Sonoma Land Trust brings lawsuit over conservation easement violations to successful conclusion

Ranch along Highway 37 will remain in agriculture
National land trust community watched case closely

October 29, 2008
After a three-year lawsuit with the owners of the 528-acre Lower Ranch (also known as Carneros River Ranch) along Highway 37 near San Pablo Bay, the Sonoma Land Trust is pleased to announce a successful settlement that upholds the agricultural conservation easement on the property, pays the Land Trust’s legal fees, and ensures that the landowner’s activities will protect the agricultural resources on the property.
Go to press release.

 

Deal signed to acquire and protect Jenner Headlands

Sonoma Land Trust and Open Space District partner to preserve 5,630 acres on Sonoma Coast

Sonoma Land Trust agrees to manage property

October 9, 2008
The Sonoma Land Trust has signed an agreement to purchase the 5,630-acre Jenner Headlands for $36 million, the single largest conservation land acquisition in Sonoma County.

Made possible through collaboration with the project’s main funding partner, the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (SCAPOSD), as well as the State Coastal Conservancy, the Wildlife Conservation Board, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the purchase will lead to a major new open space preserve in the Bay Area.

Located north of the town of Jenner where the Russian River flows into the Pacific Ocean, and extending for 2 ½ miles north along Highway 1 and inland toward Cazadero, the coastal property offers dramatic views, redwood forests, multiple watersheds, fish-bearing streams and abundant wildlife, as well as the opportunity to provide public access and a spectacular segment of the California Coastal Trail.
Go to press release.

Eat right off the farm at Slow Food benefit for Sonoma Land Trust
Chef John McReynolds to cook up “heaping platters of food” at Oak Hill Farm
July 31, 2008
Dinner doesn’t get any fresher or more flavorful than when the vegetables have been picked ripe from the fields that very day — and you’re dining at the farm itself! To celebrate farmers, the land and summer’s bounty, John McReynolds, former owner and chef of Café LaHaye in Sonoma, will create a special Slow Food dinner on the evening of the full moon of Monday, September 15, at Oak Hill Farm (14805 Sonoma Highway, Glen Ellen). An optional farm tour will begin at 5 pm; dinner will be served at 6:30 pm in the White Barn, with live music to follow. Tickets cost $80 per person or $70 plus one used kitchen knife for Slow Food members (knives will be sharpened and donated to the Sonoma Community Center kitchen). Proceeds from the evening will benefit the Sonoma Land Trust and the Sonoma Community Center. Go to press release.

Sonoma Land Trust Celebrates Food & Land at Slow Food Nation
Slow Dinner and Slow Hike invite people to connect taste and terroir
July 31, 2008
Among the many offerings at Slow Food Nation, the unprecedented event paying homage to sustainably raised local and seasonal food, will be a Slow Dinner at Aziza Restaurant in San Francisco and a Slow Hike at the Sonoma Baylands, both put on by the Sonoma Land Trust. Protecting agricultural lands from development is part of the Land Trust’s mission, and both the Slow Hike and Slow Dinner will stir the senses and cultivate an appreciation for the bounty and beauty of Sonoma County. Go to press release.

Tax incentive renewed for landowners who donate conservation easements
Second incentive will help recover endangered wildlife
June 25, 2008
The Farm Bill passed last month by Congress renewed a conservation tax incentive, authored by North Bay Congressman Mike Thompson, that helps maintain family farms and ranches and protects natural lands for future generations. This incentive has been responsible for the preservation of more than one million acres across the country over the previous two years and is available to landowners who donate voluntary conservation agreements limiting their development rights to land trust organizations. Go to press release.

SLT Secures Two Grants for Wildlife Habitat Restoration and Interpretive Center at Sears Point
March 17, 2008
The Sonoma Land Trust and Sonoma County Regional Parks are the recipients of a $1 million federal grant through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) to fund construction of two major wildlife habitat restoration projects in the North Bay. Go to press release.

Sonoma Land Trust Protects Over 1,750 Acres in December 2007
2007 closed with Sonoma Land Trust protecting 3 new properties - the Land Trust purchased the 1,665-acre Roche Ranch and the 40-acre “Gateway to the Cedars” parcel and recorded a forever wild conservation easement on the 30-acre Rock Fall Woods.   more...

Million Dollar Grant Will Help Fund Baylands Restoration
Sonoma Land Trust and the California State Coastal Conservancy are the recipients of a $1 million federal grant that will kick start the construction of SLT’s Sears Point Wetlands and Watershed Restoration Project next year. The award comes from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Coastal Wetlands Conservation (NCWC) Grant program, which provides funds on a competitive basis for acquisition of interests in coastal lands or waters, and for restoration, enhancement or management of coastal wetlands ecosystems.   more...

 

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