Fall 2006 Vistas Newsletter, Solano Land Trust

8/3/2019 Fall 2006 Vistas Newsletter, Solano Land Trust

1/8

Presidents Messa

A Founders View

Fire on the Groun

Farmers DreamComes True

Dixon-DavisGreenbelt Expand

Burrowing Owls

Rush Ranch

Activities and Ev

l. 13 #3

Fall

2006

Continued on page 2

SolanoLandTrustlookstothefuture

olano Land Trust celebrates its 20th anniversary

his year. For this anniversary issue, we asked two

our ounding athersPresident Bob Berman

nd Board Member Frank Andrewsto reect on

hose twenty years. See their comments on pages

wo and three. Let me take this opportunity to

ook to Solano Land Trusts uture.

Solano Land Trust (SLT) is in the business o

reserving armlands and open space in perpetuity.

Have you thought about what perpetuity means?

The American Heritage Dictionary defnes it as,

Time without end; eternity.

So, upwards o two billion years rom now

ur heirs will still be the stewards o the land!

ts hard or me to get my mind around that.

We humans can hardly think fve or ten years

ahead, let alone millennia.

Within a more imaginable (and manageable)

timelinesay the next 20 yearsyou can rest

assured that SLT will continue to be guided by

our collaborative plans such as the Agricultural

Conservation Easement Plan and the nearly fnalized

resource management plans.

But how our county grows and changes over

the years will also have an indelible impact.

Consider, Solano County in the year 2006 has

the enviable record that 95% o the population

live within city limits compared to 82% statewide.

This record sets us apart rom many urbanizing

counties around the State.

Marilyn Farley, Executive Director

Solano Land Trust

celebrates 20 year

o protectingarmland, ranchlan

and open space in

Solano County

ictureperfectproperties


2/8

Presidents MessageBob Berman, President

FutureContinued rom page 1

Happy 20th Anniversary Solano Land Trust!I am proud o what Solano Land Trust has achieved

in the last 20 years and look orward to what we

can do in the uture. The work o SLT has added to

the quality o lie in Solano County. Much o what

happens here in agriculture, real estate, and tourism

depends on the land.

In 1987 we made our frst major acquisition with

the purchase o Rush Ranch. Always an important

property to us, Rush Ranch is now nationally

recognized as part o the San Francisco Bay National

Estuarine Research Reserve. More recently, we completed the acquisition o

the King and Swett Ranches rom PG&E, which together with Lynch Canyon

provide nearly 5,000 acres o permanently protected agricultural land insouthern Solano County.

We have also been busy protecting agricultural land through conservation

easements. Today, 14 properties ranging in size rom the 20-acre Rowe

property to the Perry Anderson and McCormack Ranches (each approximately

1,800 acres) are protected. Easements are a serious responsibility or SLT. We

monitor them annually and need to be prepared to enorce them orever.

The work we do, conserving land orever, adds important value and

beneft to the county. But there is much work still to be done. First, to

continue the protection o agricultural land, the SLT board adopted a plan

in 2002 to carry us into the uture. The Agricultural Conservation EasementPlan proposes to protect lands with highly-productive soils and adequate

agricultural water, while also seeking to protect large contiguous areas that

can support economically viable agricultural operations. SLTs goal over the

next 20 years is to protect between 20,000 and 40,000 acres o agricultural

lands with conservation easements. That amounts to approximately 1,000

to 2,000 acres annually.

Second, SLT will continue to acquire and manage open space land

that will serve as community buers today, but tomorrow will become a

cornerstone or a countywide regional park system. We will continue to

build on our conservation successes in the area between the cities o Benicia,Fairfeld and Vallejo by purchasing other lands that will one day be open to

the public. While SLT will continue to acquire these important lands, we

lack the fnancial resources to provide or the open space and regional park

needs o the entire county.

Recently, the Solano County board o supervisors agreed to work with SLT

to provide the necessary unding to operate the 1,000-acre Lynch Canyon as

a regional park. But more work needs to be done to secure a stable fnancial

mechanism so Solano County can have a regional park system that meets the

needs o all its residents. SLT is not the group to operate and run a regional

park system, but we will continue to work

our elected ofcials and citizens to ensure un

or such an entity.

On November 7, 2006, Caliornia resid

will have an important opportunity to pres

and protect Caliornias natural resource

voting YES on Proposition 84: The Clean W

Parks and Coastal Protection Bond. Much o

unding that SLT has received during the

20 years has come rom voter-approved b

measures like Proposition 84. Passage o

measure will help SLT continue to carry ou

mission in the uture.

So, lets lay out one uture vision or SLT

would serve us well:

SLT will help Solano County become a m

or the preservation o armlands, waters

and habitat.

