Winter 2012 Newsletter

Volume 38, No. 3
Winter 2012 Newsletter
New properties protected along Stuart Creek help ensure
safe passage for fish and wildlife in Sonoma Valley
by Sheri Cardo
Donors pledge $500,000
matching grant
Sonoma Land Trust donors Bill
Stuart Creek, a common link between several of Sonoma Land Trust’s new and old properties in the
Sonoma Valley, provides a vital corridor for wildlife movement. Photo by Scott Hess Photography.
Last year, Sonoma Land Trust purchased the 3.5-acre Stuart Creek Run
property in Glen Ellen to restore the creek’s historic steelhead run. Recently,
the Land Trust jumped on the opportunity to make two nearby acquisitions
along Stuart Creek and has also secured a contract to purchase a third
parcel at the headwaters of the creek above Secret Pasture. These acquisitions
will permanently protect a key portion of the Sonoma Valley Wildlife
Corridor “pinchpoint” at Highway 12 and also provide additional habitat
connectivity for wildlife by linking to the large, existing network of protected
lands in the Sonoma Valley.
“Right here, right now, we have a unique opportunity to protect and restore
Stuart Creek for the fish and animals who depend on it by stitching together
these properties,” said Wendy Eliot, Sonoma Land Trust conservation director. “If we don’t act now, we will lose it forever.”
(Continued on page 3)
T O
P R O T E C T
T H E
L A N D
and Jeanne Osterland will match all
donations made by December 31
up to a total of $500,000. Your
donation of $50 will result in a gift
of $100! The Osterlands have also
offered to match gifts of $1,000 or
more on a two-to-one basis. Thus, a
gift of $1,000 results in $3,000 for
the Sonoma Land Trust.
Bill and Jeanne are making this
special gift “to help add important
acreage to Sonoma Land Trust’s
protected landscapes and to ensure
that Sonoma County will always be
the beautiful and special place that
we love.” Thank you, Bill and
Jeanne!
Please contact Beverly Scottland
at [email protected] or
(707) 526-6930, ext. 108 to make
a stock donation or to receive more
information about the match.
F O R E V E R
A note from the
Executive Director
Who we are
Board of Directors
Denny Van Ness, chair, Robert Brent,
Neal Fishman, Ken Freeman, Mark
Jacobsen, Pete Mattson, Bill Osterland,
Darren Peterie, Harry Richardson,
Maggie Salenger, Allison Sanford, Wendy
Smit, Margaret Spaulding, Peter Van Alyea
Staff
Ralph Benson, Executive Director
Kristine Acquino, Acquisitions Project Associate
Karen Arrington, Development Manager
Sheri Cardo, Director of Communications
Dale Carroll, Accounting Assistant
Kara Caselas, Stewardship Assistant Project
Manager
Amy Chesnut, Acquisitions Director
Paul DeMarco, Director of Finance &
Administration
Brook Edwards, Jenner Headlands Project
Manager
Wendy Eliot, Conservation Director
Georgiana Hale, Conservation Easement
Stewardship Manager
Julie Jehly, Acquisitions Project Assistant
Joseph Kinyon, GIS Manager
Reta Lockert, Donor Relations Director
Julian Meisler, Baylands Program Manager
Bob Neale, Stewardship Director
Tony Nelson, Stewardship Project Manager
Elizabeth Newton, Office Manager
Beverly Scottland, Development Director
Ingrid Stearns, Outings Coordinator
Shanti Wright, Stewardship Project Manager
SLT Mission
The Sonoma Land Trust protects the scenic,
natural, agricultural and open landscapes of
Sonoma County for the benefit of the
community and future generations by:
• Developing long-term land protection
strategies;
• Promoting private and public funding for
land and conservation;
• Acquiring land and conservation easements;
• Practicing stewardship, including the
restoration of conservation properties; and
• Promoting a sense of place and a land ethic through activities, education and outreach.
Contact
Sheri Cardo, Managing Editor
Sonoma Land Trust
966 Sonoma Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
(707) 526-6930 Fax (707) 526-3001
[email protected]
www.SonomaLandTrust.org
2
Winter 2012 • Volume 38, No. 3
Looking toward 2013
The rains have come. The creeks are rising.
