MENDOCINO LAND TRUST

P.O. BOX 1094 July

MENDOCINO, CA 95460
2004
PHONE: 707 962-0470
The mission of the Mendocino Land Trust is to
FAX: 707 962-0444 conserve important natural resources of Mendocino
County including wildlife habitat, open space, sce-
EMAIL: MLT@MCN.ORG nic vistas, working farmlands and forests, and to
facilitate public access.

The President’s Corner

Chet Anderson, President, Board of Trustees
The Land Trust is on the move……..definitely.
With the welcome arrival of our new Executive Director,
James Bernard, we have kicked into a new gear to
complete existing projects and reach out for new oppor-
tunities to conserve more of Mendocino County's unique
resources.
With James’ arrival, we bid a heartfelt farewell to
the one who has held us together for the past nine
months, DeeLynn Carpenter. DeeLynn, MLT’s local
fundraising coordinator during the Big River campaign,
has served part time as "Interim Administrative Director"
during a critical time for MLT, simultaneously she com- Former Interim Administrative Director DeeLynn Carpen-
muted to another job in Willits, got her Fort Bragg High ter hands the keys to the MLT offices in Fort Bragg to new Ex-
School senior daughter graduated, sat on the Fort Bragg ecutive Director James Bernard.
school board, kept her 9-year old son and husband fed
and happy, and……..did some quilting on the side.
DeeLynn's service has been exemplary and is deeply ap-
preciated.
MLT Welcomes New Executive Director
We also bid farewell to Jenny Griffin, who has
served MLT over five years. We wish her the very best James R. Bernard, MLT’s top choice after an eight-month long
in her new career as a full-time land conservation con- nationwide search, became MLT's Executive Director on June 4th.
sultant and wonder how we will fill her shoes. Jenny has Bernard brings a wealth of land conservation and environmental
been working half-time as she tested the independent experience to the job. A native Californian, he earned his BA
consulting waters. With her leadership on Big River and degree in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Barbara, then
the Mendocino County Coastal Conservation Plan, she migrated eastward to get an MS in Resource Policy, Economics
has left an indelible mark on MLT. Her other service to and Management at the University of Michigan before moving on
the Trust has included roles in the purchase of Caspar to Maine for employment reasons.
Beach and Headlands, Westport Headlands, Navarro
Point, and several coastal access, conservation easement, James has extensive and varied experience with a variety of
and management planning projects. We look forward to organizations including the Michigan Great Lakes and Water
continuing our friendships with Jenny and to watching Resources Planning Commission, the Florida Center for Public
her do more great things for land conservation in the Management, the Green Mountain Institute in Vermont and the
state. Maine State Planning Office. James served as the first
Coordinator for the Land for Maine's Future program, a $35
New officers for 2004-05 were elected at the Board's million land acquisition program that acquired 42 properties
organizational meeting in June. Dick Somer graciously comprising over 61,000 acres during his tenure. He has worked as
agreed to step in and fill the Treasurer slot and chair the an environmental consultant for the last five years with state and
Finance Committee, joining Bill Lemos as Vice Presi- federal agencies, specializing in designing and implementing
dent and Jessie Lee VanSant as Secretary. environmental indicator systems.
(continued on page 2)
(continued on page 2)
 The President’s Corner (continued from page 1)
David Jensen has taken the helm of the Lands Com-
mittee while Jessie and Bill continue chairing, respectively,
the Personnel and Big River Committees. I will be chairing
a reconstituted Development Committee working on fund-
raising, outreach, and membership.
A recent MLT-sponsored weekend hike in the pygmy
forest featured another Mendocino County treasure, the irre-
pressible Pam Huntley (see picture on the back page).
What a dynamo! Filled with knowledge about the pygmy
ecosystem and its special attributes and resources, Pam's en-
thusiasm and love for the land is delightful to witness and
share. Thanks, Pam!
I was lucky this month to be invited to the trek-ending
lunch of a bunch of foot-weary CoastWalkers who com-
pleted their sojourn on the Mendocino Coast at Big River.
CoastWalk is a group of dedicated people committed to
completion of a trail along the California coast. The Trust is
continuing to work with the Coastal Conservancy and the
Department of Parks and Recreation to add more missing
pieces of off-highway trails along the coast.
Spring and early summer are such special times to con-
nect with the land. Whether it is sharing the joy of the os-
prey returning to their nests along the south shore of Big
River or discovering a new (to me!) wildflower on Ridge-
wood Ranch or learning about the results of bio-dynamic
agriculture at Bonterra Vineyards near Ukiah (site of an
MLT conservation easement), the importance of holding on
to our special places for future generations really hits home.
It is also a good time to realize how lucky we all are to
have so many people who are dedicated to making this hap-
pen. I'm talking about all of you………our members and
