Spring 2014 - Solano Land Trust
Transcription
Spring 2014 - Solano Land Trust
Spring 2014 Vol. 21 #1 I n s i d e : Fish with FasTracks, local eggs, and a hearty thank you to donors! Ken Poerner goes the extra mile as donor Ken Poerner rescued this picturesque outhouse from Wilcox Ranch. Photo: Tom Muehleisen Why do I donate money to Solano Land Trust? Probably for the same reasons I enjoy working for Solano Land Trust. Let me first say that I’m not rolling in the dough, but I am comfortable and have just about everything I need that costs money. Being a retired Air Force enlisted guy who receives a check every month as long as I’m still breathing sure helps a lot. Oh yeah, I’m single and don’t have any kids anywhere on this Earth. Photo: Tom Muehleisen Being an employee of Solano Land Trust for 16 years, and a volunteer before that for six, I think I have a pretty good understanding of the organization. We do a lot for not much expense when you think about it, except of course, for those millions it takes to make the larger acquisitions. I would bet that the employees, board members, committee members, and volunteers are as dedicated to this community as any organization in our area. I have watched the organization grow from having only an executive director with a part-time secretary and a very small cadre of volunteers to what we are now. We need to continue to grow, however, because so much is expected of us. Solano Land Trust protects farmlands and open space, manages that land for its habitat and agriculture values, and provides public access where feasible. But in many ways we also serve as the county’s stand-in, unofficial park district. Personally, I hope the political winds and economy merge so we can have a park district. When that happens all of our accessible lands will be available to the public. Of course there are many other donation options out there, but Solano County is my home. My donations to Solano Land Trust help agriculture, habitat, and the county’s citizens. The lands that Solano Land Trust protects now will be protected forever. That is a really, really big deal in my mind. It has been a big deal to me for a long time. Now, luckily, I have the wherewithal to help financially. Ken Poerner, Land Steward President’s Message Linda Seifert, President Greetings! Despite a very dry winter, signs of spring growth abound at Solano Land Trust. First, the increase in Lynch Canyon’s hours of operation is exciting. By popular demand, the park is now open three days a week and 52 weeks a year! What a difference from only a year ago when Lynch Canyon was closed at the beginning of 2013 and then open only two days a week. The extended hours are the result of the Solano County Board of Supervisor’s commitment to supporting more access to Lynch Canyon and the efforts and work of both Solano County and Solano Land Trust staff. Well done all! Additionally, our Rockville Trails Preserve hikes continue their popularity. Last year, 22 hikes hosted hundreds of visitors. This year even more will be offered, with at least 30 docent-led hikes planned! A huge thank you to Volunteer Coordinator Natalie DuMont and her docent team. Be sure to thank her if you see her on our properties. The board is also growing and we are pleased to welcome our newest board member, Steve Pressley. Steve is a Vallejo resident who recently retired from the Greater Vallejo Recreation District, and continues to be a Lynch Canyon and Rockville Trails Preserve docent. Come out and meet Steve on the trails! Rush Ranch Roundup: It’s hip to be square at the Rush Ranch Open House Promenade, do-si-do, allemande… If you are of a certain age you may remember these words from middle school P.E. class. If not, I’d have to say you missed out. The words are commands from a caller given to four couples that face each other to make the four sides of a square. The dancers who follow the commands are square dancing. As demonstrated by Fairfield’s Twin City Steppers, square dancing is just one of the many activities to observe or take part in at the 24th Annual Rush Ranch Open House on Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Square dancing is good for your health and can add years to the lives of participants. Not only is it a great low impact activity, it’s also fabulous for keeping the mind sharp. Remembering all those calls exercises your brain and can potentially stave off age-related memory loss. Square dancing is a fun and regular social gathering and can be beneficial for emotional health. “I never met a stranger when square dancing,” said Jim Diffie, a former caller for the VacaValley Ramblers. Square