Winter 2005 - 2006 Vistas Newsletter, Solano Land Trust

8/3/2019 Winter 2005 - 2006 Vistas Newsletter, Solano Land Trust

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Presidents Messa

Executive DirectoPerspective

Focus on JepsonPrairie

Grazing orRestorationVolunteer Pro lKate Mawdsley

McConeghy Ease

Rush RanchPoems & Art

Activities and Eve

12 #2

Winter 2005/0

Continued on page 2

Community Build Planned:You Can Help Build New Rush Ranch Facilities

Artists rendering of the new Rush Ranch Facilities

Marilyn Farley, Executive Director

At sunset on a late October day with sweeping views o the marsh to the south and west, the wind wastill and the grasses took on a golden hue at Rush Ranch. The project team eyeballed the old barn,lacksmith shop and kit house, trying to decide on exterior design details or the planned new building.

Ken Poerner, SLTs land steward, thought a simple look with whitewashed walls and gray roofng tomatch the existing ranch buildings seemed best. Rush Ranch Educational Council board member Mary

Takeuchi wanted an intimate space in the patio or school children. Executive Director Marilyn Farleysked or acilities with low maintenance requirements. There was talk that a ew o the large Patwinndian grinding stones owned by SLT could become part o the patio landscaping, as well as nativelants that tolerate brackish water. The goal waso design an attractive outdoor area that blends

with the ranch and marsh environment.This time next year, a brand new classroom

nd nature center with real ushing toilets willwelcome the hundreds o school children and

thers who visit Rush Ranch every year. Visitingcientists will have o fce space, a bunkhouse, andworkroom or examining specimens collectedrom the marsh. A caretaker will move into a new

esidence and begin stewardship and security uties. The project will utilize solar and windower, as well as a back-up generator or electricity nd propane or heating.

An o icial site o the National EstuarineResearch Reserve (NERR), Rush Ranch received a


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Presidents MessageSean Quinn , President

Photo: Bud Turner,WildLight Photography

The donation o land ora conservation easement bylandowners is an importanttool or land trusts. Land-

owners who make dona-tions bene t rom ederal tax incentives. These taxincentives or conservationhave been the subject o considerable debate at the

ederal level.

Federal tax law pro-vides two tax incentiveso particular interest to

landowners. First, landowners who donate their prop-erty to a land trust can take the air market value o

their land as an income tax deduction, subject to thesame limitations as other charitable donations. Second,landowners can donate a conservation easement andclaim the air market value o their easement donationas an income tax donation (subject to limitations inthe tax code).

The debate over these ederal tax incentives be-gan a ter a series o articles on conservation trans-actions were published in 2003 in the WashingtonPost . In early 2005, the Joint Committee on Taxationissued a report that recommended severe limits tothe deductions landowners could take or donating aconservation easement. This Committee held a hear-ing in June 2005 to discuss speci c re orms but didnot release details.

In mid-November, the U.S. Senate passed Sen-ate Bill 1780 that included a signi cant expansion o the deduction available to landowners who donate aconservation easement to a land trust. The bill includesappraisal re orms, which appear to have been muchneeded. Key provisions o the bill are as ollows:

Extension o the carry- orward period or taxdeductions rom 5 to 15 years.

Raising the cap on conservation deductions

rom 30% o a donors income to 50% and100% for farmers and ranchers .

Now the debate moves to the House, where thecounterpart to the Senate bill does not include theitems noted above.

Land trusts throughout the nation will continueto lobby or this important legislation. I approved,the provisions o this Senate bill will assist SolanoLand Trust in working with local landowners, par-ticularly armers and ranchers, who want to donateconservation easements.

Community BuildContinued from page 1

$500,000 grant rom NERR to jump-start the construction project. The totalcost is estimated at $1.2 million. Solano Land Trust is actively seeking otherpartners to help pay or construction, and volunteers to do an old- ashionedbarn-raising starting in early summer 2006. Volunteers will range rommembers o the local building trades to residents who can do unskilled andskilled labor, such as carpentry, electrical, plumbing, and roofng.

