Live Oaks Ranch annual report to the community 2019–2020 … to protect the land forever a message from eamon and Allison Dear Friends: of our society—each of these has an ecological not be held back and will transform the blackened dimension. And there are proven, durable, cost-effec- landscape into a glorious tapestry of color. And As we pause and reflect on a year that’s brought so tive, nature-based solutions available to us. Whether someday soon, we’ll celebrate with you, as we have much pain and sadness in its wake, it would be entirely it’s reducing harm by restoring a balanced approach always done, with handshakes and hugs. understandable to give way to despair and helpless- to tackling our fire and flood plains, or blunting the ness. Our hearts go out to all the individuals, families, physical and psychological toll of the pandemic by This annual report celebrates the impact we have workers and businesses that have seen their lives and protecting and extending our network of parks and when we work together to live our values and invest communities upended, often tragically, by the events open spaces, or ensuring the equitable distribution in them. There has never been a more important of the past 12 months. We have felt many of these of nature’s benefits, the Land Trust is helping to time to come together, with creativity, integrity and impacts at the Land Trust. And yet, beneath the implement the systemic change needed for a just generosity, to create the future that we want for catalogue of heartbreak that is the daily news, there and climate-ready future across Sonoma County. ourselves and future generations. are powerful reasons to hope for a better future. As we survey the damage, masked and carefully It’s now become abundantly clear that human life and distancing from our colleagues, it can be hard to well-being is inextricably bound up with the health imagine how nature will reclaim our fire-denuded and well-being of nature. The monstrous wildfires, hillsides. It will take some help from us, and a little Eamon O’Byrne Allison Sanford global pandemic, and even the corrosive inequalities time, but nature’s unquenchable thirst for life will Executive Director Chair, Board of Directors It will take some help from us, and a little time, but nature’s unquenchable thirst for life will burst forth and transform the blackened landscape into a glorious tapestry of color. our mission board of directors Sonoma Land Trust protects the scenic, natural, Allison Sanford, Chair Robert Brent Philip Jensen Wendy Smit agricultural and open landscapes of Sonoma Marie Andel Clay Clement Nancy Otto Peter Van Alyea County for the benefit of the community and Gregory Appling Scott Hafner Tim Portwood Denny Van Ness future generations. Jennifer Bice Duncan Higgons Ellie Rilla Lewis Warren Simon Blattner Steven Hightower Judy Scotchmoor annual report to the community 2019–2020 Nature makes the future possible When we finalized last year’s annual report and sent ing. And yet, in spite of all the difficulties we face, have advanced our climate-readiness strategies in the it to press, no one could have imagined the loss, ultimately, we will succeed. The body of work you’ve Sonoma Valley and Baylands, and added hundreds of hardship and grief that lay in the year ahead. Even so, helped us to achieve inspires our resolve not only to acres of critical habitat and parkland at a time when looking back over the text, the tone of optimism is pursue a healthy, just and life-sustaining planet, but we need it most. Knowing that you are here side-by- tempered by clear-eyed determination. That resolve is to meet this moment and redouble our efforts. side with us, we are confident that we can make born of our hard-won experience that there will be Sonoma County a stronghold for people and nature! setbacks and challenges that can seem overwhelm- Thanks to your steadfast generosity and support, we The body of work you’ve helped us to achieve inspires our resolve not only to pursue a healthy, just and life-sustaining planet, but to meet this moment and redouble our efforts. 3 Preserving biodiversity for climate resiliency Sonoma County comprises a large part of one of Gloeckner-Turner Ranch MCCormick Ranch the world’s 34 biodiversity “hotspots”—the richest Protected in June by a conservation easement Situated along the crest of the Mayacamas Moun- and most threatened places on Earth for plant and purchased by Sonoma County Ag + Open Space, tains, McCormick Ranch, on average, receives three animal life. What we do here matters far beyond our with key financial assistance from Sonoma Land times as much rainfall as Santa Rosa and adjacent borders. Protecting land so that species can move Trust, this expansive, highly forested property in the valleys. The ranch serves as Sonoma County’s and adapt across our landscapes is essential for hills west of Lake Sonoma is a critical linkage extend- “continental divide” with Napa