supporters……who contribute in large and small ways to
the conservation effort.
We paused for a minute or two at our annual member-
ship meeting (and at a follow-up session at the Stanford Inn
for those who couldn't make the meeting) to honor some of
our great volunteers for their service including the follow-
ing: Priscilla Comen, Monique and Jay Frankston, Ken
Clark, Dorothy (Toby) Tobkin, Sherri Anderson, Tom
Wodetzki, Jeff and Joan Stanford, Rick Hemmings,
Bruce and Joyce Taylor and Danny Barca. They are a
few of our growing corps of dedicated volunteers who help
get the work done, but they could use some help.
If you would be willing to pull some weeds, pick up
some trash, fill some envelopes, help with a hike or serve on
a committee, we would love to have you call the office at
962-0470 and tell Holly Newberger, MLT’s Outreach and
Membership Coordinator, what you are willing to do or are
interested in learning.
2
Digger Creek Conservation Easement
MLT assisted in the purchase of a 1.3-acre conserva-
tion easement on Digger Creek in Fort Bragg by the Men-
docino Coast Recreation and Park District using funds
from the California Department of Water Resources Urban
Streams Restoration Program. The easement will be man-
aged by the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens and is an
integral part of their stream restoration program that has
eliminated two fish passage barriers by replacing under-
sized culverts. The Gardens have also been removing in-
vasive exotic plants in the easement area and will be
revegetating with native species this fall.
The Trust participated by writing the conservation
easement language and undertook development of a base-
line for monitoring the conservation easement. The ease-
ment is held by the Gardens.
MLT Welcomes New Executive Director
(continued from page 1)
He also served as a board member of the Vermont River
Conservancy, a nonprofit organization focusing on riverine
and riparian land conservation.
James says that he "was drawn to Mendocino by the county's
natural resource endowment and the chance to work with a
forward-looking conservation organization like MLT." He
added, "I hope to add my experience and energy to assist the
organization in continuing to implement its mission of
working with willing property owners to conserve land."
James and his 18 year-old son, Greg, who has just
completed his freshman year in college and is working at
Catch-A-Canoe and Bicycles, Too on the south bank of Big
River, are living in Fort Bragg.
James’ first month on the job has been a whirlwind as he
quickly gets up to speed on MLT's ongoing projects, history,
staff, and members, begins to lay out short and long-term
plans to improve organizational efficiency and responds to
numerous new challenges and opportunities. If you haven't
met him yet, stop in anytime at the office or call and say
hello.
 Mendocino Land Trust’s
Conservation Easement Monitoring Program
Board of Trustees Louisa Morris, Conservation Project Manager
President
Chet Anderson Working as a board-staff partnership, Louisa Morris and Dick Somer (former
chair of MLT’s Lands Committee) have nearly completed this year’s annual monitor-
Vice President
ing for all of MLT’s conservation easements (CEs). With conservation values in pa-
Bill Lemos
rentheses, MLT’s CE holdings include:
Secretary
Jessie Lee VanSant 360 acres near Hopland (oak woodland reserve, riparian area and streams, and
Treasurer working vineyard (organic));
Dick Somer 110 acres near Hopland (oak woodland reserve, circle of madrone trees, and
Trustees historic home);
Janice Gendreau 40 acres near Hopland (oak woodlands and wildlife habitat);
112 acres near Manchester (Point Arena mountain beaver, Northern spotted
Alan Falleri
owl, osprey, and red tree vole habitat, one mile of creek, and working forest-
David Jensen land);
72 acres in Point Arena (forested land, nearly one mile of creek and riparian
area, and working forestland);
Staff 746 acres in Yorkville (extensive grassland and oak woodlands, old-growth
Executive Director redwood, over three miles of creek and associated riparian habitat, wildlife
James Bernard protection area, and working forest and farmland); and
Senior Project Manager 20 acres in Albion (redwood forest, pond, wildlife habitat, and rare plants).
Jenny Griffin
Conservation Project These annual monitoring visits serve to renew MLT’s partnerships with private
Manager landowners where Land Trust holds a conservation easement. Monitoring visits can
Louisa Morris be fun and informative. If you are interested in assisting with annual CE monitoring,
Development Director please contact Louisa Morris at 962-0470.
Christine Anderson
MLT recently completed, or is currently working on, several additional conserva-
Membership and
Outreach Coordinator tion easements. MLT assisted the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in the pur-
Holly Newberger chase of a conservation easement on a 1.3-acre area on Digger Creek in Fort Bragg as
part of a stream restoration program. CEs in progress include Ridgewood Ranch (see
associated article, page 5), a 320-acre conservation easement near Yorkville in inland
Mendocino County, 20 acres of Point Arena mountain beaver habitat in the Garcia
River watershed, and the transfer of a conservation easement in southern Mendocino
County from a Sonoma County land trust to MLT.