dancing improves more aspects of your mental, physical, and social health than any other fitness activity. It’s not all country music, gingham, and petticoats either. These days you’re likely to hear rock, oldies, or pop, and can Join Twin City Steppers at the Rush Ranch Open House wear just about anything you like as long as your shoes are Photo: Karen Vittorio comfortable. Local clubs give free instruction and always welcome new members. Want to check out the action before showing up at a club dance? Step out to the Rush Ranch Open House, a fundraiser for the Come to the Rush Ranch Open House and see the Twin City Steppers. If you all-volunteer Rush Ranch Educational Council. Go for a horse-drawn dare, you can join the fun when the do-si-doers invite members of the audience to carriage ride, listen to old-time music, meet local craftspeople, and dance. take a scientist-led hike into the marsh. 2 solanolandtrust.org Karen Vittorio, Rush Ranch Educational Council Board Member Executive Director’s Perspective My grandmother loved the high desert. She often told me how my granddad taught her how to look very closely to see the desert’s beauty. She liked that only those that took the extra time would be able to find and enjoy the desert’s tiny wonders. At this writing, we are having our first rains of the winter, finally, in February. I don’t think Solano County is in danger of becoming a desert, but this drought is having a huge impact on our state and our county, as well as the Solano Land Trust lands, programs, and partners. Here are a few ways that the drought is affecting us. This year we anticipate that there will be very little grass on our lands. This has a major impact on our grazers. Solano Land Trust partners with cattle and sheep grazers of to keep our lands in working agriculture and to use grazing management practices to care for our important grasslands. Our grazers, along with many ranchers across the state, will either need to provide feed to their cattle or reduce the number of cattle that can graze on our dry lands. Those who rely on stock ponds and creeks for livestock water may also need to truck in water, or rely on water from wells this year. Another unfortunate consequence of this year’s drought is that the Jepson Prairie docents have decided not to offer tours this season. There just won’t be the plethora of wildflowers and other vernal pool creatures to share with visitors of Jepson Prairie. This has only happened once since the Jepson Prairie docents started guiding tours in the early 1980s. Of course there will likely be some resilient wildflowers, but without enough water to fill the vernal pools, we won’t have the beautiful flower rings that follow the pools’ slow evaporation cycle. Fire danger will likely be very high this summer. That means extra precautions for maintenance trucks and visitors on our properties, and likely more days when the fire marshal closes county parks. This may seem like pretty bleak news, and we all know this drought will have serious and long-reaching impacts. But, like everything, the drought also poses opportunities. The docents and scientists at Jepson Prairie will observe and learn from this extended drought, and their observations of how the flowers and creatures respond will add to the science data of vernal pools in California. Data collected by the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve at Rush Ranch is already showing increased salinity from last year. Over the next few years we will learn how the marsh ecosystem adapts to this drought and other changing conditions. Solano Land Trust is committed to adapting our practices to continue to be the best stewards of our lands we can be. We will use the data collected by our staff and partners to help us manage our lands during this drought and into the future. And for all of us that have been spoiled by the wildflower extravaganzas on Jepson Prairie and other Solano Land Trust properties, we may have to take a cue from my Welcome Field Steward grandparents and learn to look a little closer to find the beauty on what will likely be some very Jordan Knippenberg & dry lands this summer. (You can find another of Board Member Steve Pressley my grandmother’s favorites, a beautiful lilac tree, next to the blacksmith shop at Rush Ranch. When it’s in bloom you can’t miss the beauty or odor of this resplendent heritage tree.) Look closely and you will not be disappointed when you get outside and visit Solano Land Trust’s beautiful ranches and preserves. Nicole Byrd, Executive Director Carol Gilpin and Fleet Feet finishes first Carol Gilpin opened Fleet Feet