The harvest is in and, overnight, our golden
hills have turned their winter green. This has
been a year of slow but steady gains in protecting the landscapes we love throughout
Sonoma County.
Our 2012 acquisitions have been concentrated in the Sonoma Valley
where we are stitching together a wildlife corridor in conjunction with our
restoration of steelhead spawning habitat along Stuart Creek. Three
properties have been purchased entirely with private funds. For the time
being, this may be the new normal. California has a long history of
bonding for conservation land acquisitions, but the funds on hand are
drying up and, until the State gets on a more stable financial footing, we
will have less public capital to work with.
On the restoration and stewardship front, we have been extraordinarily
busy. New willows and fencing grace Tolay Creek Ranch. The stone barn
at Glen Oaks Ranch has a beautiful new roof. Erosion is checked and
streams will flow clear as a result of road work and new culverts installed
at our White Rock, Little Black Mountain and Estero Americano Preserves.
At the Jenner Headlands, eucalyptus trees have been cleared, ranger
housing constructed and roads repaired — all in anticipation of the
opening of the property to public recreational use with our partner
organization, The Wildlands Conservancy. This is just some of the work
your support of Sonoma Land Trust has made possible. Here’s wishing
you all the best for the holiday season and our fresh new year!
Ralph Benson
Welcoming a new board member
Peter Van Alyea loves the natural beauty of Sonoma
County and has recently joined the Sonoma Land
Trust board of directors to help preserve it. He is the
founder and owner of Redwood Oil Company, a
Sonoma-based oil distributorship, and also is a grape
grower. Peter holds a BA in economics from Colby
College and an MBA from the University of Chicago Business School. He
has served as a volunteer on nonprofit boards as well as trade associations,
most recently as president of the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley.
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(Continued from page 1)
Marin
Critical Linkage Source: Critical Linkages Bay Area and Beyond - Draft, Penrod et al 2012
Protected Lands: Bay Area Protected Areas Database, Bay Area Open Space Council 2011 & Sonoma Land Trust 2012
San Francisco
Alameda
Sonoma Land Trust’s new acquisitions (in yellow) protect key portions of the Stuart Creek aquatic linkage, located within the Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor.
The acquisitions and their
connectivity to protected lands
In August, Sonoma Land Trust
purchased a 14-acre undeveloped
parcel from the Malinovsky family,
Sonoma
Developmental
which is located directly across from
Center along Highway
Glen Oaks Ranch
12. This property, which we’ve named
Stuart Creek Hill, includes oak
woodlands and high-quality grass-
The Metallinos property, high up in the Mayacamas, holds part of the headwaters of Stuart Creek.
Photo by Georgiana Hale.
land, along with a stretch of Stuart
Creek. It is one parcel away from
connecting to Stuart Creek Run and
is also functionally connected to
Glen Oaks because the creek flows
through the Highway 12 undercrossing between both properties. On the
market, the property was promoted
as a perfect spot for vineyards and a
winery. The Land Trust was able to
move quickly to acquire it for
$895,000 thanks to generous loans
from board member Bill Osterland
and the property’s neighbors, Jim
Happ and Betsey Moses.
Nestled between Stuart Creek Hill
and Stuart Creek Run lies the
1.3-acre property belonging to Happ
and Moses, which is also on the
creek. In October, the couple donated
to Sonoma Land Trust an appurtenant
easement over Stuart Creek and its
(Continued on page 4)
TO PROTECT THE LAND FOREVER
3
Cooke
Ranch CE
Helen Moses Happ
Scott Hess Photography
(Continued from page 3)
A bobcat at Stuart Creek Hill.
Stuart Creek Hill includes a mixed hardwood forest as well as a stretch along Stuart Creek.
riparian corridor that will restrict
activities that will impede wildlife
passage through the property, such as
installing fencing or clearing vegetation. This is one of several innovative
land protection tools that Sonoma
Land Trust uses to protect land in
Sonoma County.