We look forward to strengthening our conservation easement program and to part-

nering with willing Mendocino County landowners to conserve their land using these
and other tools. For more information, please call Louisa Morris or James Bernard at
the MLT office, 707-962-0470 or visit our website at www.mendocinolandtrust.org.

Belinda Point Accessway Planned

MLT is nearly ready to start construction of a public access trail to Belinda Point in
southern Fort Bragg! The Land Trust is currently seeking approval from the California
Coastal Commission, the State Coastal Conservancy, and the Mendocino County Plan-
ning and Building Department for the Belinda Point Accessway Management Plan.
MLT is also arranging for the transfer of the access easement from the American Land
Conservancy to MLT. A building permit may also be needed and then we will be ready
to begin construction of the trail in September. Please contact Louisa Morris at MLT if
you would like to help out with construction activities.

4

Letter from the Executive Director
James R. Bernard
Although I started on the job June 4th, my
first volunteer day (as characterized by Board mem-
ber Dick Somer) was to fly out from Maine to partici-
pate in the MLT annual meeting May 23rd. After tell-
ing the members present that I knew as a native Cali-
fornian that I was home by being able to luxuriate in
the distinctive scent of the coastal Mendocino eco-
system, I made remarks that tried to place myself as
the “new kid” and MLT in the context of the land
trust movement.
I noted that most land trusts start out as all-
volunteer organizations with the board and a few
friends negotiating land deals, keeping the books, ap-
plying for grants, sending out press releases and eve-
rything else a viable conservation entity does. MLT
refers to those days as the “kitchen table organiza-
tion” days. Citing statistics drawn from the recent
book, Conservancy: The Land Trust Movement in
America, I said that the percentage of all-volunteer
land trusts dropped from 65% in 1985 to 50% in
2000. Nationally, the number of land trusts grew
from 535 in 1985 to 1,263 in 2000 and staffed land
trusts went from 185 to 590 dur-
ing the same time period. Half of “the single most attractive at- that are consistent with maintaining our
all staffed land trusts have a sin- tribute of MLT to me was that
gle staff person, many have from the organization had completed a
two to six staff, but few have as
many as ten. MLT fits this evo- visionary document, the Mendo- have strived to foster an organizational
lution, going from a single staff cino County Coastal Conserva- culture where information is not power,
person in 1998 to five now. tion Plan…”
In a 1996 survey, executive directors of land
trusts came from 17 different backgrounds, most of-
ten biologists (17%). Next most common back-
grounds were planning, natural resources, architec-
ture and business. MLT has had a forester (like a bi-
ologist), a former aerospace engineer, and now me—
a planner and natural resource professional who loves
the tangible nature of conserving land.
Growth in land trusts was greatest in the
1980s, but similar circumstances are present now as
again government is not willing or able to look
toward conservation consistently. Given our critical
role in this situation, how do we address our
responsibilities to the land? The book offers nine
rules for acquiring land that I shared with the
members that state how land trusts can be
conservation organizations:
1. Preserve Landscapes or Representative Natural Eco-
systems.
2. Have a Vision and a Plan and Protect the High-
Quality Sites that Realize Them.
3. Preserve the Largest Areas Possible.
4. Add Land around Preserves.
5. Some Small Preserves Are Worth Saving.
6. Construct Corridors if It’s Easy.
7. Save Land with Rare, Threatened, and Endangered
Species.
8. Opportunism in the Protection of Land is Not Neces-
sarily a Vice.
9. Prioritize.
So how does MLT measure up to the nine rules? Proba-
