-tailed hawks calledout to the crew as they headed backto the barn eeling tired and happy.Bob Neale, the Land Trusts stew-ardship director, said that working

with these enthusiastic young people

rereshed his spirit and flled himwith hope.The Land Trust wishes to ex-

tend its appreciation to the entireSCA Conservation LeadershipCorps crew or all their hard workat Lauenburg Ranch. You can learnmore about SCA at www.thesca.org.

Having fun pulling broom. Photo courtesy of

Student Conservation Association.


5/8


At the Baylands, we have put a stopon the Sears Point restoration project

because much o the engineering workand analysis was being paid or undera grant rom the Caliornia CoastalConservancy. The Conservancy had toissue a stop work order because theirunds are rozen. You get the picture.

The upside o a downside is thatchallenges and difculties can unlock

new sources o creativity and enter-prise. The Jenner Headlands acquisi-

tion is the kind o opportunity thatcomes along once in a generation andwe dont intend to let it slip away. Ibelieve our public agency partners eelthe same way.

With the stimulus provided by thesteady support o renewing members,the Sonoma Land Trust will go on do-

ing what needs to be done to protectthe scenic, natural, agricultural and

open landscapes o Sonoma County.

Ralph Benson, Executive Director

or perhaps you even subscribe to Or-chard Farms CSA (community-sup-ported agriculture). Kens been arm-ing organically since 1994, soon atergraduating rom UC-Santa Cruz witha BA in agroecology and environmentalstudies. His operation is certifed bythe Caliornia Certifed Organic Farm-ers. Ken is enthusiastic in his beliethat responsible arming involves anintimate stewardship with the land. I

work hard to improve my soils viabilitywhile caring or my crops.

Ken also believes that he can

arm in harmony with the wild landsthat surround the felds. This is veryimportant to the Land Trust becauseLauenburg Ranch in Knights Valleyis a snapshot o both bygone Sonoma

County amily agriculture and a natu-ral landscape now vanishing in Sono-ma County. A mountain lion silentlycreeps out o the fr orest and past theold arm tractor in the early morning.Steelhead trout migrate beneath thebridge on Bidwell Creek, unseen in the

winter storms. Obsidian spear pointsare brought to light in gopher mounds,bearing witness to a long history oNative American lie in the midst othis bounty.

The Land Trust will be workingclosely with Orchard Farms to protect

both the natural and the agriculturalat Lauenburg Ranch. We will worktogether to replace encing to keepthe deer out o the crops, while giv-ing them easy access to the creek and

wildlands. Well take out invasiveweeds like yellow star thistle, enhanc-ing both the native plant habitat andthe agricultural lands. Ken will planthis crops away rom stream banks andsensitive cultural areas to protect theseimportant resources or the uture.

Ken plans to use Lauenburg Ranchswarm and sunny climate to producecrops that dont do well on his coolerWest County arm. Ken and Scott

will spend the next ew months turn-ing compost into the ront feld andpreparing to plant squash and other

vegetables in early May. To learn moreabout Orchard Farms and where youcan fnd Ken and his produce, visit

www.orchard-arms.com.The Land Trust will oer oppor-

tunities to visit Lauenburg Ranch aspart o our members hike series in thecoming year. Well also be continuingour educational partnerships with stu-dent groups, like the Student Conser-

vation Association and Sonoma StateUniversity (see sidebar). Visit our Website or uture volunteer opportunitiesto help us restore the natural resourcesat Lauenburg Ranch. Charlie would

appreciate your eorts!

Bob Neale is the SLT stewardship director.

The prune plum orchard at Laufenburg Ranch. Photo by Stephen Joseph.

A n frm h exv Drr (Continued rom page 2)


6/8

Those o us who love the land canmake a much more meaningul contri-bution than we ever imagined bydesignating a planned git to theSonoma Land Trust. Planned gitsguarantee that unds will always beavailable to purchase and care or openspace and preserve the character andbeauty o our signature landscapes.Donors who make planned gits are

welcomed into the Legacy League,which celebrates generous uture gitsto the Sonoma Land Trust.

Planned gits may be made through avariety o tax-saving vehicles and caneither be designated or a specifc pur-pose or be unrestricted or the organi-zation to use where the need is greatest.