SLT will expand its partnerships and fna

resources to restore pristine habitat thatbring visitors rom around the world.

SLT, partnering with the cities and county

create large permanent buers separating

urban areas.

SLT, again partnering with the county or a

district, will support daily public access on

open space preserves.

SLT, partnering with armers, will pres

wide swaths o the county using conserva

easements as an economic tool to uel armprosperity. Solano Countys easements a

model or eeding a uture world in w

ood security is a national priority, and w

childrenour legacylove eating t

carrots and other locally grown ood.

Editors Note: The Vistas, Summer 2004 i

eatured an article on SLTs history and is avail

at www.solanolandtrust.org.


3/8

Frank Andrews, Board Member

SLT represents constructive collaboration

olano Land Trust was ormed in 1986 as

art o the settlement o lawsuits challenging

he annexation o the land comprising the

Rancho Solano, Paradise Valley and Rolling Hills

ommunities to the City o Fairfeld. Under the

ettlement agreement, all o the new homes in

hose three areas were placed in a Mello-Roos

District, with its special taxes to go to SLT or the

urpose o preserving armlands and open space

n Solano County.

At the time Solano Land Trust was created, I

was in charge o managing the development o the

Rancho Solano Project.

I joined the SLT board o directors with some

repidation. Some o the other directors wererdent conservationists and had been responsible,

n varying degrees, or the lawsuit against the

Rancho Solano Project.

I was pleasantly surprised at the extent

o which all o the members o the board,

egardless o their attitude toward development

nd environmental politics, were able to work

ogether to accomplish the mission o SLT, which

is to permanently preserve Solano Countys most

valuable open space and armlands.

SLT has been successul because o the hard

work and dedication o its volunteers, executive

directors and employees. But it also owes it

success to the willingness o its board members

to keep it politically neutral in land-use politics

and because SLT has always used, as its tool or

preserving open space, either buying land outright

or paying or the rights to not develop it.

Since its ormation, SLT has been directly

responsible or preserving over 17,000 acres

o armland through ee-title acquisitions

and conservation easements. It has also been

recognized or its ability to manage land in ways

that maximizes its value or wildlie habitat and

or restoring lands that have been damaged by

overgrazing and other inappropriate agricultural

practices. SLT now owns 10,080 acres o land

in Solano County and has been able to open

a substantial portion o it or educational and

recreational purposes.

SLT represents the most constructive

collaboration ever between environmentalists

and the development community in Solano

County. I am proud to have served on its board

o directors these last 20 years.

Prescribed fre at Jepson Prairieclears path or native plants

Ken Poerner, Land Steward

Ater a two-year hiatus, fre returned to the Greater

epson Prairie Ecological Region, with about 50

cres burned.

Prescribed ire is extremely eective in

ontrolling aggressive, exotic weeds such as

medusahead grass. Burning can be a successul accomplished ater the seed o medusahead

as matured and beore it drops to the ground,

which is normally late May to early July in our

egion. Since its seed is not viable or more than

ne year, a successul burn can nearly completely

emove its seed bank.

In the past, I coordinated the prescribed fre

orts, which took at least fve days beore the

ctual burn. This year, the Suisun and Montezuma

Hills Fire Protection Districts did all the work. It was

a win-win situation

or both SLT and the

fre districts. They

got some great

training and SLT got

some ire on theground. We owe a

big thanks to Suisun

Fi re Protect ion

District Chie Ron

Glantz or making

this happen. I will

meet Glantz in the

near uture to share

my ideas on how to increase

the burned acreage next year.

Fire on the ground atJepson PrairiePhoto: Ken Poerner

Founders View


4/8

Second generation farmer acquires landand realizes dream

Rob Goldstein, Mitigation Coordi

For over a decade, Tom Galindo has leased land

rom Manuel and Ines Escano to grow crops such

as tomatoes and alala, with the hope o one daybuying his own arm. A recent project completed

by Solano Land Trust has helped Tom and his wie

Joy realize their dreams, while simultaneously

protecting prime armland near Dixon.

SLT purchased 237 acres rom the Escanos

and re-sold the property

with a conservation

e a s e m e n t t o t h e

Galindos at a reduced

price. Conservationeasements preserve

armland by removing

the right to develop the

property.

C o n s e r v a t i o n

e a s e m e n t s m a k e

armland aordable to

armers by reducing

the price o the land to

its agricultural value, says SLT consultant Greg

Kirkpatrick. In Solano County, rising land prices

have made it nearly impossible or many armers

to expand their operations, and or tenants like

the Galindos, to buy their own land.