The third property, still to be
acquired, will be incorporated into
Sonoma Land Trust’s adjacent Secret
Pasture Preserve. Sonoma Land Trust
is currently under contract to purchase this wild, undeveloped 40-acre
property high up in the Mayacamas
Mountains, which holds part of the
headwaters of Stuart Creek. Securing
this extraordinary property from the
Metallinos family will mean that a
significant stretch of Stuart Creek
will be protected, top to bottom,
from Secret Pasture Preserve, all the
way down through Bouverie Preserve
and Glen Oaks Ranch, then under
the highway to Stuart Creek Hill,
the Happ-Moses easement, and
finishing at Stuart Creek Run. The
landowners would like a conservation outcome for their property,
which they are selling for $130,000.
The Land Trust is actively fundraising to secure the parcel by the end of
the year.
“This is how conservation happens
today — we are creating restored
and protected landscapes parcel by
parcel,” said executive director Ralph
Benson. “Stuart Creek is a high
priority for us and we believe that
the community will also recognize
the importance of these properties
and the aquatic linkage, and come
forward to help finance them.”
4
Progress for fish at Stuart
Creek Run
Stuart Creek Run, purchased by
Sonoma Land Trust in July, 2011,
Winter 2012 • Volume 38, No. 3
includes a 900-foot stretch of Stuart
Creek, which once supported a
healthy run of federally threatened
steelhead trout. Stuart Creek is a
tributary of Sonoma Creek, which
has been identified as one of eight
“anchor watersheds” where restoration actions are likely to have the
most powerful effect on conserving
and restoring Northern California
steelhead populations.
While high-quality habitat
remains in Stuart Creek, three fish
barriers along its stretch prevent
ocean-going steelhead returning to
Sonoma Creek from accessing
upstream spawning and rearing
grounds. In October, the State
Coastal Conservancy authorized
$162,000 for Sonoma Land Trust to
complete plans to remove the barriers
and restore access for steelhead to
high-quality upstream habitat.
JEANNE WIRKA, BOUVERIE PRESERVE OF AUDUBON CANYON RANCH
Wildlife use this culvert under the highway connecting Glen Oaks Ranch with Stuart Creek Hill.
Background on the Wildlife
Corridor
Much of our work in the Sonoma
Valley is done in partnership with
the Sonoma Ecology Center (SEC),
which has been actively conducting
research and restoration within the
Sonoma Creek watershed for more
than 20 years. Thanks to their hard
work while the 2020 Sonoma
County General Plan was being
updated in 2002, the Plan cites the
Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor as
one of two important linkages with
significant natural habitats and
connectivity needing to be maintained. This year, SEC’s work was
reaffirmed when the Critical Linkages Project of the Bay Area Open
Space Council identified the Sonoma
Valley Wildlife Corridor between the
Mayacamas and Sonoma Mountain
as a key component of the larger
Marin Coast to Blue Ridge Berryessa
A cougar at Stuart Creek near Glen Oaks Ranch.
habitat linkage — and also pointed
out the potential loss of habitat
connectivity for wildlife through the
narrow “bottleneck” in the Stuart
Creek area near Glen Ellen.
“Stuart Creek serves as a primary
passageway for fish and wildlife within
the Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor,”
said Richard Dale, executive director
of the Sonoma Ecology Center. “The
Land Trust’s new acquisitions will
help to ensure that the aquatic
linkage remains open.”
funding. In these recent cases, we’ve
been fortunate to have received loans
from generous parties who understand the value of conserving land
and the need to jump on such
opportunities. Had we not, we would
have risked that wildlife corridor
pinchpoint being closed forever.