I you can volunteer to help with construction, please contact us nowso we can plan our construction schedule. I you participated in the LetsBuild a Playground Projects in Fairfeld or Vacaville, you know how much una community build can be, comments SLT President Sean Quinn.

This project will be more complicated, he adds, but with a generalcontractor, experienced journeymen and a good schedule, we expecteverything to move smoothly.

Scott Sheldon o Premier Commercial has jumped on board as projectmanager. Scott and his son, Austin, have visited Rush Ranch or years and arebig ans o the property. Although contracted by SLT, Scott is also volunteeringa great deal o his time and expertise.

Scott has a track record or building quality projects on time and o ten with substantial savings. He developed the beauti ul Solano County O fceo Education in Green Valley, and is currently guiding an ambitious privateschool rebuilding project in Saratoga, Cali ornia and a new school or Bethany Lutheran Church in Vacaville.

Rush Ranch Community Build Sign Up or Donate NOW!

Please use the envelope included in this issue o Vistas to sign up to pound nails, donate money or constructionmaterials, or help in other ways. You can also donatemoney to our Rush Ranch routine and major maintenance

und to help ensure that many generations o Solano Countyresidents will enjoy this new acility.

Volunteer Coordinator Needed Solano Land Trust is looking or a Volunteer Coordinatorto help recruit and schedule volunteers to help build.Ideally, the person selected would have good organizational and people skills and be able to donate 20 hours a weekor more starting February 2006 or sooner. I you areinterested, please contact Marilyn Farley, Executive Directorat 432-0150, ext. 201 or [email protected].


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Marilyn Farley, Executive Director

This is the time to think about our many blessings! SLT is thank ul to havea large and diverse group o supporters. We have in common a love orour properties and a desire to share the land and what we know about

it with others. Read about volunteer Kate Mawdsley in this issue and youll see what I mean.

Since becoming executive director in May,ve learned that we have many supporters whore busy doing their thing. SLT has stewards,armers, beekeepers, caretakers, docents, hike

eaders and others we rely on or advice, expertisend support.

Retired teacher Jim Steinert couldnt wait toet me out to Jepson Prairie. Yes, I had been there

e ore, but this tourearly last June when theernal pools were flled with waterwas special.

He put on his wading boots and retrieved a larval-tage tiger salamander and a tadpole shrimp or

me to see. He has the permit and the knowledgeo do this or it wouldnt have happened! Jim isart o a group o scientists, ranchers and othersrganized by the University o Cali ornia Natural

Reserve System who looks out or Jepson Prairie.The Rush Ranch Educational Council (RREC)

ponsors an annual open house and acilitatesisits rom local school children. Mary Takeuchirganized an exhibit o Native American arti actst the Anheuser-Busch plant in Fairfeld. Shend president Joel Mooney represent RREC onhe National Estuarine Research Reserve projectommittee.

Our board o directors o ten goes beyond theall o duty. Frank Andrews and Bob Berman havedvised SLT since its ounding. How many wouldccept a 20-year commitment to attend monthly oard meetings and the like! Farmers Ian Andersonnd Je Dittmer trekked out to Dixon to make suresite or burrowing owls could still be armed.

Board President Sean Quinn, City o Fairfeldsirector o planning and development, has donatedundreds o hours o pro essional expertise,elping negotiate conservation easements,

mitigation deals and land purchases.SLT sta members have been a joy to work

with. A amiliar re rain around the o fce is, Kenwill do it. (Thats land steward Ken Poerner.)

On weekends, bookkeeper and o fce managerKirsti Muskat can o ten be ound volunteering

with her three children. Sue Wickham, our Sky ValleyCordelia Hills resource management plancoordinator, requently says, Oh, I know aboutthat. I can help! Similar stories could be toldabout many other volunteers, board membersand sta .

Last, but certainly not least, I am thank ul orthe many donors large and small who contributeregularly. When a particularly generous donationcame in this September, I called the donor, Fairfeldresident Joyce Kaumeyer, to thank her and toinquire about her interest in SLT. Simply put, shelikes the work were doing to preserve our openspaces.

SLT has ambitious plans or the year ahead. Tocontinue stewardship o our open space preserves

and arm easements, we rely on you. Please addus to your holiday giving list and be assured yourcontribution will be put to good use.