Im a second generation armer, said Tom

Galindo. This is something Id always b

hoping to do, and something my ather alw

wanted too. Im a very lucky person or hathis opportunity, and am grateul to Ma

Escano and the Solano Land Trust.

The protection o the Escano prop

expands the area o preserved agricultural

in the region. The property is located adja

to the Vacaville-Dixon greenbelt, an agricult

buer zone established by the two cites a

Interstate 80. SLT considers armland in

Dixon area extremely important or preserva

because o the high-quality soils and strdevelopment pressure.

Grants rom the Caliornia Departmen

Conservation and United States Departmen

Agricultures Natural Resources Conserva

Service provided unding or the project. E

agency contributed $462,500. We are ple

that this amily arm will always remai

agricultural use, said Caliornia Secretary

Resources Mike Chrisman.

Solano Land Trust is continuing its eort

protect high quality armland in Solano County

organization is working to protect the 292-

Miles Farm, which will urther expand the Di

Davis Greenbelt, and a 593-acre property ow

by Saint Anthonys Parish south o Winters.

Keeping equipment tidy on the armPhoto: Greg Kirkpatrick

Tom Galindo, proud newowner o the Escano armPhoto: Marilyn Farley


5/8

SLT partnership expands Davis-Dixongreenbelt: Ebey-Laughtin farm protected

Wendy Low, Land Transaction Specialist

A newly-plowed corner othe Ebey-Laughtin prope

Photo: Marilyn Farley

ast October, Solano Land Trust, the Caliornia Department o Conservation, and the cities o Davis

nd Dixon were part o a group that purchased a permanent conservation easement on the 300-acre

McConeghy Farm that straddles the Kidwell Road interchange on Interstate 80.This summer, SLT partnered with the same team to add a second piece to this greenbelt. Nearly

2 million in state and local unding helped to purchase an agricultural conservation easement on the

46-acre Ebey-Laughtin Farm adjacent to McConeghy Farm north o the interchange. As part o the

omplex transaction, sisters Virginia Ebey and Jean Laughtin sold the arm to another local arming

amily that intends to expand the agricultural operations.

The Caliornia Department o Conservation provided $971,500 through the Caliornia Farmland

Conservancy Program to ensure the projects completion. Davis contributed $810,000, Solano Land

Trust $115,000, and Dixon $20,000. In addition, the sellers contributed $75,000 o the appraised

asement value through a bargain sale.

The ability to leverage state grants with local unding sources, such as the Davis AgriculturalMitigation Fund, make this type o armland preservation possible. Such signiicant inancial

ontributions demonstrate a strong commitment by all the unding partners. The cities and SLT

ecognize that without local unding readily at hand to match state grants, opportunities to achieve a

hared vision o protected armland and distinct communities in the I-80 corridor will be lost.

The McConeghy and Ebey-Laughtin properties

were combined or resale to arming interests.

Members o the Leatherby amily purchased the

ortion o the McConeghy Farm south o I-80 and

ntend to grow a variety o nut crops or use in

heir Sacramento-based amily ice cream business,

eatherbys Family Creamery. Their partners, Rich

nd Shelly Collins, purchased the northern portion

the McConeghy Farm and the Ebey-Laughtin

arm. Rich Collins is the president o Caliornia

egetable Specialties, the only commercial producer

endive in the United States. Collins is working

with a number o other local armers to create a

ommercial arming venture that demonstrates

ustainable arming practices and directly markets

roduce and locally-processed arm products to the public.

We are so excited to have the opportunity that lies beore us, Collins said. Ive had my eye

n this property or well over 10 years and actually met with Mr. and Mrs. McConeghy in 1996. As

ew owners we intend to honor the propertys agricultural past while enhancing and maximizing its

roductive uture and respecting the value o this wonderul open space.

Were very pleased to have been a partner helping to ensure that this historic armland, on prime

oils, is permanently preserved, said Marilyn Farley, executive director o Solano Land Trust. The

ew landowner has marvelous plans or an innovative agricultural enterprise that we hope will be an

gricultural model near rapidly urbanizing areas.


6/8

In winter, migratory burrowing owls (Athene

cunicularia) inhabit suitable low valleys o the Sky

Valley Cordelia Hills Open Space. Nationally, thisspecies is protected under the Federal Migratory

Bird Protection Act, and retains Species o Concern

designations in several states, including Caliornia.

Burrowing owl populations are now monitored

on several SLT properties, including the King and

Swett Ranches at Sky Valley.