bly the single most attractive attribute of MLT to me was
that the organization had completed a visionary document,
the Mendocino County Coastal Conservation Plan, that will
serve as an agenda for land conservation over the next dec-
ade. The Plan envisions landscape and ecosystem scale ef-
forts including corridor construction. And it is a fact that the
Land Trust has seized upon large-sized opportunities such as
Big River and Ridgewood Ranch, but also we need to keep
in mind how those “heavy lifting” opportunities impact the
core activities of the organization. Consequently, we will be
looking at how to spend limited time and money on the
most promising conservation opportunities
that further our conservation values and
credibility and integrity over time.
Since coming to work at MLT, I
but rather empowerment, where communi-
cation is key, where there are trust rela-
tionships and mutual support is present, and where we all
feel “easy in our harness” pulling together to get conserva-
tion work done. In short, having MLT be a professional,
competent organization that succeeds.
Finally, and most important, a land trust is only as strong
as its members and volunteers. MLT has had great assis-
tance from that quarter, but we need more members from all
parts of Mendocino County and from outside our immediate
area from supporters of our work to conserve our exemplary
natural endowment.
My commitment to you is that we will strategically im-
plement the nine rules. We will make you aware of the bene-
fits of membership through our quarterly newsletter, through
our website and by email, and through educational opportu-
nities and events. And that we will reach out to like-minded
individuals and organizations to work cooperatively for con-
servation.
3
 Public Access Improvements
Planned for Navarro Point Thanks to all of you
Louisa Morris, Conservation Project Manager whose generosity makes it possible for
the Mendocino Land Trust to continue
The Mendocino Land Trust has secured permits
from Mendocino County Planning and Building De- its conservation efforts.
partment and CalTrans to create recreational public
access trails, a parking lot and access road, signage,
benches, and fencing at Navarro Point. MLT is cur- Inland Supporter Recognition Event at
rently working on an application to the Coastal Con-
servancy for funding assistance to implement these Bonterra Vineyards
public access developments. The targeted grant ap- Christine Anderson, Development Director
proval date is September 15, 2004, and the projected
completion date for access improvements is October The Trust’s wonderful supporters from Lake, Napa and inland
31, 2004. Please contact Louisa Morris at MLT if Mendocino Counties sampled wine and hors d’oeuvres at a reception
you are interested in helping with trail construction, held at Bonterra Vineyards on June 26th. Nestled into the hills be-
sign installation, bench placement, or any other aspect tween Ukiah and Willits, Bonterra Vineyards produces a variety of
of the public access facilities work. organic wines. At the event, supporters learned about Bonterra’s his-
tory and organic viticulture from Julien Miclette, Bonterra’s Hospital-
Weed warriors have been hard at work to remove ity Manager.
exotic weeds from the Navarro Point! Dick Van Al-
styne has spent the better part of ten days pulling ex- There are now conservation easements on two properties that
otic weeds on the property. Louisa has spent about were granted to MLT by Jim Fetzer, the previous owner of the vine-
six days working with Dick at Navarro Point, and Art yard. One property is owned by Jim Fetzer and the other now belongs
Morley and Bob Gerbi have joined them a number of to Brown-Foreman. These easements together total approximately
times. We welcome others to join our fruitful efforts; 470 acres and mean permanent protection for oak woodlands, agricul-
training and delicious refreshments are provided! tural lands, watershed resources and wildlife habitat of Bonterra Vine-
yards.