in Vacaville in 2004. At the time there was only one race in Solano County. To increase that number, she supported races and helped many race directors get started. Fleet Feet now supports up to twelve different races in Solano County. “The Lynch Canyon run is probably the hardest course in Solano County,” she says. “People like me love it.” Carol Gilpin on the trail Carol has been a runner for 28 years Photo: Ryan Bates Photography and a trail runner since 2005. Fleet Feet has supported the Lynch Canyon Trail Run and Community Hike since the race began in 2008. Fleet Feet helps to advertise the event on Facebook and in its newsletter to 13,000 members. They also work with vendors to provide gifts to runners. Last year, Fleet Feet and New Balance provided running shoes for the male and female finishers for the 5K, 10K, and half-marathon. In the past, Fleet Feet has contributed track jackets, running socks, and gym towels. This mother of three has run the Lynch Canyon race when temperatures were in the high 90s and when it was pouring rain. “That’s the beauty of Northern California,” she says, referring to the changeable weather on the first Saturday in June. Carol says the number one reason that she supports Solano Land Trust is because she loves to be out in nature, and because it’s important to keep land open for people to enjoy. She has also enjoyed the relationships she has developed with the all-volunteer race committee and Solano Land Trust staff. “I like to support people who support the values and things I believe in,” she says. Aleta George, Vistas editor 3 Support Solano Land Trust Science on the Land: UC Davis graduate student combines old-fashioned fishing with new technology to help native fish thrive Every month for over 30 years, Peter Moyle and his team from the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California at Davis have dropped a big net off a boat and trawled the waters of Suisun Marsh in precisely the same locations. De Carion installs a responder in a Sacramento splittail On each visit, Photo: Sarah Ferner they follow a set course for a specific length of time, haul in the heavy net, carefully record the size and type of fish they catch, and then release their catch back into the water. One of the sites they visit each month is First Mallard Slough, a large tidal creek that connects Suisun Slough with Rush Ranch. Their observations and data reveal something that casual visitors to Rush Ranch often discover: Rush Ranch is special. Year after year Moyle’s crews catch lots of juvenile Sacramento splittail at Rush Ranch, suggesting that the marsh serves as a vital nursery for these native fish. One hypothesis for why young native fish frequent First Mallard Slough is because they us e it to access the even smaller channels that connect to it. These smaller channels are shallow, narrow, and curvy. They are called intertidal channels because they are full of water at high tide and expose deep oozy mud at low tide. The channels loop and curve, and split into even smaller branches that reach nearly all the way to the dry pastures that surround the marsh. To test the hypothesis that First Mallard Slough’s secret lies in its connection to intertidal channels, graduate student Denise De Carion created a research project that combines old-fashioned fishing with high-tech tools. Her research will help explain why First Mallard Slough is a refuge for native fish and how the natural tidal marsh at Rush Ranch functions. With that knowledge, scientists will be better equipped to mimic those functions in newly restored marshes, protect them in existing marshes as sea level rises, and bolster native fish populations. The old-fashioned fishing part of De Carion’s research is hard work. Each month, she installs a massive fyke net across the opening of an intertidal channel. It is no easy task to install the net held open by hoops, that needs to be anchored by hand into deep mud under seven feet of cold water. Once installed, the net blocks the main connection between a network of intertidal 4 solanolandtrust.org channels and First Mallard Slough. When the tide drains out, any fish who had been meandering through the marsh are swept into the net. After months of setting and retrieving this net, De Carion has documented that native fish are indeed swimming through the marsh’s narrower channels. Each time De Carion and her colleagues catch a young Sacramento splittail in the fyke net or in monthly trawls, they temporarily anesthetize it with natural peppermint oil, weigh and measure it, and then insert a tiny transponder inside its body. This is the high-tech