The owls orm tight-knit colonies and are

relatively easy to view because they develop

attachments to specifc roost sites. Some owls

adorn their burrow entrances. Last winter, we observed a shiny aluminum oil wrapper

strategically placed at the burrow entrance o a

roost ound at King Ranch. A second, smaller owl

was soon sighted roosting repeatedly near the Tin

Foil burrow. Both owls roosted in close proximity

until mid-March, when the pair abruptly abandoned

the rolling grasslands, presumably dispersing to

established summer nesting territories.

Burrowing owls are petite, ground-dwellers

with sandy-brown markings and dainty white

spots. They are active during the day and at night,

and can oten be seen perched on ence posts,

mounds, or other objects in suitable habitats.

Owl pairs or subadults are oten associated

with expansive grasslands, small urban felds,

agricultural rangelands and armlands, or open

areas with low-growing vegetation, artiicial

canals or irrigation banks. They also make use o

airports, transmission or railroad right-o-ways,

gol courses, airgrounds, vacant lots, cemete

rural neighborhoods, and marginalized habit

Between February and April, six to eleggs are laid inside an underground nest. P

o owls usually use the same nest burrows

ater year. When threatened by predators (w

include raptors, coyotes, skunks, raccoons, sn

and domestic pets), the owls can emit sounds

resemble a rattlesnakes.

The North American breeding rang

burrowing owls stretches rom Canada to ce

Mexico. However, Caliornia supports the lar

breeding and wintering populations o burrowowls in the United States, with an estim

seventy percent o the documented bree

pairs occurring in the Imperial Valley o Sout

Caliornia, and approximately ten percent reco

rom the Northern, or mid-Central, Valley.

In the mid-1990s, there were estimate

600 pairs remaining in Solano, Yolo, Sacrame

Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Me

Counties. Many populations have signifca

declined, and have reportedly disappeared

Marin, Napa and San Francisco Counties. Fac

inluencing local declines include widesp

habitat loss, population ragmentation, native

non-native predation, rodent control pract

pesticide use, and vehicular mortality.

Solano County supports documented y

round, as well as migratory burrowing

populations. Migratory owls arrive in Septem

and October and depart in late March or e

April, while resident owls remain at or near

same sites year-round. In the past, this species

described as locally abundant, especially

Fairfeld. Current populations o resident owls

appear to be patchy or sparsely distributed in

southern portions o the county, but small colo

o migratory owls have been repeatedly dete

at Sky Valley. These migratory populations ar

important component o the oothill and v

landscapes in winter, and Solano Land Tru

committed to conservation-based stewardsh

this species on all o its properties.

Western burrowing owls spend wintersat Sky Valley Open Space

Andrea Henke, Conservation Bio

Solano Land Trust has new logo

Solano Land Trust is very grateul or the work o local artist Don Birrell whopassed away in June 2006. His heirs have graciously allowed SLT to adaptthis watercolor, used or signs along I-80 on our conservation easements,or our new logo. It captures Solanos natural beauty and rich agricultural

heritage and is a ftting way to celebrate our 20th anniversary.

To learn more about

burrowing owls visit

www.burrowingowl

preservation.org,

a Woodland-based

nonprot.

Burrowing owlPhoto: James Steinert


7/8

Excavator takes a bite oo old caretakers housePhoto: Kirsti Muskat

Rush Ranch challengecampaign extended

Marilyn Farley, Executive Director

For real-time weather

Rush Ranch go to

www.rushranch.org or

http://sbaynerr.org/

reserves/

I you came out to Rush Ranch in late August, you would

ave heard a lot o crunching and crashing as the old Rush Ranch

aretakers house came down. With help rom orty volunteers andne really big excavator, the frst groundbreaking step in building

he new Rush Ranch Nature Center began. With local rancher Ken

order detly handling the excavator, the volunteers scrambled

round separating scrap and salvageable lumber. The saety o the

olunteers was paramount, and Im happy to say that, aside rom a

ew sore muscles, the only damage done by the end o the day was

o the house itsel.

During the two-day demolition, we managed to fll six containers

with 220-cubic yards o lumber that will be chipped by the garbage

ompany or re-use. We also flled two 30-cubic-yard containers withverything else rom the house that will be sorted by the garbage company or recyclable metals. In

ddition, we salvaged plywood sheets, two-by-our lumber, ull-sized redwood posts, redwood two-

y-twelve boards, and over 200 eet o two-by-six redwood boards. The plywood and two-by-ours will

e used in the reurbishment o the power shed (ormerly the Rush Ranch duck hunting shack), and

he ull-sized redwood lumber will be used in our restoration o the horse corral. I estimate that with

ur eorts we diverted about 80 percent o the old house rom the landfll. We couldnt have done it

without the great volunteer turn out, and we thank all who came out to Rush Ranch or this eort!