But the loans need to be repaid
and, more than ever, we need to
fund our Land Conservation Fund
so that we can continue to take
advantage of the new opportunities
that are arising. Your ongoing
***
support ensures that your land trust
Moving quickly to save land
will continue to protect what we all
It’s hard to plan for acquisitions. Our love most about Sonoma County. It’s
acquisitions team is well aware of the your support that makes all the
key properties we need to protect in difference ... for the land.
the various regions of our county,
but because we only work with
Sheri Cardo is SLT’s communications
willing landowners, we have to wait
director.
until they are ready to sell — and
then we rapidly scramble to find
TO PROTECT THE LAND FOREVER
5
Opportunity is knocking at the door
Please help us respond
by Beverly Scottland
As we look toward 2013, we see an
exciting year ahead with some
unprecedented opportunities to
protect 15,000 more acres throughout Sonoma County. These include
the Sonoma Coast’s redwood forests,
acquiring additional land to safeguard
habitat within Sonoma Valley’s
wildlife corridor, adding to the vast
open spaces we have protected
around Sears Point, and adding
parking and new trails at the
Jenner Headlands.
Recognizing these many opportu-
In Celebration
From November 1, 2011 to October 31,
2012, Land Trust friends made gifts in honor
of these exceptional friends and events.
In Memory
The singer lasts a season long while the song
remains forever.
In memory of Doris Benson: Dave and Debbie Asquith
In memory of Maxine Kortum Durney:
Stephen and Anne Ayala, Sheri Cardo,
Castle, Inc., Lloyd and Prue Draper,
Helen Dunbar, Glenna Ness Green,
Betty Guggolz, Catherine Harrigan,
Alfred and Bonnie Janssen, Bill and Lucy
Kortum, Peter and Olivia Leveque,
Richard and Brenda Nichols, Liz
Parsons, Johanna and Remo Patri,
Maryalice Ryan, Esther Vogel, Brian
Weatherford and Steve Montgomery,
David and Dilys Wohletz
In memory of Les Ayers on his birthday:
Lauren Ayers
In memory of Bob Richards: Walter and Lu Benson
6
nities, Bill and Jeanne Osterland
have offered to match every donation
to Sonoma Land Trust between
November 1, 2012 and December
31, 2012, up to a total of $500,000!
That means every gift will be
matched dollar for dollar. Even
better, for donations of $1,000 and
above, the Osterlands will match
those gifts two to one.
So much more can be accomplished with the support of our
friends and this generous matching
gift. Our promise is that we will use
every dollar to protect the land we
all love.
Thank you for supporting Sonoma
Land Trust. For information about
making a year-end donation or to
donate stock, please contact me at
[email protected] or
(707) 526-6930, ext. 108.
In memory of Chuck Ashley: Walter and Lu Benson
In memory of Ignazio Vella: Walter and Lu Benson, Sally Vella
In memory of Matthew Coleman of Mendocino Land Trust: Walter and Lu
Benson
In memory of Mitch Mulas: Walter and Lu Benson
In memory of Paul Jess: Walter and Lu Benson
In memory of Virginia Merkel: Walter and Lu Benson
In memory of Mrs. Ansine Kelly Yost:
Paul and Karen Bowles
In memory of Douglas Howe McVeigh:
Leanna L. Breese, Gordon Fong, Edwin
and Betsy Giles, Sam and Ava Guerrera,
Sharon and Tyler Hoffman, Mark and
Cathy Trione, Terrence and Cristina
Wadsworth, Jean McVeigh
In memory of Gregory Austin Moyer:
Linda S. Clopton
In memory of Dr. Nice Grace: Bob and Nancy Cooley
In memory of John Cummings: Kelsey Cummings
In memory of Helen Dresser: Charles and Jana Denegri
In memory of Mickey Smith: Joan Withers Dinner
In memory of Nancy T. Conzett: Bette Durham
In memory of James Halow: Ted and Pat Eliot
In memory of Jane Stuppin: Ted and Pat Eliot
In memory of Judge Chester Relyea:
Ted and Pat Eliot
In memory of Judge Rex Sater: Ted and Pat Eliot, Bob and Nancy Higham, Bill and
Lucy Kortum
In memory of Frank Escover: Thomas Escover and Harriette Grooh
In memory of Waldo C. Friedland: David Friedland
In memory of Frank Wedekind: Robert Friese
In memory of Ken Sellai: Donn Furman
In memory of Dr. Jay Wark: Joan Geary
In memory of Frank Wulff: Laura Graham
In memory of Harold Fitzgerald: Laura Graham
In memory of Jannie Fitzgerald: Laura Graham
In memory of Larry Bertolini: Laura Graham
Winter 2012 • Volume 38, No. 3
Beverly Scottland is SLT’s development
director.