part of the project. The transponder works like the FasTrak stuck to my car windshield, except these FishTraks are the size of a grain of wild rice. De Carion installed four tollbooths, more properly called arrays, in the marsh. Three are in adjacent intertidal channels and one is where the largest of the channels meets First Mallard Slough. Each time a fish travels through a tollbooth, a nearby computer records which fish traveled through and when. Combining data from all four tollbooths, De Carion can track when a specific fish enters and exits the channels. Preliminary results suggest that fish seem to be visiting the channels during the same high tides each month. Just like a commuter crossing a bridge, an individual fish may have its own particular travel routine and schedule. Through an unlikely combination of good fishing, muddy fieldwork, and utilizing the water-quality monitoring data collected by San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve at Rush Ranch, De Carion is determined to discover their routines and use that information to protect native fish and the marshes they depend on. Sarah Ferner, Education Coordinator, San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Tidal sloughs are nurseries for native fish Photo: Heidi Weiskel Where do you get your eggs? If you want to serve fresh local eggs to your family, you can either buy them at a farm stand, or like several Solano Land Trust staff members, gather them from your own backyard. Associate Director Deanna Mott’s interest in chickens began after a visit to Alexis Koefoed at Soul Food Farm. “We are going to get a goat, chickens, a cow, a pig, and plant a big garden,” she told her family when she came home inspired. The chickens arrived last Easter when her husband, Daman, brought home 12 baby chicks, a galvanized tub, a heat lamp, and three books on raising chickens. Deanna loves them. “They’re funny. They follow us around and we give them treats. They’re like pets.” The chickens roam free during the day on the Mott’s two-and-ahalf acres in Vacaville. In winter her chickens lay between nine and twelve eggs a day. The family eats more omelets, deviled eggs, and breakfast burritos than they used to. Tracy Ellison, another Solano Land Trust staff member, says that five of her six hens are laying and keep the family fed. Solano Land Trust’s business manager, Anne DeLozier, and her partner, Darrin Berardi, have about 20 chickens in Suisun Valley. “We have a big garden, too,” says Anne. “It all goes together.” The garden clippings go to the chickens and the chicken poop from the coop goes to the garden. Their favorite chicken is “Tuft,” an Araucana. The rump-less breed has tufts, but Tuft only has one. “She makes blue-green eggs and has the biggest attitude,” says Anne. “We love her. She’s got personality.” It doesn’t have to be the chicken before the egg. Personally, I go straight for the eggs. One of my favorite rituals from May to November is to drive out to Suisun Valley on Friday afternoons to pick-up my CSA box from Shooting Star, and then get eggs from the Hall brothers down the road. Deanna Mott’s chickens out for a stroll Photo: Deanna Mott Isaac, 18, and Jacob, 15, sell eggs as a 4-H project started by their father, Mark Hall, four years ago. The boys took the business over and for several years now have headed to the coop to gather, wash, and carton eggs seven days a week, 365 days a year. In the summer they sell 1,150 dozen a month (13,800 eggs), and in winter they sell 566 dozen (6,800 eggs). Thirty-five percent of their eggs are sold on the farm from a refrigerator (self-serve), and the rest are sold to restaurants in Napa and San Francisco. In Napa, their eggs go to Don Giovanis, Fumé, Be Love Farm 7071 Bucktown Lane ZuZu, and Grace’s Table. San Francisco chefs Vacaville, CA 95688 crack open their eggs at RN 74, Bourbon cafegratitude.com Steak, Flour + Water, and Central Kitchen. (Roadside stand on weekends The Hall brothers have two flocks in their starting in March) open-air coop. The older flock has around 200 Grabish Farm chickens. They started the newer flock with 7131 Batavia Rd. 700 chicks, and it’s now down to 400. (I saw Dixon, CA 95620 grabishfarm.com these chicks in special heated rooms when I (Roadside stand on Sunday starting went to get my eggs last summer!) Mother’s Day, 10-4. For heritage Both boys are students at Justin-Siena meat or duck eggs call or text Amy High School in Napa. Isaac will start as a at (707) 689-2960) freshman at Colorado State University next Isaac & Jacob Hall year to study computer science. Jacob is 5181 Gordon Valley Road active in sports