Hr ar h ms mm ways mak a plad gf:Bequests

A designated git in your will or livingtrust is perhaps the simplest orm oplanned giving and the vehicle mostcommonly used.

Retirement AccountsDesignating the Sonoma Land Trust asthe benefciary is an excellent way or

you to make a git, using an asset thatotherwise might be heavily taxed.

Charitable Remainder TrustA git o assets establishes a trust andnames the Sonoma Land Trust as ulti-mate benefciary. You receive valuabletax benefts during your lietime andretain or lie the income generatedrom the assets given to the trust.

Jan gren and Dean Watson areonly in their 50s, but they are think-

ing ahead to crat a legacy that helpsuture generations enjoy the land theylove. Jan is a licensed psychotherapist

with a private practice in Santa Rosa,and Dean is a computer architect orBlue Shield o Caliornia.

Dean is a third-generationCaliornian and Jan grew up inFrance. They enjoy cross-countryskiing, hiking, and being politicallyand environmentally active. Two

years ago, they stopped procrastinat-ing and had a lawyer set up a revo-cable living trust that will be man-aged by Exchange Bank so we wontbe burdening riends or amily withthe administration o it, said Jan.

They have been SLT members or13 years, so it was natural that the

Land Trust was among the nonpro-its they listed in their trust. SLT isthe benefciary o one o their IRAsbecause, as a nonproft, SLT canreceive the retirement und with notax liability. Tax-deerred retire-ment plans are among the mosttax-smart planned gits because othe higher income tax on distribu-tion to individuals.

Jan, a ormidable birder, added,

Not only do we continue to en-joy the benefts o SLT by seeinglocally protected land during greathikes, but we have been included inspecial gatherings or Legacy Leaguemembers. It was very easy setting

up the trust, and we can change it iwe need to, but the Land Trust will

always be a part o it so we will knowthat the Sonoma County we trea-sure will continue.

Reta Lockert is the SLT donor relationsdirector.


thkg ahad pr h lad hy lvby Rta lckrt

The Legacy League and planned giving

esrg h fr f Sma cys bafl ladsaps

by Bvry Scttand


7/8

i lbraFrom November 2008 through January 2009,

Land Trust friends made gifts to honor these

happy events and exceptional people.

Celebrating cah ad Ph Jhs:

Henry and Emily Evers

Celebrating er Smh: Betty Burridge

Celebrating her famly: Ralph and

Marcia Johnson

Celebrating J. Hall cshma Jr: J. Hall and

Marion Cushman

Celebrating Ja ad ed Davs: Leigh and

Maxine Hall

Celebrating Jh ad nay Gambasa:

Leia Giambastiani

Celebrating Lda Fshr ad

Lah nrwd: James Fisher

Celebrating Lza Pasr ad

Wll Bkl: Ellen Pastore

Celebrating Mary Hafr: Julianne Farrell

Celebrating Mr. ad Mrs. Wllam

Drapr iii: Henry and Emily Evers

Celebrating nra crga ad Al Pfffr:

Kathleen Cregan and Donnie Phelps

Celebrating NoveedSapour:

Peter Poullada and Nancy Sheppard

Celebrating Pa ad td el, Jr:

Elaine Weihman

Celebrating Para Hass:

Diana Denisoff and Robert Byrne

Celebrating P ad Pay Mas:

Berenice and Lawrence Brackett

Celebrating Pr Mas: Andy Mattson

Celebrating Phlp Lgma: Carol Lingman

Celebrating PhyllisandArnieRoseneld:

Dr. and Mrs. Herbert Brosbe

Celebrating Ra Hdsph: Dianne Brinson

and Mark Radcliffe

Celebrating Ralph Bs: Iryne C. Black

Celebrating RosanaSapour: Peter Poullada

and Nancy Sheppard

Celebrating tm tmpl ad

Davd Mara: Lynn and Dick CarlileCelebrating Wll Yrk: Peter Poullada and

Nancy Sheppard

Celebrating Wllam Shppard Sag:

Peter Poullada and Nancy Sheppard

i mmramThe singer lasts a season long while the song

remains forever.

