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PA I DPermit No. 93Carmel, CA

93922

Editorial Services – Indi Zeleny, Tom Owens CommunicationsNewsletter Design – Bunne Hartmann, Hartmann Design GroupPhotography – Douglas Steakley, Kodiak Greenwood, Ventana Wildlife Society and BSLT Staff

DONOR PRIVACY POLICY: The Big Sur Land Trust will not sell, trade or share your personal informationwith anyone else, nor send mailings on behalf of other organizations.

to reach us:

Telephone: 831.625.5523

Fax: 831.625.0716

E-mail: mail@bigsurlandtrust.org

www.bigsurlandtrust.org

StaffBill Leahy, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Donna Meyers, DIRECTOR OF CONSERVATION PROGRAMS

Adrienne Otis, ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE MANAGER

Lana Weeks, DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPYRachel T. Saunders, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS

Joanna Devers, LAND ACQUISITIONS MANAGER

Donna Walden, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTSarah Godfrey, CONSERVATION PROGRAM STEWARD

Todd Farrington, OPERATIONS AND EVENTS MANAGER

Jim Cox, GLEN DEVEN RANCHMANAGER

David Zweifel, MITTELDORF PRESERVE CARETAKERAmber Sanchez Leon, MEMBERSHIP AND SUPPORT SERVICES SPECIALIST

Jim Keller, EASEMENT PROGRAMMANAGER

Cameron Chabre, CONSERVATION PROJECTS MANAGER

ConsultantsLaw Offices of Zad Leavy andRobin Jepsen, LEGAL COUNSEL

Doolittle & Ganos, INVESTMENT ADVISOR

Post Office Box 221864Carmel, California 93922

Address Correction Requested

contact

printed by an economical direct to plate process, on recycled paper using soy based inks.

Board of TrusteesCHAIR

Diane Sena

VICE CHAIR

Stephen Schulte

TREASURER

Phil Wilhelm

SECRETARY

Linda Charles

Ian ArnofDavid BatesDemi BriscoePhillip ButlerPaul DanielsonSteve DorranceKent EvansRosalind FisherScot McKayBob SayreGeorge N. Somero, Ph.D.Nick WheelerMarsha McMahan Zelus

Join the BSLT family of donors and members atCarmel’s Sunset Center on ursday, november 20,at 8:00 p.m., for our 30th anniversary Celebration.

is celebratory evening includes a live concert with award-winningfolksinger erica Wheeler and a reception following the performance

catered by Wendy brodie of e Art of Food Catering.(see inside for the full program.)

is event is free and open to all bslt members and donors,but advance registration is required by november 14, 2008. seating

is limited. to register, please call bslt at 831-625-5523, ext. 1.or email 30thanniversary@bigsurlandtrust.org (please include

your full name, how many in your party and your phone number).is event is sure to fill quickly, so please call early!

You’ invitedIt can only happen once...

The Big Sur Land TruST’S30th AnniversAry CelebrAtionFostering the Emotional Connection Between People and Place

FA L L HARV E S T

Our celebration of the harvest and community at

Palo Corona Ranch has been so much fun that we’re

making it an annual event! We invite you to become

a donor of $1,000 or more and join us at this special

event next year!

THE BIG SUR LAND TRUST

THE B IG SUR LAND TRUST - POST OFF ICE BOX 221864, CARMEL, CAL IFORNIA 93922 TELEPHONE 831.625.5523 FAX 831.625.0716 - WWW.BIGSURLANDTRUST.ORG

Fal l / Winter 2008–09 Conser v ing our prec ious land and waters for a l l generat ions

IN S I D E founder's day30 years of the big sur land trust

I N S I D E songbird preservecritical carmel river parkway acquisition

IN S I D E erica wheeleraward-winning folksingerheadlines 30th anniversary

IN S I D E whitney legacy fundbenefits big sur

The capacity to care is the thing that gives

life its deepest meaning and significance

– Pablo Casals

on saturday, June 21, 2008, lightning strikesignited several small fires that quickly grew into thebasin Complex Fire, leading to mandatory evacua-tions and the closure of highway 1, while drawingnational attention to a natural, yet terrifying phe-nomenon last witnessed on the big sur Coast in thelate 1970’s. Meanwhile, in the los Padres nationalForest, an enormous conflagration known as theindians Fire had been raging since June 8, startedby an illegal campfire and surging through theForest lands and the ventana Wilderness. At onetime, as many as 2,000 firefighters were in big sur,fighting the basin blaze, which eventually mergedwith the indians Fire and was finally contained onsunday, July 27.

At high noon on that fateful saturday in June,big sur resident and Coast Property owners Asso-ciation board Member butch Kronlund was work-ing on his back deck outside his Coastlands home.suddenly, an ominous funnel cloud loomed overthe top of his house. “i could see this radical look-ing weather event happening right before my eyes,and i could see lightning striking out in the ocean,”Kronlund recalls. he retreated inside his house,concerned for his safety in the electrical storm.“ten minutes later, i heard a siren and knew abrush fire had started from a lightning strike.”

Jim Cox, former fire chief of the Mid-Coast Firebrigade and 35-year caretaker of the land trust’sGlen Deven property, considers fire part of the

price you pay for living in such a beautiful region.“We don’t say ‘if we’re going to have a fire.’ it’s‘when we’re going to have a fire,’” he asserts. “thesame way with floods. We know we’re going tohave them, but we don’t know exactly when.”