Executive Directors Perspective: Holiday Thank-Yous and Giving

Rush RanchThere is an un-managed stillness here.It rises rom the wetlands,muting the cacophony o civilizationvisible in the distance,a day or more away bywalking the animal trails,by paddling across the many sloughs.Cement and concrete did not prosper here.Iron and steel were applied: barbed wire,metal ence posts, arm implements.They rust, quietly.Airplanes ly over,engines bigger than the ships o Columbus.Their sound is temporary.It does not touch the ground.The grasses wont let it.Inside their silencethe wetlands are laughing.

John Pray, Fair eld


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A Prairie Land Companion:Jepson Prairie Preserve

Jepson Prairie Preserve is one o the ew remaining verna1980 and trans erred to Solano Land Trust in 1997, the pr

System (Davis campus). Located south o Dixon and east to learn what Solano Land Trust and partners are doing to rother docents help the public to understand, appreciate and

The Greater Jepson Prairie Ecosystem:Grazing to Restore the Land

Ben Wallace, Conservation Project Ma

eep grazing at Jepson Prairie: ytosphere Research

grazed by sheep. The second is enced o rthe sheep and will be allowed to grow throughoutthe duration o the experiment. A third plois enced o but mowed by robo-sheep (we

whackers) to the same level that sheep graze

the open plots. Swiecki and Bernhardt measurethe plant cover and composition in the plots inspring. Burrows Hamilton, the rancher who runssheep on the preserve, moves his sheep on ando pastures ollowing a schedule provided the researchers.

Care ul analysis o the data provides insiginto how sheep grazing can help manage specifcproblems. For example, mima mounds (smahillocks) tend to be populated by exotic species

like medusahead and yellow star thistle, whilesurrounding swales (depressions) have higheconcentrations o native species such as semaphoregrass and goldfelds. The 2005 grazing seasonshows that mounds and swales are grazeddi erently as the season progresses. Early in thseason, sheep tend to graze the mounds moreheavily, especially when the swales are ull o watDuring the peak owering period in April, sheepclearly pre er grazing in the swales, to the apparent

detriment o the native species growing there.The prominence o Jepson both as a researc

site and a habitat or rare and endangered speciesadds particular importance to managemento the preserve and the Greater Jepson PrairiEcosystem. As the research generates new resultsover the course o the three-year study, we wilunderstand how sheep grazing interacts with theplant community, and that will help us use strategicgrazing patterns and treatments to nudge thesystem in the direction we want it to go.

Results are coming in rom the rst year o grazingresearch at Jepson Prairie. With guidance rom

the Jepson Prairie Management Committee,Ted Swiecki and Liz Bernhardt o PhytosphereResearch have completed the rst season in a

three-year study o sheep grazing in the Greater Jepson Prairie Ecosystem, which includes JepsonPrairie, Wilcox Ranch and Calhoun Cut.

T h e g o a l o grassland managementat Jepson is to promotenative grasses and

orbs while suppressingn o n - n a t i v e w e e d s(see Vistas, V. 9, #2).

Julian Meisler, ormerconservation planner

or SLT, worked withSwiecki and Bernhardtto raise unds andplan or the study. Thegrazing management

program will help SLT learn when and how sheepgrazing can be used to meet conservation goals.

Swiecki and Bernhardt ace the daunting

challenge o running a controlled experiment inan outdoor laboratory. Management o grassland

vegetation at Jepson Prairie is more complexthan it appears on the sur ace, says the researchteam. Rain all varies drastically rom year to year,a mosaic o di erent soil types are interspersed

within pastures, and grazing pre erences o sheepchange with the season.

The researchers have set three kinds o plotsin care ully selected sheep-grazed pastures. Thefrst is in the open, inconspicuously marked, and


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ts and native bunchgrass prairies in Cali ornia. Purchased by the Nature Conservancy inves research and management support rom the University o Cali ornia Natural Reserveo Highway 113, Jepson Prairie provides critical habitat to hundreds o species. Read ond protect the land through grazing and ollow Kate Mawdsley into the feld where she andthis Solano County treasure.