In memory ofcap. Dald c. campbll

R uSn: Thomas Yarish and

Laure CampbellIn memory ofCaryVincentGrifn:

Rebecca Christiansen

In memory ofDavd Wd: The Driscoll

School Staff, Nancy and George Wright

In memory ofela Bds:

Sandra Walton

In memory ofirw Lff: Enid Leff

In memory ofJl Wdhll:

Joan Woodhull

In memory ofKahl Byl ad

J carls: William Carlsen and

Kathleen OShea

In memory ofK Skg: Chuck and

Kati QuibellIn memory ofnls olv Lagbrg:

N. Michael Langenborg

In memory ofRbr M. Rbs:

Karen Leet

In memory ofSv Jams L: Vicki Hill

In memory ofthlma Ashly: Donald and

Joyce Parsons


Life Estate GiftYou may irrevocably transer theownership o a home or arm to theSonoma Land Trust and retain theright to occupy the premises or therest o your lie, and receive an imme-diate tax deduction.

Charitable Lead TrustThe income or the trust is donated to theSonoma Land Trust during your lietime.

Ater your lietime, the trust assetspass without urther tax to your heirs.

Life InsuranceDonating a ully paid, existing lieinsurance policy or a policy that is notully paid provides you with currentcharitable income tax deduction.

For inormation about plannedgits or the Legacy League, contactReta Lockert at 526-6930, ext. 105 [email protected].

Beverly Scottland is the SLTdevelopment director.

G ad jyh lad!

Spring calendar of

volunteer workdays

All o the workdays combine unwith hard work and most include apicnic and hike. For more inorma-tion about each activity, please seeOn the Land Opportunities at

www.sonomalandtrust.org. To signup, please call 544-5614, ext. 2 oremail [email protected]. We cant do it without you!

Gl oaks Rah Wrkday

Friday, April 24, 10 am2 pm

esr Amra

Prsrv Wrkday

Saturday, April 25, 10 am2 pm

Lafbrg Rah Wrkday

Saturday, May 2, 10 am3 pm

Ll Blak Ma

Prsrv Wrkday

Friday, May 15, 10 am3 pm

Lafbrg Rah tral Wrkday

Friday, May 29, 10 am3 pm

Ll Blak MaSwardshp og

Friday, June 5, 10 am3 pm

Gl oaks Rah tral

Maa Hk

Friday, June 12, 10 am2 pm


8/8

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Santa Rsa

966 Sonoma Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95404www.sonomalandtrust.org

T O P R O T E C T T H E L A N D F O R E V E R

The Jenner Headlands is host tosweeping vistas and a diversity o wild-lie habitats that, together, make thisarea a high priority or conservation.On par with the diversity o habitats is

the diversity o individuals and com-munities that call this region o thecoast home. In land management,getting to know our neighbors and thecommunity around us is just as impor-tant as getting to know the plants andanimals on the land. To that end, theSLT sta headed up by acquisitions

director Amy Chesnut, stewardshipdirector Bob Neale and Jenner Head-lands project manager Brook Edwards has been meeting with people romthe communities o Jenner, Cazadero,

Duncans Mills and Muniz Ranches togain input that will help guide the de-velopment o our management plans.

But a look at Jenner today is just asnapshot in the long thread o history a history that is intimately tied tothe individuals who have lived on theland in the past. From the indigenous

people who frst lived on these lands,to the early settlers who established theRule Ranch, to the ranchers and otheroutdoor enthusiasts that ollowed, thetapestry o this landscape is intricate

and rich. To understand it, Brook isalso meeting with people who possess awealth o local historical knowledge.

Yr hlp s sll dd

The Caliornia budget delay created re-verberations throughout the state andhas stalled the purchase o the JennerHeadlands. Plus, we have raised only 25percent o the fnal $2 million neededto manage the property and open it

or public access. At this point, we arehoping to close escrow this summer. Tobe kept apprised o news and presen-tations about the Jenner Headlandsproject, please email [email protected]. To donate, pleaseuse the enclosed envelope.

The Jenner Headlands

Larg frm h lad ad lal mms

The Jenner Headlands. Photo by Stephen Joseph.

Documents

Spring 2009 Sonoma Land Trust Newsletter