In memory of Mae Leu: Laura Graham
In memory of Willi Shenk: Laura Graham
In memory of Jack Guggolz: Betty Guggolz
In memory of Sara Betty Berenson: Karen Guma
In memory of Fran Clever: Linda and Keith Hale
In memory of John Randall: Beth Harper
In memory of Amine K. Youst: Jack and Deyea Harper
In memory of Phyllis Schmidt: Jack and Deyea Harper
In memory of Ed Brewer: Kevin Joe
In memory of Nancy Conzett: Robin Johnson
In memory of E. Rae Hudspeth, MD: Rich Kuehn and Dean Schuler
In memory of Michael Friedenberg and all the gifts he gave to each of us: Katherine Knowles and George Vafiadis
In memory of Cindy Johnson Madill: Valerie and Michael Kobal
In memory of Pierre Jaureguito: Auguste and Etiennette Lapeyrade
In memory of Terry Lennon: Dan Lennon
In memory of Joe Clopton: Peter and Olivia Leveque
In memory of Mila Martin: Silas Martin
In memory of Norma Klitgaard Christian:
Carol and Clifford Marvel
In memory of James Benefield: Jean McVeigh
In memory of Nina Arrabit: Jean McVeigh
In memory of Margery Foote Meyer: L. Bruce Meyer
In memory of David Franklin: Mary Mueller
In memory of Toni Nones: Kathleen Mugele
In memory of Pebbles and Tess: Kathleen Mugele
In memory of Richard Noreen: Kathleen Mugele
In memory of Christy Murray: Charles Murray
In memory of Sybil Ann Otter: Sheila and Jack Nichols
In memory of Nancy Conzett: Benjamin Parmeter, MD, Susan and Steve Teel
In memory of Donald B. Rice: Richard Peters
In memory of John Frederic Randall: Jenny Randall
In memory of Ralph and Lorna Gilmer: Art and Elaine Reichert
In memory of Howard Hanvey: Robin Russell
In memory of Shirley Rogers: Helen Stevens
In memory of Ruth Norma Truett: Carol and Michael Stone
In memory of Al Boeke: Janann Strand
In memory of Ralph Benson, Sr., Chief of the Fire: John P. Strebel (2)
In memory of Fritz Kraetzer: Ross E. Stromberg
In memory of Joel Woodhull: Joan Woodhull
In memory of Rachel Wright: Cora and Tom Wright
In memory of Dee and Verlin Yamamoto:
Keith Yamamoto
In memory of Capt. Donald C. Campbell, Ret USN: Thomas Yarish and Laure Campbell
In memory of Chod Harris and Moira Chatton: Gregory Young and Jean Davis
In Honor
In honor of Matt Allan: Mr. and Mrs.
Ronald C. Allan
In honor of Meg Beeler: Marilyn F. Ashlin
In honor of Neal Fishman and Maxene Spellman’s 25th wedding anniversary:
Ralph Benson, John and Muriel Bertucci,
Jerry and Janice Cader Thompson,
Cohn-Stone Studios, Karyn Gear, Jack
Judkins and Sandra Gartzman, Jeffrey
Kross and Linda Lebovics, Eileen
Stavrakis and Paul Turner
In honor of Daphne Smith on her birthday:
Walter and Lu Benson
In honor of Herb Brosbe: Mrs. Herbert Brosbe
In honor of David Kimball: Katharine Butler
In honor of Don Paul: Sandra Curtis
In honor of Joshua Berger Gertz: Sandra Curtis
In honor of Pete and Patty Mattson: Susan Day, MD, Mary and Dick Hafner
In honor of Robin Zander: Holly Downing and Michael Zander
In honor of Peter and Olivia Leveque: Dan Eichhorn and Julie Leveque
In honor of Christine Marinoni & Cynthia Nixon: Ted and Pat Eliot
In honor of the marriage of Philip and Ashley Heinrich: Marion and Merritt
Elmore
In honor of Shanti and the SLT staff for a wonderful Estero Americano outing:
Linda and Gary Felt
In honor of Lauren and Scott Dixon: Mr. and Mrs. Stephen M. Friedman
In honor of Bernie and Bev Gardner for preserving The Cedars: Penny Gardner
In honor of the guests attending Beth and Tarek’s wedding: Tarek Ghani and Beth
Pearson
In honor of Wendy Zukas: Alexander Glass
In honor of Margaret and Everett Gorin: Joe and Susan Gorin