Kate Mawdsley:Volunteer in Action

Aleta George, Vistas Editor

As a child, Kate Mawdsley roamed the woods in search o wildfowers near her home in Wilmington,Delaware. Years later, a ter marrying, moving to Cali ornia, starting a amily, and becoming a librariant UC Davis, Mawdsley rekindled her love o wildfowers by hiking Solano Countys elds where sheiscovered a whole new world o spring fowers. When a UC Davis colleague told her about the docentrogram at Jepson Prairie in 1987, she not only jumped in with her hiking boots laced, but also took

he docent training ve years in a row. About seven years ago, the spring tours

began to incorporate talks about the rare aquaticinvertebrates that inhabit the vernal pools, such asendangered vernal pool airy and tadpole shrimps.The 1973 Endangered Species Act protectsendangered and threatened creatures and dippersneed special training to be included on the permitissued by the US Fish and Wildli e Service.

Mawdsley also helps with spring burn

preparations, walks transects in search o rareplants, and on occasion gets to drive a tractor.She enjoys working with docents and the publicbecause she wants to communicate why JepsonPrairie, and other places like it in Cali ornia, areso special and worth preserving.

Public tours take place at 10:00 a.m. onSaturdays and Sundays in the spring (note timechange i youve visited in the past). Specialtours or schools and other groups are o ered

weekdays by prearrangement. Guests are askedto contribute one dollar per person ($5 perperson or special tours), with the proceedsgoing directly to an endowment that maintainsand enhances the preserve.

For more information about tours or to sign-up for docent

training contact Solano Land Trust (707) 432-0150 ext 202 or

[email protected].

The Jepson PrairiePreserve docent programbegan in the mid-1980sunder the guidance o The Nature Conservancy.When the Conservancy asked docents to takeover the administrativetasks in 1992, Mawdsley

rose to the occasion andhas served as the docentcoordinator ever since.

Its extraordinarily satis ying to get to knowplace so well, says the 65-year-old Mawdsley.

The richness o auna in the lake and incredibleensity o owers is beauti ul.

Mawdsley is quick to point out that therogram is planned by a group o devoted docentsncluding Jane Hicks (SLT board o directors),

Carol Witham, Jim Steinert, Esther Kerster, C.J.Addington, Dan and Mika Tolson, and SLTs landteward, Ken Poerner.

Docents at the prairie number 45 to 50ach year, and many, like Mawdsley, have beennvolved or more than a decade. Training takeslace in early February, and tours coincide withhe blooming prairie rom mid-March to around

Mothers Day.

Docent TrainingClassesFive Tuesday eveningclasses and our weeke

morning eld trips with

regional experts prepare

docents to lead walks at

Jepson Prairie. The man

classes include:

Introduction toCali ornia Vernal PoCarol Witham

Human History o Jepson Prairie, KateMawdsley

Introduction to VernaPool Invertebrates, CAddington

Flowers o JepsonPrairie, Jane Hicks

Birds and Mammalso Jepson Prairie, DrAndy Engilis & Dr.

Doug KeltSolitary Bees andPollination Ecology, DRobbin Thorp

Sheep Grazing at thePreserve, BurrowsHamilton (rancher,grazing leaseholder)

Kate Mawdsley


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Purchase of McConeghy FarmInitiates Dixon-Davis Greenbelt

Wendy Low, Land Transaction Spec

Annual GivingSupport Land Trust

E orts!

Please consider a

minimum gi t o $30

to Solano Land Trust

to ensure you receive

our quarterly newsletter

Vistas and to support

our work to preserve and

enhance Jepson Prairie,

Rush Ranch, Lynch

Canyon and our other

properties.

A more generous

donation will be very

much appreciated! Your

contribution can be

earmarked or our Rush

Ranch NERR project or

you can be a Friend o

the Solano Land Trust.

A general contribution

will help us operate and

maintain our properties

and easements, support

our volunteer groups and

educational programs,and pursue new

opportunities to preserve

open space and armland.

In late October, Solano Land Trust purchased theMcConeghy Farm rom landowner Jean (Eggert)McConeghy and her two children, John McConeghy

and Jo Ellen McConeghy Geissler. The acquisition, worth $3.625 million, places a conservationeasement on the property, one on the north sideo I-80 at Kidwell Rd. and one on the south.

