Conservation Efforts
Explore the Land Worth Preserving
Photo: © Jerry Dodrill
Where We Work
Explore the impact of our work
Photo: © Jerry Dodrill
From its origins in the town of Bodega, the Trust has focused its efforts on protecting the local area roughly defined by the Sonoma Coast from Jenner to the Estero Americano and the watersheds of Salmon Creek and Dutch Bill Creek, a tributary of the Russian River.
Another completed project: The Rare coastal prairie meets the redwood mist forest in southwest Sonoma County
A conservation easement was granted to Bodega Land Trust in February 2021, culminating years of planning and effort.
The property includes the transition zone between coastal prairie and redwood forest and supports organic agriculture, incredible biodiversity, and habitat for several endangered and threatened species. Protection will include the aquifers and surface water that are a primary source for domestic water, livestock, and fisheries.
Bodega Land Trust will monitor this easement, and work with owners to establish and implement a management plan.
Conservation Easement on a Working Ranch: Rare coastal prairie meets the redwood mist forest in southwest Sonoma County
Just inland from the beautiful Pacific coast in western Sonoma County is an agricultural and environmental jewel with its own unique watershed. The significance of conserving this working ranchland and its native grasses, riparian habitat, and spring-fed creeks cannot be overstated. Threatened steelhead and freshwater shrimp can still be found in the creeks; endangered Coho salmon are being restored to waterways where they have not been seen for a decade. The coastal prairie and grasslands are temporary home to migratory birds and water fowl, particularly with the proximity to critical nesting grounds near Bodega Bay.
A conservation easement was granted to Bodega Land Trust in February 2021, culminating years of planning and effort.
The property includes the transition zone between coastal prairie and redwood forest and supports organic agriculture, incredible biodiversity, and habitat for several endangered and threatened species. Protection will include the aquifers and surface water that are a primary source for domestic water, livestock, and fisheries.
Bodega Land Trust will monitor this easement, and work with owners to establish and implement a management plan to protect the existing forest, riparian corridors, and coastal Prairie while allowing the property to remain a working agricultural ranch.
New projects
Bodega Land Trust is actively working on new conservation easements as well as undertaking a major planning update to its Strategic Plan.
Conservation Objectives
Forest – Wildlife – Riparian Corridors – Agriculture – View Shed Values
Photo: © Jerry Dodrill
Coastal watersheds in western Sonoma County support a variety of endangered and threatened species.
Steelhead trout, California freshwater shrimp and red-legged frogs, and spotted owls are all endangered. 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 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 along 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
Preserving Land, Protecting Legacy
Photo: © Jerry Dodrill
A conservation easement is a means to permanently protect land with habitat, agricultural, wildlife corridor, 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.
What is a conservation easement?
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement by which a landowner chooses to limit certain uses of his or her land to conserve natural and traditional values. Land placed into a conservation easement still belongs to the landowner, and the landowner retains the rights to use the land or pass it on to heirs. The landowner can live on and manage the land for farming, ranching, timber, recreation, and all other uses consistent with the conservation values the easement is protecting. The agreements are tailored to meet the particular needs and long-term goals of the individual landowner.
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.
What is the purpose of a conservation easement?
Conservation easements are used to achieve a variety of conservation purposes, including fish and wildlife habitats, view corridors, agricultural preservation, and natural resource protection. Bodega Land Trust’s conservation program focuses on maintaining water quality, family farms and ranches, scenic views, forests, riparian zones, pastureland, and recreational lands. There is no minimum or maximum acreage, although Bodega Land Trust is uniquely qualified to protect smaller parcels in western coastal Sonoma County.
How do you determine the value of a conservation easement?
The landowner hires an independent appraiser from an approved list to determine conservation easement values. These appraisers use the sale of similar properties and adjust for differences between those sales and the appraised property. They determine the fair market value of the property before the conservation easement is in place, and its potential value after the easement is in place. The difference between these two values is the conservation easement value. Since all land trusts are classified by the IRS as 501(c)3 charities the value of a donated easement counts as a charitable donation. Under current law it can be stretched over 15 years. The easement also reduces property taxes and potentially the inheritance tax. For more information please contact us or your financial adviser.
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.
How is Bodega Land Trust involved in the easement?
The role of Bodega Land Trust is to negotiate the terms of the easement and then ensure that the agreed-upon terms and conditions are honored. The conservation easement is recorded with the County in the form of a Grant Deed and is binding on successive owners of the property in perpetuity. In other words, it is forever. The easement outlines which activities are permitted or prohibited on the property, and the responsibilities of both the landowner and the easement holder to ensure these goals are sustained.
Once the easement is completed and filed with the County, our staff and volunteers conduct on-site visits to properties at least once a year with the landowner’s concurrence to monitor compliance with easement provisions. This is a perpetual obligation on our part to protect the public interest and to guarantee the land is protected forever.
Friends of Tannery Creek Reserve
Mark Jacobsen’s Donation Secures Tannery Creek
Photo by Steve Kelley
Bodega Land Trust is extremely pleased to announce Mark Jacobsen’s donation of Title to the important Tannery Creek Reserve (TCR) property to BLT. For almost 12 years, BLT has held a Conservation Easement on TCR, a beautiful 187.2 acre property that includes Tannery Creek canyon and its surrounding redwoods, owned by Mark Jacobsen. Mark is retiring sometime in the next several years and decided to protect TCR for the long term by donating the title to it to BLT, which was accomplished just before the New Year! Thanks to Mark for preserving this special property and for his support over the many years! BLT looks forward to working with the Tannery Creek Reserve Neighborhood Association, which together with Mark, has forged an impressive stewardship approach for the land. More on this exciting event in a future eNotes, but for now, suffice it to say that the Tannery Creek Reserve is truly protected for posterity.In December 2022, Bodega Land Trust (BLT) was extremely pleased to announce the generous donation of the title to the Tannery Creek Reserve (TCR) property by Mark Jacobsen and Pam Laird. TCR is an important and beautiful 187.2-acre property, featuring the Tannery Creek canyon and its surrounding redwoods. For nearly twelve years prior to transfer of title, BLT held a Conservation Easement on TCR, ensuring its protection and stewardship forever.
Preserving TCR for Future Generations
Mark Jacobsen’s retirement and subsequent move inspired him to safeguard TCR’s future by donating the property’s title to BLT. This meaningful transfer was completed just before the New Year, marking a significant step in preserving the land for the long term. The donation ensures that TCR remains protected and that its natural beauty can be enjoyed for generations to come.
Gratitude for Mark and Pam’s Contribution
BLT expresses deep gratitude to Mark Jacobsen for his dedication to TCR and his ongoing support throughout the years. His commitment to conservation and his decision to entrust TCR to BLT demonstrate his lasting impact on the community and on the land itself. Thanks to Mark’s actions, the Tannery Creek Reserve will continue to be protected and cherished well into the future.