Making the old barn at Glen Oaks like new

Many of the buildings at Sonoma Land Trust's Glen Oaks Ranch in Glen Ellen are listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. The main residence and the barn were both constructed of stone and mortar around 1860 and have stood the test of time. But time does leave its mark and ever since we received the ranch from Joan Cochran in 2003, SLT has been working to seismically stabilize the buildings and keep them safe for human use. Our latest endeavor is to give new strength to the historic barn. With the help of an anonymous donation of $200,000, our contractor, Treeline Construction, is in the process of stabilizing the walls, replacing the roof, and refurbishing the doors and windows so that this magnificent example of early Sonoma Valley architecture will stand strong for many more years.

"IOOBY" students explore Estero Americano Preserve

Thanks to LandPaths' In Our Own Backyard (IOOBY) program and SunRidge Charter School, a class of fourth-grade students visited Sonoma Land Trust's Estero Americano Preserve this week for a day of exploration and discovery. Fun-filled activities of the day included raptor migration viewing with raptor expert Larry Broderick, a presentation about shorebirds and waterfowl with SLT and IOOBY volunteer "Duck Dave" Barry, and other environmental education activities, such as track casting and journaling at "sit-spots" on the knoll overlooking the tidal estuary. Many thanks to all the parents, teachers and LandPaths' IOOBY staff who made this day of exploration possible!

Raptor tally: 4 sharp-shinned hawks, 2 Cooper's hawks, 17 red-tailed hawks, 8 Northern Harriers, 5 American kestrels, 1 white-tailed kite and 32 turkey vultures. Not a bad day!

Forestry brown bag, September 27, noon–1

As you may recall, Sonoma Land Trust is a member of the Sonoma County Forest Conservation Working Group that convened the "North Coast Forest Conservation Conference" this past June, bringing together foresters, landowners, agency representatives and students. During the three days of dialogue and idea sharing, a constant theme emerged: How can forestry regulations be streamlined yet still protect the environment? Responding to this call for action, as part of its free brown bag series, the Group has invited Bill Snyder, CALFIRE's Deputy Director of Resource Management, to discuss forest regulation issues on Thursday, September 27, 2012 from noon to 1 p.m. Please bring your lunch and join us at the Sonoma County Agricultural and Open Space conference room at 747 Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa.

For more information, click here

Funds for fish on the Jenner Headlands

Work has begun on the Sheephouse Creek Sediment Reduction Project, which will help prevent approximately 13,500 cubic yards of fine sediment from entering the creek. Fine sediment from dirt roads can greatly degrade fish habitat by smothering spawning gravel and lowering the overall water quality. The focus of the project is to reduce sediment from entering the streams by upgrading and storm-proofing certain sections of road that are needed for property management, while retiring other sections of road that are no longer needed and are obsolete. This project is a partnership of the Sonoma Land Trust, Sotoyome Resource Conservation District and private landowners in the watershed, and is supported by a generous grant from the California Department of Fish and Game, which will help pay for much of the work.

Yes, we're in bear country!

Granted, this is a black bear in Napa County, but we have bears in Sonoma County, too! Congratulations to Felidae Conservation Fund and their Bay Area Puma Project for capturing this image with their remote camera. We posted it to Facebook last week and our Facebook friends went wild with more than 150 LIKES!

September 2012

Estero Americano Workday
Fri., Oct. 26, 9–3

Join in an erosion control workday at the scenic Estero Americano Preserve near the town of Bodega. Together, we will clean out water bars, install straw wattles, plant native grasses, and spread native seed and straw mulch. Bring your picnic lunch and binoculars for the spectacular views and sights of soaring raptors along the way.

Register here

In the News

Press Democrat

The new Jenner Headlands Management Plan was the focus of a front-page story by reporter Brett Wilkison on September 5. Readers learned about how we're going to heal the forest and the coastal prairie, and provide for greater public access.

Read it here

The Sunday Ag Briefs section highlighted the issue of uncapped hollow poles on ranches being deathtraps for birds and other small animals. As reported in last month's eNews, our interns have capped all such poles on Sears Point Ranch.

Read Ag Briefs

Streams and Creeks
fact sheet

One of our key management goals for the Jenner Headlands is to keep the creeks and streams running clean and clear. Read our new fact sheet to learn how we plan to do that.

Click here for fact sheet

Man in demand

Stewardship director Bob Neale has been quite in demand as a speaker this month. On September 7, he spoke, along with Pepperwood Preserve executive director Lisa Micheli, to the new class of the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy about the many services the land provides to us all. And on September 13, Bob spoke to Santa Rosa's Sunrise Rotary Club about the Sonoma Land Trust and our work along the coast, in the Sonoma Valley and at the Baylands.

Two ways to make a planned gift using
real estate

Because Sonoma Land Trust is set up to acquire land, it is uniquely qualified to handle gifts of real estate of any kind. Gifts of remainder interests in personal residences and farms subject to a life estate can be advantageous. You can deed your home or farm to the Sonoma Land Trust and reserve a life estate that allows you the use and enjoyment of the property for the rest of your life.

Gifts of property that may be sold and the proceeds used to support the work of the Sonoma Land Trust are particularly welcome. If you are considering a funded gift of your property for permanent conservation, or for information about different types of planned gifts, please call Beverly Scottland at (707) 526-6930, ext. 108.

Or email Beverly