Bodega Land Trust 

Board of Directors


Mary Biggs, President
Bob Fink, Secretary
Eileen Jang, Treasurer
Susan Anderson
Sharon Welling Harston



Bodega Land Trust
Advisory Council


Harold Appleton
Registered Professional Forester, Certified Professional Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Specialist
 
Carl Blanco
Website administrator
 
Alastair Bleifuss
Director, Santa Rosa Creek Stewardship Program, former BLT Board member

Ann Cassidy
Board member, Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District

Ellie Fairbairn
Academic Administrator, University of California Davis, Bodega Marine Laboratory; BLT Walks & Talks; former BLT Board member
 
Hazel Flett
Shepherd; BLT Walks & Talks Program; BLT Journal editor
 
James Hansen
California Department of Fish & Wildlife
 
David Katz
Real State and Environmental Specialist
Past Executive Director of Farallones Institute and Sonoma Land Trust
 
Eric Koenigshofer
Former Chair, Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, former BLT Board member

Russ Pinto
Conservationist and environmental planner; former Board member

Allison Pharis
Real Estate Broker

Robin Rudderow
President, Rancho Bodega Historical Society; Lawyer
 
Subir Sanyal
Mycologist; chef

David Shatkin
Salmon Creek Watershed Council

Nick Tipon
Native American educator

 
Please read about our 15-year history of accomplishments in protecting diverse lands in our community, 
   educating the public on sustainable land use, and providing landowners and the community with opportunities to engage their love of the land.

Bodega Land Trust

Table Of Contents

 

History

The Bodega Land Trust was formed in 1992 and received 501(c)3 tax-exempt status in 1997.  Initially formed by local sheep ranchers to encourage the preservation of agricultural open space, the organization has evolved into a vital grassroots organization that encourages and supports community involvement in land stewardship. 

Local participants manage easements, conduct educational programs and restoration activities, and support community efforts. Protected land includes approximately two miles of riparian corridor, old growth redwood forests and coastal prairie. Most easements are located in the Salmon Creek Watershed, protecting important habitat for salmonids and other threatened and endangered species, and open space for visitors to the Sonoma Coast.

The Bodega Land Trust is a founding member of the California Council of Land Trusts, and member of the Land Trust Alliance and the Sonoma County Farm Bureau.

 

Mission

Bodega Land Trust is dedicated to preserving and restoring land and its communities. We promote the appreciation of human interaction with plant, animal, and other species by encouraging wise and caring land use practices.  
We engage our community and draw from it in many of our activities.  Our primary focus is to maintain the agricultural and rural scenic character of western Sonoma County.  Bodega Land Trust helps to sustain our local resources through conservation and agricultural easements, restoration activities, education and community support.

Western Sonoma County is resplendent with the scenic beauty of rolling pastoral landscapes and sweeping ocean panoramas. Coastal prairie, forested hills and clear running creeks abound in this rural agricultural area.  Our coastal watersheds provide important habitat for threatened and endangered
species and an incredible biodiversity of plants and animals. We work to ensure that future generations can enjoy these treasures.

 

Conservation Objectives

Riparian and Watershed Values. Coastal watersheds in western Sonoma County support a variety of endangered and threatened species such as steelhead trout, California freshwater shrimp and red-legged frogs, and spotted owls.  Known causes for the threatened demise of these and historically known populations of Coho salmon include habitat degradation and decreasing summer time flow in the creeks and tributaries.  The Bodega Land Trust seeks to restore ecosystem balance by targeting riparian corridors and aquifer recharge areas for protection. We work with local watershed councils and agencies to develop and implement watershed plans that protect and restore riparian habitat, monitor and improve water quality, and restore or protect instream flow.  Appropriate forest and grasslands management is encouraged.

Agriculture is an integral part of the western Sonoma County landscape and economy. Generations of ranchers and growers have raised sheep, dairy and beef cattle, goats, grapes and other crops.  Terrain, infrastructure and soil are well suited for agriculture.  Corporate farming, estate taxes, regulations and development pressure make it difficult for agricultural families to stay in business or to maintain agricultural uses of land when landowners pass away.  At the same time, Sonoma County residents are placing increasing value on sustainable agriculture and eating locally grown food.  Bodega Land Trust helps sustain the local agricultural community by encouraging agricultural easements. We also provide landowners with assistance and referrals to expert resources regarding best management practices and environmental restoration.

Coastal Prairie and Forests.  The coastal prairie and coastal mist forests found in western Sonoma County constitute rare, threatened and important ecosystems in California.  Both support great biodiversity.  Much of the coastal prairie is currently utilized for agriculture.  Private, non-industrial landowners own over 65% of the forestland.  A number of factors including population growth, regulations and changes in the economy are creating pressure to convert forests and prairie to other uses.  Ensuring the continuity of these forests and prairies will allow for their continued good health and habitat value.  Bodega Land Trust works with various groups to identify large and small properties for protection that link habitat, pastures, forests, and nearby protected land.  Appropriate grazing protective of the coastal prairie ecosystem is supported via agricultural easements

View Sheds. The country roads of western Sonoma County provide some of the most delightful scenery in California.  Tourists and residents alike cherish the open pastoral panoramas, ocean views, rolling hills, and driving roads through redwood and coastal oak forests.  Over two million visitors travel up the Sonoma Coast each year.  Lands targeted for attention include those adjacent to or visible from Highway 12 between Sebastopol and the Coast Road, Highway 1, Coleman Valley Road, Bay Hill Road, Salmon Creek Road, Joy Road and Bohemian Highway.  BLT volunteers are actively photo-documenting the spectacular scenery.

 

Conservation Easements

A conservation easement is a means to permanently protect land with habitat, agricultural, scenic or historic values.  Land protected under conservation or agricultural easements remains in private ownership. Specific conservation goals and land uses are determined with the landowner.  Protections expressed in the easement are permanent and remain in force when the land changes hands.  Landowners can make an important difference in the landscape of the future by deciding to protect their land today.

A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a Land Trust.  Land Trusts are qualified nonprofit organizations set up specifically to conserve land and hold conservation easements.  The Land Trust must ensure that the terms of the easement are upheld.  This is usually done via annual monitoring visits to each easement by trained volunteer monitors.  Landowners typically manage and maintain the property, though the Land Trust can assist with projects or information that benefit or improve its conservation values.

A variety of financial options and tax incentives can help landowners achieve their conservation goals. In addition to income and, in many cases, property
tax benefits, conservation easements can significantly lower estate taxes sometimes allowing heirs to keep the land rather than having to sell it. Five percent of the value of the easement donation is normally required by Bodega Land Trust in order to cover the costs of on-going stewardship and defense of the easement.  This cost is generally much less than the tax benefits to the donor, who receives a tax deduction equal to the appraised value of the easement.

Easements can be donated or sold depending on the financial needs of the landowner. Other conservation options include donating all or part of the land
to a Land Trust, selling the land at a bargain price, or placing a conservation easement on the land prior to sale.   Each of these options can provide financial advantages