In honor of Reta Lockert: Scott and Parke Hafner
In honor of Mary Hafner on Mother’s Day:
Scott Hafner and Bill Glenn
In honor of R. Stanton Hales: Karen Hales
In honor of Joshua Rymer and Tim Frazer:
Susan Hirsch and Susan Leal
In honor of C.E. Smith: Beverly Judd
In honor of our beautiful county: Joanna and Dan Kemper
In honor of Ladd Miyasaki: David Lawrence
In honor of Harry Richardson upon his retirement from the NORCAL board of
directors: Rita Leavens
In honor of the James Stancil Family: Charles Levine and Elisa Stancil
In honor of Ethel Daly: Marcia Levy
In honor of Lois Downy and George Freund: Moyra Moy
In honor of Mike and Pat Hayes: Moyra Moy
In honor of Ramaia Collins on his birthday: Kathleen Mugele
In honor of Susanne Otteman’s birthday:
Kathleen Mugele
In honor of Fran George’s birthday:
Kathleen Mugele
In honor of Ruth Lombard’s birthday:
Kathleen Mugele
In honor of Elizabeth A. Pastore and Will Bucklin: Ellen Pastore
In honor of Gale and Julie Pokorny:
Gary F. and Jean Pokorny
In honor of Jan Reddick and Byron
Schneider: Judith Prima
In honor of Alison Marks and David Keller:
Vincenza Scarpaci and Peter Rodda
In honor of Annie Cooke: Dr. Paul C. Simpson Jr.
In honor of Bill Montgomery: William Thomas
In honor of Tristan and Neva Titus:
Lisa and Sebastian Titus
TO PROTECT THE LAND FOREVER
7
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Greeti
New opportunities to get “on the land” with Sonoma Land Trust
by Ingrid Stearns
This year, Sonoma Land Trust
expanded its On the Land public
outings program to offer more than
25 hikes throughout Sonoma County
on terrain as diverse as the tidal
marsh of San Pablo Bay, the coastal
prairies of the Estero Americano and
We also broadened the types of
activities people can enjoy on our
preserves. We began our EXPLORE
outings for those who like to hike a
good distance at a steady pace and
enjoy the scenery. Our DISCOVER
series provides the opportunity to
learn about something special, like
tracking, in the environment in
which animals move around. And
for those who prefer not to hike very
far, our EXPERIENCE outings
provide opportunities for participants to refine their observation
skills and experience quiet time to
reflect out in nature. the Jenner Headlands, the mixed
forests of Little Black Mountain, and
the serpentine grasslands of Tolay
Creek Ranch. Experts led hikes on
wildflower and native grass identification, western burrowing owls,
migrating raptors, historical ecology
and wildlife tracking.
T O
P R O T E C T
By offering an array of ways to
see, experience and get to know the
stunning landscapes protected by
Sonoma Land Trust, we have aimed
to reach a variety of people with
different preferences for how they
connect best with a new place.
Our On the Land outings series
are grouped by season. Winter
offerings include raptor walks, spring
outings feature wildflowers and
grasslands, summer outings include
sunset hikes and nature journaling,
and fall hikes feature the migrating
raptors and other wildlife. Check our
website at the start of each season to
see what’s coming up.
Looking forward to seeing you on
the land in 2013!
Ingrid Stearns is SLT’s outings coordinator.
On a fall outing at Little Black Mountain Preserve,
expert tracker Jim Sullivan helped hikers get
inside the minds of wild animals by scrutinizing
scat (left) and outings coordinator Ingrid Stearns
led participants up to the breathtaking overlook
(right). Photos by Scott Hess Photography.
T H E
L A N D
F O R E V E R