Since early spring, SLT has been raising money

to match a $200,000 pledge rom an anonymous

donor. The deadline or raising this money, October

1, has now been extended to June 30, 2007.

Our anonymous donor has expressed his

appreciation or the progress made to date and

his confdence that we will succeed with the new

deadline. SLT board and sta again thank this

individual or his support.

Other generous donors have responded to

the challenge by contributing $50,000 to date,

so we are a quarter o the way towards meeting

our goal. Helen Andrews has stepped up with a

git o $25,000! Veterinarian Ann Breznock has

contributed $5,000 with a pledge o another

$5,000. Ann works with Mike Muir and his Access

Adventure program, helping to provide carriage

rides or people with mobility limitations.

Our long-term goal is to raise $2 million or

a Rush Ranch endowment. This endowment will

enable SLT to maintain habitat, trails and the new

nature center and caretaker residence well into the

uture by preserving the principal and spending

some o the earnings.

SLT appreciates the vote o confdence and

the love or our properties and programs that

these gits rom our supporters reect. Make

your git today!

SLT demolishes old caretakershouse at Rush Ranch



8/8

Preserving Farmlandsand OPen sPacethrOughOutsOlanO cOunty

Solano Land Trust

1001 Texas Street, Suite C

Faireld, CA 94533(707) 432-0150

NonPro

Organiza

US Posta

PaidFairfel

CA 945

Permit # 0

Jepson Prairie PreserveTake a sel-guided tour in the Docent Triangle any day o

the week during daylight hours. Docent-led wildfower tours

will resume next spring. For more inormation contact SLT at

[email protected] or (707) 432-0150 ext 202.

Lynch Canyon Open SpaceCurrently Lynch Canyon is open to the public during sta-

or docent-led activities only.

Volunteer Trail Care DaysSecond Saturday o the month:

Nov. 11, Dec. 9. 9 a.m. Free

Assist Land Steward Ken Poerner with trail care. Snacks are

provided. For inormation call Ken at (707) 580-6277.

Scenic HikesFourth Saturday o the month:

Oct. 2, Nov. 2. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Free

Join Dave Warner or one o his popular Lynch Canyon

hikes. For more inormation contact Ken Poerner at (707)

580-6277.

Rush Ranch Open SpaceRush Ranch is open to the public Tuesday to Saturday rom

8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Suisun Hill Trail (across Grizzly Island

Road rom Rush Ranch) is open seven days a week, dawn to

dusk. For additional inormation visit www.rushranch.org.

Access Adventures:Challenging the Limits o DisabilityMichael Muir leads a recreational horse-drawn carriage

program or people with disabilities (open to wheelchair

users or anyone with mobility challenges). For more

inormation go to www.access-adventure.org, or contact

Mike at [email protected] or (707) 426-3990.

BOard memBers

Bob Berman,President

Ian Anderson,Vice President

Jane Hicks,Secretary

Frank Morris,Treasurer

Sean Quinn, Immediate PastPres.

Frank J. Andrews, Jr.

Darrin Berardi

Jeff Dittmer

John Isaacson

Russell Lester

staFF

Marilyn Farley,Executive Director

Terry Chappell,Field Steward

Rob Goldstein,Mitigation Coordinator

Wendy Low,Land Transaction Specialist

Kirsti Muskat, Bookkeeper


Ben Wallace, ConservationProject Manager

David Welch,Interim Finance Ofcer

Sue Wickham, ResourceManagement PlanCoordinator

Aleta George,

Editor, SLT Vistas

Blacksmith Shop DemonstrationsThird Saturday o the month:

Nov. 1, Dec. 1. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Free

Watch or participate in the art o blacksmithing with lo

blacksmiths.

Volunteer WorkdaysFirst Saturday o the month:

Nov. , Dec. 2. 9 a.m. until fnished - Free

Get some resh air while helping with ranch and trail

maintenance. No experience or tools necessary. Lunch i

provided or participants.

Sky Valley Cordelia Hills Open SpaceThe newly acquired King and Swett Ranches are part o

Sky Valley Cordelia Hills Open Space and are currently o

to the public during sta- or docent-led activities only

Scenic HikesSaturdays, Nov. , Dec. 2. 9 a.m. Free

Explore Solano Countys largest protected open space o

a docent-led hike. Meet at the Park-and-Ride lot at the

Hiddenbrooke Parkway/American Canyon Road exit at

I-80. Co-sponsored with the Bay Area Ridge Trail Counc

For more inormation contact Sue Wickham at sue@

solanolandtrust.org or (707) 432-0150 x207.

Documents

Fall 2006 Vistas Newsletter, Solano Land Trust