and was voted MVP at his Fairfield, CA 94534 school. (Self-serve 7 days/week during The future for these young men is bright, daylight hours. Open now.) and will likely pull them away from their egg Soul Food Farm business, but for now, the eggs come first. Farm Fresh Eggs Aleta George, Editor Isaac and Jacob Hall inspect their eggs for sale Photo: Aleta George 6046 Pleasants Valley Road Vacaville, Ca 95688 soulfoodfarm.com (Roadside stand starting mid-March. Thursday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Farm olive oil on sale now. Email [email protected] 5 Get Outside Richard and Cathy Christo support Solano Land Trust as donors, docents, and volunteers Cathy Christo brings a unique perspective to Lynch Canyon. As an appointed juror on the Solano County civil grand jury in the early 1980s, she and the other jurors were charged with investigating whether or not Lynch Canyon should become a garbage dump. In 1984 the citizens of Solano County voted against the landfill, which helped open the way for Solano Land Trust to purchase the property. Cathy and her husband Richard have always loved to hike. Before Lynch Canyon was open to the public they drove to Sugarloaf State Park, Point Reyes National Seashore, Sunol Regional Wilderness, Diablo State Park, and Napa Skyline. Now that Lynch Canyon is open, they have a place in the hills to hike that is closer to their home in Benicia. When Solano Land Trust was looking for docents at Rockville Trails Preserve, they applied. I joined Richard, 69, and Cathy, 67, for a New Year’s Day Hike at Rockville Trails Preserve. My friends and I were impressed with the pace these great-grandparents set. Richard and Cathy are both retired. He was an electrical engineer and she ran a computer lab at Mary Farmer Elementary School in Benicia. In addition to being docents and helping on workdays, Richard and Cathy are donors. “We like to have open space around so that we can enjoy it, and that’s the best way to do it here in Solano County,” says Cathy. Richard, who grew up in Benicia, says that Solano County has always been an agricultural area and it’s Cathy and Richard Christo in Gualala Photo: Angelo Calub important to make sure that at least some land remains agricultural. Both of them miss the orchards that lined Interstate 80 where the car dealerships, truck scales, and Budweiser plant now stand. The Christos want to see more people getting out to enjoy our open spaces. They suggest going to the Solano Land Trust event calendar at solanolandtrust.org to find a hike or walk that sounds interesting. “Solano County has so much diversity, and each docent has a different interest” says Richard. Aleta George, Vistas editor Thank you Solano Land Trust contributors With you as partners, we help farmers and ranchers keep their land in agriculture; we steward our lands and share them with the public; and we connect the community to these lands. Business partners A & B Appraisal Service All Star Rents Alta Mesa Group, LLC Anderson Ranches Archer & Ficklin Bay Area Ridge Trail Council Berardi Chiropractic Clinic California Endive Farms Conservation Partners Dixon Ridge Farms EDF Renewable Energy Favaro Lavezzo Gill Caretti & Heppell First Northern Bank Fleet Feet Sports, Vacaville Grant Bennett Associates Intero Real Estate/Showcase Properties Kaiser Permanente KUIC Radio MagPies Catering Medic Ambulance Navy Federal Credit Union Nomad Ecology NorthBay Healthcare Foundation Northern CA Carpenters Regional Council PG&E Corporation Foundation Placer Title Company Potrero Hills Landfill, Inc. Recology Vacaville Solano 6 solanolandtrust.org Reveille Farms Ring Hunter Holland & Schenone, LLP Robben Ranch Sacramento Municipal Utilities District Solano Garbage Company Republic Services, Inc. Superior Farms Syar Industries Symantec Team Superstores The Wiseman Company Tolenas Spring Cattle Co. Valero Benicia Refinery Valley Farm Transport Wooden Valley Winery Yumi Wilson Photography Government agencies and other organizations Access Adventure Bank of America Matching Gifts Brewster West Foundation California Community Foundation California Department of Fish and Wildlife California State Coastal Conservancy California Waterfowl Chevron Employee Match Fund Contra Costa Hills Club Genentech Givingstation Jepson Prairie Docents Land Trust Alliance Rush Ranch Educational Council S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation Shell Oil Company Foundation Matching Gifts Program US Fish and Wildlife Service Natural Resources Conservation Service SF Estuary Partnership United Airlines Foundation Eco-Skies Members Chris Abess Lynn Abess Linda