Ridgewood Ranch Conservation Project Continues to Move Forward

James Bernard, Executive Director
The Trust's long-term project to keep a large portion of the Ridgewood Ranch, home of the racehorse Seabiscuit, from be-
ing subdivided and developed continues to move forward. The goal of the project is to purchase a conservation easement on
over 4600 of the Ranch's total 5000 acres from the owners, the Golden Rule Church Association.

Because of the Church's willingness to donate over 50% of the estimated $13 million value of the conservation easement,
the original concept was to raise the $6 million purchase cost from one funding agency and have a single easement on the prop-
erty. For a variety of reasons, including the state's budgetary conditions, it has become necessary to work toward a "mosaic" of
easements funded by a number of different sources. To that end, MLT has applied for funding through state programs
(California Farmland Conservancy Program, CalTrans and the Oak Woodlands Conservation Program of the Wildlife Conser-
vation Board), the federal Forest Legacy and Farm and Ranchlands Protection Programs, and the private nonprofit Save-the-
Redwoods League.
A commitment of up to $1 million has been made by the California Department of Conservation. The prospects for receiv-
ing funding from the sources listed above look promising. Acting on a request from Representative Mike Thompson, the
House of Representatives passed an appropriations bill in mid-June containing $400,000 for Forest Legacy Program funding to
permanently conserve the Ranch’s productive forestlands. The U.S. Senate has not yet acted on the bill.
MLT greatly appreciates the ongoing efforts of Representative Thompson to secure Forest Legacy funding which will nur-
ture additional funding opportunities. In addition to receiving all of the potential public fund grants, $1 million of private funds
need to be raised to complete the land conservation part of preserving the ranch. The newly formed Seabiscuit Heritage Foun-
dation is taking the lead on fundraising for both land conservation and historic preservation. Last month, the National Trust for
Historic Preservation named Ridgewood Ranch one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
James Bernard is coordinating the project in partnership with Roger Sternberg, a Fort Bragg-based forestry and land con-
servation consultant, who sculpted the conservation strategy and Chet Anderson is providing MLT Board over-
sight. 5

Nature Interpreter Pam Huntley describes bird life to
Sarah Grimes and her daughter, Madison on the Men-
docino Land Trust sponsored hike at the Van Damme
State Park Pygmy Forest on June 19, 2004.
Check our website www.mendocinolandtrust.org
for information on upcoming hikes and other
events.
Upcoming Events
August 28, 2004 8:30-11:00 a.m.
Virgin Creek Shorebird Walk
This walk will be led by local bird expert, Dorothy
(Toby) Tobkin. Meet at Pudding Creek overlook at 8:30
am. The overlook parking area is located just north of
the Pudding Creek bridge on Highway 1. Look for a
coastal access sign and turn left into the paved parking
area. Parents are encouraged to bring children. If you
own a field guide for birds, please bring it along. No
dogs are allowed at Virgin Creek beach due to nesting
plovers and other wildlife.
September 18, 2004 9:00-12:00 a.m.
California Coastal Cleanup Day
The Land Trust will again be coordinating Coastal
Cleanup Day for Mendocino County. Join thousands of
participants throughout California and clean one of our
23 north coast beaches. Call Holly at the Land Trust of-
fice to volunteer and receive a beach assignment.

MENDOCINO LAND TRUST

P. O. BOX 1094 NON-PROFIT
POSTAGE
MENDOCINO, CA 95460 PAID
PERMIT #3
PHONE: 707 962-0470 FORT BRAGG, CA
FAX: 707 962-0444
EMAIL: MLT@MCN.ORG
Post Office: Return Service Requested