Im delighted how the land will be used, shesays. Its great to keep open the land between

the two cities.

Jeans ather, Edmund W. Eggert, acquired thland rom his own ather, Claus Eggert, in 191Edmund raised wheat and barley and leased theneighboring Kidwell property. In recent years,Denny Kidwell has in turn leased her property.

Mrs. McConeghy grew up on the arm be o the highway came through. She remembers when everyone knew one another and armersbrought their grain to a large warehouse where

the TSI ertilizer plant now stands. She describes

a ortunate childhood, running everywhere on the elds and riding the harvester or un. I was a wonder ul, wonder ul li e, she says.

Solano Land Trust relies on arm amillike the McConeghys to carry out our missiono preserving armland and our agriculturaeconomy or uture generations.

We are also indebted to our unding partners, who have worked hard over the last several years, to make this purchase a reality. Theyinclude the Cali ornia Farmland ConservancProgram ($2,237,500), the Farm and Ranch LandProtection Program ($720,000), the City o Dav($507,500), the City o Dixon ($150,000), and UDavis ($77,500).

Dixon and Davis are the holders o thConservation Easement. When SLT resells thproperty to a arming enterprise, SLT will becomea co-holder and take on primary monitoringresponsibilities.

This 300-acre arm is the rst piece o agricultural greenbelt between Dixon and Davis.The project was years in the making, beginningin 1999 with a joint resolution passed by theCities expressing shared interest in creatinga greenbelt. Interest became reality whenUC Davis, which had option to purchase theproperty, assigned their option to Solano LandTrust in May 2005.

SLT hopes to continue to work with Davis andDixon on uture projects in the area.

Jean (Eggert) McConeghy with her father Ed Eggert,1931. Courtesy of Jean McConeghy.

Jean McConeghy, now 81,and living inNew Mexico, recently lew to Cali ornia tocelebrate the preservation o this key pieceo armland. She spoke eloquently o her

arm heritage and her pleasure in seeingconservation easements placed on theproperty to an assembled crowd o State andFederal unders, City and SLT representativesand Sta te Senator Mike Machado and

Assemblywoman Lois Wolk.


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Rush Ranch Poetry and Art Gallery On a warm autumn day, Robert Chapla and Sherry Sheehan taught an outdoor workshop or poets and paintersn plein air . This workshop was one in a series sponsored by Rush Ranch Educational Council, Solano Land

Trust, and the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve as a way to bring arts and nature togethert Rush Ranch.

Rush Ranch, Robert Chapla, Pleasant Hill

Patwins Grove, Janet Manalo,Fairfeld

Twice MediatedHis brushstrokes orm a windowed encethat leads you in. You watch the scene

arrive on canvas, cleared, condensed,

meiotic essence rendered lean.

He mediates this nub o nature,

pulls polarities rom space,

shapes a room he gives ull measure.

What he sees you wont erase.

Piggyback through paint past painter.

Become branch. Explode in bloom.

Prune your words, translating nature,

awed, its second mediator

a ter art. Poet, illume.

Sherry Sheehan, Crockett, on

Robert Chapla,

Rush Ranch

Suzanne Bruce, Fair eld, on

Janet Manalos

Patwins Grove

Strength

Lea garnished trailo muddled browns

lies atop sleeping souls,inhales,

exhales,awakens my slumbering spirit.

Hands o eucalyptusreach to in nite air,

display the strengtho the Patwin li e,

hold the brilliance o their ways.

Today is about the light, their light,

mirrors to my corerefections o wisdom

ignoring ears have ailed to greet.

Open silence to noises of the past.

Listen,Breathe,

Trust,Live.

To embrace their lessons as a gi t,learn rom naked bark

time sheds layered wounds,

like the stripped lone tree, I too can weather,and still stand.


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P reserving Farmlands and OPen s Pace thrOughOut s OlanO c Ounty

Solano Land Trust1001 Texas Street, Suite C

Fair eld, CA 94533(707) 432-0150

NonProfOrganizatioUS Postag

PaidFairfeld,CA 9453

Permit # 002

Jepson Prairie PreserveSelf-guided Tour Take a sel -guided tour in the Docent Triangle any day o the week during daylight hours. Docent-led wildfower tourswill resume mid-March. For more in ormation contact SLT(707) 432-0150 ext 202 or [email protected].