County, with tributar- preserving diversity of plant and animal life across ing wildlife connectivity across 40,000 acres of ies and stretches of Santa Rosa Creek, Iron Mine our county. adjacent protected land. Creek and Bear Creek flowing into the Russian River, Napa River and Sonoma Creek, respectively. Of the six land conservation projects that we have Two-Horse Ranch Purchasing this property will support critical wildlife either completed this year or plan to complete by One of the largest remaining ranches along the habitat and wildlife corridors and expand recre- next spring, these three are key for protecting the Middle Reach of the Russian River, with three miles ational opportunities and trails between Hood plants, animals and natural processes on which we of nearly pristine streamside habitat, this historic Mountain and Sugarloaf Ridge parks. We are all depend. property possesses large swaths of meadow and working hard to raise the final $1.4 million toward oak woodland, and opens up connectivity for the $14.5 million purchase price. wildlife movement between Fitch Mountain and Modini Mayacamas Preserve. 3,364 758 654 ACRES ACRES ACRES Gloeckner-Turner Ranch Two-Horse Ranch McCormick Ranch annual report to the community 2019–2020 Tackling the climate emergency Wildfire Flooding and sea-level rise As this year’s devastating Glass Fire proved yet As deeply as fire has impacted our community, our again, a changing climate in the form of longer and changing climate is also rapidly increasing the risk hotter dry seasons, coupled with historic policies of and severity of flooding events in the county. fire suppression, have left our landscapes extremely Stronger and more frequent atmospheric rivers are vulnerable to combustion. Fire experts and ecolo- compounding rising seas in the southern part of the gists agree that restoring fire to the landscape, similar county. It’s well known that Highway 37 is now to Indigenous practices, is one of the best ways for flooding with every king tide event. Less widely us to ensure the long-term safety of our communities recognized is the fact that we can solve this problem and the health of our natural lands. Our 10-year, of rising sea levels along the bay by restoring marshes multi-partner Sonoma Valley Wildlands Collaborative to buffer the effects of rising tides—as we have done with CAL FIRE is gearing up to perform an average at Sears Point. Our challenge is that further resto- of 300 to 500-acre controlled burns annually to ration must be completed or at least well underway remove ladder fuels across the Collaborative’s by the end of the next decade! Courtesy of Sonoma County Regional Parks. 18,000 acres of protected land. The Collaborative is also actively conducting fuel reduction measures, We are focusing our restoration efforts on two key such as forest thinning and installing shaded fuel watersheds in the Baylands: Sonoma Creek and the breaks to create defensible space and equipment Petaluma River. The Sonoma Creek Baylands Strate- access in wildland areas. gy, which we completed in July, is our plan for habitat Strongly supported by the community, restoration, flood protection and public access in the Despite limited rainfall this winter, by working with lower Sonoma Creek watershed between Schellville and in consultation with local tribal CAL FIRE, we are continuing to make progress on and San Pablo Bay. Together with our partners, our prescribed burning targets, and we completed these projects represent one of the biggest opportu- representatives, we are hoping to priority hazard fuel removal on land adjacent to nities for landscape-scale wetland restoration and create a model for community-led fire Oakmont and forest thinning in overgrown portions flood risk reduction in the San Francisco Bay Estuary. of the Mayacamas. Nothing could be more urgent risk management that we can export to than reducing the risks of yet another catastrophic wildfire for more than 9,000 structures (almost all other areas of the county and beyond. homes and businesses) in the area and preventing long-term damage to the landscape. Strongly supported by the community, and in consultation with local tribal representatives, we are hoping to create a model for community-led fire risk manage- ment that we can export to other areas of the county and beyond. Lower Sonoma Creek Jerry by Doddrill. 5 Nature for all Sonoma Land Trust acknowledges the historical shared their frustrations with and aspirations for injustice of many of our communities having been their participation in conservation. excluded from accessing the benefits of nature. In 2016, an initiative of the California Council of Land To succeed in our mission, we must be fully commit- Trusts set us on the path to be one of the first eight ted to social, racial and environmental justice, land trusts in the state to develop specific plans to starting with universal access to parks and open redress this inequity.