Adams Roland Adickes Judith Adler William & Anna Adorno Jassen Aitkens Mark Alburger Arden “Chip” Anderson Bruce R. Anderson Ian & Margaret Anderson John Anderson Editha Aquino Gary Archer Harold & Charlene Archibald Larry Ariyasu Greg Arnold Mike & Kathy Arnold Terry Ash Mark Atkinson Gerald Aubert Kari Auger Joy & Robert Augusto Thomas Backer Mary Bahn Lisa Baldwin Larry & Lisa Balestra Chris Bandy Roger & Jeanne Bane Les Barclay Heath Bartosh Barbara Basham Jack & Leslie Batson Bay Nature Magazine Richard & Carolyn Beahrs Carolyn Beck Ruth & Rick Begell Richard Beidleman Sancha Belda Bellato Grading Daniel Bello Magnus Bennedsen Linn & Mona Benson Darrin Berardi Bob & Carol Berman Elizabeth Berteaux Tray Biasiolli Blacksmith Cellars Dale & Betsy Blackwell M. Blanco W. Bradley & Karrie Blewett Rene Bojorquez Tamara Bojorquez Jordan Bonfante Loyd & Michael Bonfante Susan Bonilla, CA State Assembly Jeff Bonneville Brian Bottari Charles “Chip” Bouril Bill Boyce Eugene & Debra Boyce Roy & Sonia Bradeson Barbara Brady Jane & Richard Braun Christina Brennan Mel Breshears John Briggs, Jr. John Briscoe Mark & Nicole Brown Diana Browning Erik Bruce Bob & Darlene Bruley Jr. Ray & Beverly Brun Craig Bryan Carol Brydolf Jo Anne Bucsko Bud’s Pub & Grill Dennis Bunting Larry Burch Moira Burke Ricky & Elena Burnett Michael Burns Jill Butler Nicole Byrd Chris Cake Cal Yee Farms Califonia State Horsemen’s Assoc. Region 1 Kris Callahan Scott Callahan Elnora Cameron James & Dianne Campbell Suzanne, Bridget, & Randy Carlson David & Ricki Carpenter David Carroll Carole Lynnie Carvalho Phillip & Kelli Cary Leslie Casazza Dave Caseboldt Bob Casillas Thomas Casselberry Cast Iron Grill Castaneda Bros. Produce David & Joanne Castro James & Nancy Chang Richard Changus Brandon Charles Lisa Chavez William Chen Continued on page 7 Thank you contributors: Continued from page 3 Rob Chernosky Alberta Chew Hal Childs Cathy & Richard Christo Steven & Georgia Chun Parker Cirillo Gary Clark Michael Clarke Heather Coder Richard & Molly E. Cohen Guido Colla Constance Collins Rich Collins Evelyn Colombo Barbara Comfort Terry Connolly Cool Patch Pumpkins/2M Enterprises Mark Cooley Matt Cooley Patricia J. & Larry R. Coons Lawrence & Crystal Cooper Michael & Dallas Cooper Patricia Cooper Arletta Cortright Jim Cotant & Franklin Hernandez Jean Courtney J Ann Cousineau Jim Coustier Ken & Erin Cox Anthony Craig Craig Denisoff Consulting Mary Beth Crittendon Jean Crossley Rick Crowell Fortino Curiel Margaret Curtis David Curtiss Andrea Custodio Dora Dana Arley Dann David Danzeisen Annalisa David Ronnie Davis Roger Day Javier De La Garza Ken & Heather de Vries Allan & Jennifer Deal Scott Decker Jeremy DeGuzman James & Laura Dekloe Suzanne Dennis Marlene Dessel Verenise Di Salvi Edgar Diaz Michelle Dickey Barbara Dillon James Dirks Jeff & Leslie Dittmer Dan & Kathleen Dixon The Doctors Group Bill Dodd Ellen Levine Dodd Sarah Donovan Debby Doolittle Paul Doolittle Roberta Dubois Karl Dumas Natalie DuMont Jared Duncan Ryan Duncan Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc. Steven Dunsky John Dutcher Martin Duvall Michael Dyett Eagle Eye Engraving Eatwell Farm Marge Edman Gene Ekenstam Bob & Margaret Eldred John Ellison William & Marisa Emlen Harry Englebright & Eve Somjen Frances Enkoji Erickson Ranch Adrian & Alison Espinoza Malcolm Evett Mike & Deborah Faaborg Mike & Lorna Fadden Gian L Fagan Martin R. Falarski Gary Falati Marilyn Farley & Duane Kromm Farmers/Millhollin Insurance Veronica Favela-Diaz Favela’s Fusion Mark Feighner & Major Woolard Dave & Diane Feinstein Joseph Feller & AmyNoel Coughran Harvey Felt Tim Finley Five Dot Land & Cattle Jorg & Mimi Fleige Daryl Fletcher Donna Fletcher Burt Foon Ed Forbush Michael Fortney John Foster Foster’s Big Horn Bodil Fox Zachary Franklin Jim Frazier Ellen Fred Nancy Friedman Todd Frigard Dean Frisbie Eric Fromer Donald & Michele Frost Robert Frost Edward Fry Elizabeth Fry Sarah Futterman-Devies Theresa Gabel Craig & Sandy Gainza Alicia Gallagher Galvan Wine Services/Galvan Family Cellars Susan Garbini & Ian MacGregor John & Susana Gardner Ron & Lena Garland Garland & Associates Celeste Garrett Louise Garrison Gates Ranch Annette Gaul Maureen Geiger Aleta & Dave George Erik Gholson Gibson Canyon Farms Nancy Giffin Roy & Cindy Gill Craig Gillespie Gillespie & Verady MD’s James Gladfelter & Bill Chiat Valerie Glass Glasshoff Farms James Gloege Jan Cox Golovich Jerry Gonzales Glen & Sheila Grant Green Valley Painting, Inc. GreenValley Cigars Joy Gridley Kitty Griffin Warner Griggs Dr. Hank & Alice Grill Daniel Grimes Nancy Gronert Judith & Charles Gronroos Paul Grunland