Rush Ranch Open SpaceRush Ranch is open to the public Tuesday to Saturday rom8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Suisun Hill Trail (across the road

rom Rush Ranch) is open seven days a week, dawn to dusk.For additional in ormation visit www.rushranch.org.

Access Adventures:Horse-Wagon Driving for the Disabled Michael Muir has begun a horse-wagon driving program orpeople who are wheelchair-bound or have di culty hikingthe trails. Contact Mike at [email protected] orpre-scheduled dates.

Volunteer WorkdaysFirst Saturday o the month:

Jan. , Feb. , Mar. , Apr. 1. 9 a.m. until fnished - FreeGet some resh air while helping with ranch and trail maintenance. No experience or tools necessary. Lunch isprovided or participants.

Blacksmith Shop DemonstrationsThird Saturday o the month:

Jan. 21, Feb. 1 , Mar. 1 , 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. - FreeWatch or participate in the art o blacksmithing with local

blacksmiths.

Lynch Canyon Open SpaceCurrently Lynch Canyon is open to the public duringsta - or docent-led activities only.

Restoration Days Jan. 1 , Feb. 11. 9 a.m. - FreeHelp plant native plants and seeds. No experiencenecessary. Community service credit is available or teensBring gloves and tools. For in ormation call Ken at (707)580-6277 or SLT at (707) 432-0150.

Volunteer Trail Care DaysSecond Saturday o the month:Mar. 11, Apr. 8. 9 a.m. Free (Jan. & Feb. dates see aboveAssist Land Steward Ken Poerner with trail care. Snacks arprovided. For in ormation call Ken at (707) 580-6277.

Scenic HikesFourth Saturday o the month:Jan. 28, Feb. 25, Mar. 25. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. - FreeJoin Dave Warner or one o his popular Lynch Canyonhikes. For more in ormation contact Ken Poerner at (707)580-6277.

King and Swett RanchesThe newly acquired King and Swett Ranches are part o thSky ValleyCordelia Hills Open Space. Currently, the Kingand Swett Ranches are open to the public during sta - ordocent-led activities only.

Restoration Day Jan 21, 200 . 9 a.m.Help plant native plants and seeds on King Ranch. Noexperience necessary. Community service credit is availabl

or teens. Bring gloves and tools. For in ormation call Keat (707) 580-6277 or SLT at (707) 432-0150.

Scenic HikesFeb. , Mar. , Apr. . 9 a.m. FreeExplore Solano Countys largest protected open space withdocent Kathy Blume. Each hike takes you to a di erentsection o the 3,900 acres with excellent views o marsh,grasslands and the San Francisco Bay. Meet at the Park-and-Ride lot at the Hiddenbrooke Parkway/American CanyRoad exit at I-80. Co-sponsored with the Bay Area RidgeTrail Council. Call Kathy or in o at (707) 864-2108.

BOard m emBersSean Quinn,

President Bob Berman,

Vice President Frank Morris,

Treasurer Jane Hicks,

SecretaryIan Anderson

Frank Andrews, Jr.Carl DebevecJeff DittmerJohn IsaacsonRussell LesterKarin MacMillanAl Medvitz

s taFFMarilyn Farley,

Executive Director Terry Chappell,

Field StewardWendy Low,

Land Transaction Specialist

Kirsti Muskat, Bookkeeper Tina Nixon, Finance O fcer Ken Poerner, Land StewardBen Wallace, Conservation

Project Manager Sue Wickham, Resource

Management PlanCoordinator

Aleta George,Editor, SLT Vistas

S A V E T H E D AT E !Rush Ranch Open House April 29, 2006. 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.Learn about the natural and cultural history o the ranchwhile having un. Join us or horse-drawn wagon rides,live music, blacksmithing, square dancing, and workingsheepdog demonstrations.

Documents

Winter 2005 - 2006 Vistas Newsletter, Solano Land Trust