Dirk Gullion Arthur & Geraldi Hacker Robert Hale Mark Hall Brian Ham Neil & Elaine Hamilton Richard & Stacy Hamilton Neil Hamilton, III & Janet Gusukama Douglas Hammer Gary Hansen James Hanser Margaret Hargas, D.C. Eileen Harmon Martha Harnley Dilenna & Rob Harris John & Erin Hasbrook Neil & Ann Havlik William & Dorothy Hawkes Phil Hawtin Bonnie Hayes Maryellen Hayes Michael Hayes Hearing Services of Fairfield Barry & Ellen Hecht Heffernan Insurance Brokers Carol Heim Alison Helms Hemostat Laboratories Dorothy Herger Paul Gary Herman George Hicks Jane Hicks Nancy Hiestand & Dean Vogel Grace Hindes William & Phyllis Hinson Kathy Hoffman Howard Hoffman & Nancy McCoy Phil Hofland Don Holman Diane & Julian Holt Monte Hoover Kyle Hopkins Steven Horn Sara Hostetter Mary Houghteling Clyde Huff Dave Humes Lee Humes Archie Humphrey Frank Huzel James & Bruncelia Hynson Iron Steed Harley Davidson John & Valain Isaacson Johnny Jackson Tiffani Jacobs Alfred & Bonnie Janssen Susan Jellema John “Mich” Jessop Paul & Stacey Jeuris Bert Johnson Beth Johnson Brandon Johnson Brett Johnson Dylan Johnson Laurie Johnson Mike Johnson Sarah Johnson William & Nancy Johnston Carol Kalamaras Family Gerald & Theresa Karr Albert Katz Katz and Company Ken Keeler Kristine Kelleher John & Diane Kelly Jerrold Kemp Christine & Nick Kenaston Anne Kent Jeff Keppert Kim Kevan A. Jerru Keyser Mahmoud Khojasteh Dave & Sue Killian Ernest Kimme Barbara Kimsey Angie Colla King Brian Kinnaird Jason Kirgan Steve Kirnig Michelle Kitts Bobby Klein Doris Klein Phil Kohlmetz Theodore Kolda Steve Korn Ruth Korte Grant Kreinberg La Ferme Soleil Carol La Russa Ryan Labar Joey Lafoni Ray & Nancie Lagomarsino Jody Lane Dorothy & Blaine Laney Mitch Larkin Marty Larsson Albert Lavezzo John David Lawson Zachary Leary Tom Ledig Ron Lei Saskia Lembesis Marlies Lenigk Robin Leong Steve Lessler Paul Lester Russell Lester Janet Leventhal Geoffrey Lewis Karlyn Lewis Irma Liberty C. E. Lillevang Ian Lillibridge Dave Lindsay & Maggie Ingalls Ed & Susan Lippstreu Todd Lipson Dorothy & Wayne Little Susan Lloyd Tom Lockard Lockard-Marduel David Loeb Roberta Logan John Long Robert Loomis Michael & Tony Loscotoff Richard Lotsch Lowe’s Fairfield Lowe’s Vallejo David Lydick Matt Lynch Robin & Dan Lynde Bruce & Cindy Lyon Janet Mackey & Ronald Ketter Macroplastics, Inc. Suzanne Maddux Joy Malinowski Joyce Mamer Rudy & Marilyn Manfredi Mangels Vineyard Mankas Hills Vineyards Mankas Tapas Bar & Steakhouse David & Kathleen Marianno David Maroney Martell Ranch Lewis & Rhonda Martin John Mason Ian Massey Ginny Matchette Greg Matthews Katherine Mawdsley Leager McBroom Randie McCarthy Don McDonald Monatte McGee Sherry McKillop Kathy McKinney-Tovar Morland McManigal Eleanor Meadows Ivan & Robin Meadows Meeks Lumber & Hardware Roger Mendelson, M.D. Carol Mendoza Merchant & Main Grill & Bar Meridian Jacobs Sharon Millan Donald Miller JD Miller Beth Miller & Michael Friedman Louis Millhollin James Milner Jane Mitchell Karl & Sharon Molin Eileen Mols Joseph & Penny Moore Melissa Moore Fidel Moralez Nancy Morin Lane & Linda Morrison Danielle Moser Deanna & Daman Mott Scott Moyer Pamela Muick Carla Murphy Gordon Murphy Carol Muscolino Sylvie Nalezny Robbie Nash Natural Science Guild of the Oakland Museum Cord Neal Nancy & John Nelson Pam Nelson Larry Newhall Laurel & Dru Nielson Noble Apiaries LLC John Nogue NorthBay Healthcare Trauma Dept. Northern California Driving Club Mary Ann Nortier Donna Nunes Jim Oakham Marlowe & Lou Oberti Ocho Verde Farm O’Connor Lumber & Ace Hardware Gayla Odle Bill Oliver John & Rita Onsum Daniel & Sannie Osborn William Ostrander & Janice Johnson Eva Palm Jennifer Palmer Marc Pandone Tracie Pannell Bob Parker Ann Parkinson Ron & Patty Parmele Carole & Craig Paterson Elizabeth Patterson Barbara Pearce Ronald Peck Constance Pedron Karen Peitz Joel Perlstein Richard Perry Ken & Sue Peters Betty Phillips Bob Phillips Roy Phillips VIncent & Wendy Phillips Cynthia Pike Gary & Leslie Pilkington Jeannine Pires Alan & Alice Plutchok Robin C. Plutchok Todd Plutchok Ken Poerner Harry Pollack Mickey Porfumo Stephen Power Steve Pressley & Jody Lane Doris Procter Esther Pryor Purple Pearl Vineyards Lt. Col. James L. Quarry Richard Quinn Sean & Jan Quinn Dawn & John Ramm Mark & Cheryl Raudelunas James & Patricia Reikowsky Genele Rhoads Rhett Richardson Everett & Jean Riehl Shannon Riggs Jennifer Riley Jon Riley George Rivera Gene Robben William Robbins Garret Roberts Rock Creek Vineyard Julie Rodriguez Sandy Rodriguez Marie Roehm Chet & Phyllis Rogaski Terry Rogers John Rosenberger Peter Rosenfield David Rossi Nancy Rossi Sheila Ruhl Cindy Rutledge Linda Rydjord Shuny Sagara Sailor Jacks Lawrence Sander Jesse Santos Martin Sargent Phillip & Annette Saroyan Christopher & Mary Scharenbrock Marvin & Jeri Schechtman Tom Schene, Schene Enterprises, Inc. Susan Schneider Sean Schneidewind Darrell Schramm Laurie Schremp Linda Schrupp SCI Consulting Group Mary Scibek J. Donald Seaver Mike Segala Linda Seifert Sepay Groves Stephanie Serbe David & Rebecca Sgambati Nancy Shaffer & Bud Siemens Alvina Sheeley Brooks Sherman Walter Sherwood Sam Shin Mike Shipley Randy Shoopman Mark & Ann Sievers Betty Silva John Simms Brad Simonds Ray Simonds Todd Simonds Igor Skaredoff Brian Slattengren Rena Smilkstein Matt Smith Gregory Smith Pete Smith Barbara Smithson Marilee Snider Solano Mushroom Farm Linda Sonner Mario Soriano Gale D. Spears Don Springer Jeffrey Stanhope Barbara Steinberg Debra & Robert Steiner Ward Stewart Sticky Rice Chinese Bistro Peter S. Straub Stephen Stringer Carolyn Strout Barry & Cathleen Sugarman Summit Properties Dave Sunseri Katherine & Stuart Swabacker Earl Swenerton Family Todd & Loretta Swickard Dan Sykes Jaan & Leann Taagepera Mary & John Takeuchi Nick Tavenier Brian Taylor Richard Taylor Stuart & Kelly Taylor Nathan Temple Tenbrink Family Vineyards Chris Terry The Lessler Group Mike Thompson, U.S. Congressman Jody Tice Daniel Tilly Susan Timm Bud & Lenny Tonnesen Marc Tonnesen Scott Tonnesen Mary Tooby & Alex Aiu Jim Tovar Carol Tranter Sarah Trimble Pia Tucker, DVM Russell Turnbull Tom Turpen Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of North Bay Valentine Capital Asset Management Vern Van Buskirk, LtCol, USAF (RET) Nicholas Van Male & Susan Wilkinson Robert Van Vranken Steve & Sanae Vancil Matt Vander Sluis Kary Vangorder Elizabeth Varnhagen Gayle Vaughan Kyle Vernon Linda Vest Donald Victery Viking Propane, Inc. 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Spears Staff Nicole Byrd, Executive Director Deanna Mott, Associate Director Anne DeLozier, Business Services Manager Natalie DuMont, Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator Tracy Ellison, Conservation Project Coordinator Debi Lucas, Administrative Assistant Jordan Knippenberg, Field Steward Janet Mackey, Conservation Director Monatte McGee, Rush Ranch Steward Ken Poerner, Land Steward Sue Wickham, Project Manager Aleta George, Editor, SLT Vistas WG Design Group, Graphics, SLT Vistas Logo design based on original art by Don Birrell Our Mission Statement Solano Land Trust permanently protects natural areas, working farms, and ranchlands in Solano County and connects our community to these lands. facebook.com/Solano.Land.Trust solanolandtrust.org 8 Your 501(c)3 public benefit organization since 1986. Get Outside: Lynch Canyon inspires mother and daughter to hike the nation’s grandest canyon On an unseasonably warm and sunny winter day, my youngest daughter, Delaney, and I headed out to Lynch Canyon for some nature-focused recreation. It’s always a gift to have one-on-one time with my daughters. I’ve learned that they need it as much as I do, although I’m not sure they recognize that just yet. As we headed toward the reservoir on Lynch Road we talked about Temple Grandin as we passed a cattle chute, discussed how the trees that canopied the road reminded us of hiking through a forest in Germany, and debated over whether a small cow lying down was dead or alive. As we pushed ourselves up the steepest part of Tower Trail I was acutely aware of the fact that not working out and running lately has greatly impacted my endurance. I was also grateful that this body can still keep up with my 16-year-old who is in stellar shape! It was at this moment that Delaney suggested we hike the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim. I’m always up for a challenge and thus the planning began! We talked about a training plan, how to pack, what kind of a first-aid kit we would need, how much water and what kind of food we would take, where we would sleep, and whether we could stand each other if we went for four days without a shower. We wondered what wildlife we would see, and discussed the potential risks and dangers of such a trip. No matter what’s on my to-do list, I never turn down an opportunity to be out in nature with my kids. It doesn’t happen as often as I’d like, but it’s always a memorable occasion. If we’re going to get across the Grand Canyon, we better start making these hikes a priority! About the small cow we saw lying so still earlier – he was alive, after all. Delaney Mott above Lynch Canyon reservoir Photo: Deanna Mott For all upcoming events go to solanolandtrust.org Deanna Mott, Associate Director