At the land trust, the response to the wildfire wasthree-pronged: addressing the safety of its caretak-ers and properties, offering assistance and relief todisplaced community members, and contributingto a scientific assessment of potential further dam-age from the coming winter rains.

rachel saunders, bslt Director of Communica-tions and Community Affairs, attended many ofthe nightly meetings held in big sur and at CarmelMiddle school to keep up to date on the fire’sprogress and its effect on the land and localcommunities. “Planes were overhead, layingreddish-orange fire retardant over the ridges,” sherecalls. “there was a lot of background noise fromthe planes, helicopters and trucks, while firefighterswere trying to give updates and 70 to 100 otherswere trying to listen. the hustle and intensity andconcentration felt like a M.A.s.h. unit.”

PeOPLe and PLaCeSAccording to saunders, bslt’s immediate prioritywas ensuring the safety of Cox and David Zweifel,better known as D.Z., the caretaker on the Mittel-dorf Preserve in Carmel valley.

How do you measure a wildfire? In acres burned (240,000 for the Basin and Indiansfires combined) or in human lives lost (none)? In emotional impact or in economictoll? The statistics from the fires are staggering, the fear immense, the lossesdevastating for some. The wildfires impacted Big Sur, Carmel Valley, Arroyo Secoand neighboring communities on so many levels.

RISINGTHE ASHESfrom

FROM THE ASHES continued from page 1

Any of us with a wary eye on the sky that Saturday afternoon inlate June will remember the feeling of dread as dark, charged cloudsadvanced on our coastline. The Indians Complex fire had laid thegroundwork, menacing us for days prior on the inland side. Andwhen the second column of thick smoke appeared over Big Sur,the worst was confirmed.

By the time this newsletter arrives in your mailbox, multiple fundrais-ers will have been held, post fire analysis and assessment completed,and stories of heroism, loss, fear, anger and human spirit will havebeen told countless times. The Big Sur Land Trust will have invento-ried the damage and restoration needs of our lands alongside othersin our community. As I write this letter, we are already bracing forthe winter rains and the almost certain havoc they will wreak onmountains laid bare by fire.

As is frequently the case with natural disasters, our experience thissummer is a reminder that human beings, despite all we do to sepa-rate ourselves from the natural world, are still, ultimately governedby laws complex and mysterious. We are all part of an intricate webof connections, to the land, to the sea and to one another. When wemomentarily forget that connection, something in nature inevitablycomes along to remind us.

Much has been said about the wisdom of human beings living inareas prone to natural disaster. I think, rather, the issue is really abouthow we choose to live and associate with the natural world aroundus. People will always live in areas that support them nutritionally,economically, emotionally and spiritually. In turn, every one of usmust accept the inherent risks associated with how and where wechoose to live. Every human community, whether Big Sur or NewYork City, must find its appropriate equilibrium in its relationshipto the environment.

This summer has reminded me of why we care so much for Big Sur.Those of us who travel through the area are drawn by the world-classbeauty and natural drama of the landscape and seascape. For thosewho live there, it is the heart and spirit of the place, not the least ofwhich is the unique and special people who call Big Sur home. Mostof those who have made the choice to live there have done so withfull consciousness of the risks and rewards, and with the deep unde-niable desire to live in full relationship with the landscape.

That strong spirit and deep connection was on full display duringand after the fire as neighbor joined neighbor to support one anotherin a myriad of ways – from fighting the flames on their backdoorsteps, to opening their homes to the displaced, to financially assistingthose who could least afford to be without income while the fireclosed down their businesses.

It is, perhaps, not entirely coincidental that along with the lossof special places taken by the fires (the Hopkins home, theNewell barn, and so many more), that this year we also lost someof Big Sur’s most beloved citizen philosophers and poets. One mightwonder if Jeff Norman and Ric Masten might be smiling down on usnow, secure in the knowledge that we have been reminded again –as they reminded us in life – of the preciousness and precariousnessof life and how best to reside in a rough and glorious place alivewith the spirit of community.

A particular poem by Ric Masten, Luminous as the Moon and Stars,written after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, capturesprecious and precarious life in the Big Sur (see page 8).

The spirit and beauty of Big Sur is indeed quicksilver at hand thathelps us heal and forget our loss, whether the loss of wonderful folkslike Jeff or Ric – or the loss of home itself. Big Sur endures, luminousas the moon and stars.

F ROM TH E E X ECU T I V E D I R EC TOR

2

THE BIG SUR:Precious,Precariousand Luminousas the Moonand Stars

“Jim Cox is very familiar with fire,” says saunders.“he was busy trying to ensure that Glen Devenwas defendable, cutting shrubbery, hooking upsprinkler systems, and wetting down buildings.”

Glen Deven is strategically placed to serve as analternate evacuation route to the winding PaloColorado Canyon road should fire reach the popu-lated canyon. At the nightly community meetings,land trust representatives informed local residentsthat the alternate route to safety would be availableshould the need arise.

if Palo Colorado residents were given the orderto evacuate, they would have been taken out insections, starting with those closest to the fire.“We could have the heavy equipment coming infrom highway 1 up Palo Colorado Canyon,” saysCox. “We could take the residents out throughGarrapata and Glen Deven to another road thatdrops back down to highway 1.”

in past emergencies, both fire and flood, GlenDeven ranch was opened up as an evacuation cen-ter and offered to the sPCA as a drop-off point forendangered livestock, saving the organization a longtrip out to highway 68. Cox says that the ranch isideally situated as the center hub for the Garrapataand Palo Colorado area.

“that’s what it has always been,” he asserts. “We’veused it like that in ‘82 and ‘83 and also in ‘96. Wehad helicopters landing here and evacuating folksout, and we just open up this ranch for the wholecommunity.” Cox says that the land trust contin-ues to make Glen Deven available to Palo Coloradoresidents in times of crisis.

All in all, Glen Deven managed to sail through thefire threat very well, according to bslt Conserva-tion Director Donna Meyers. “nothing was dam-aged on the property,” she says. “Mostly, we arenow focusing on additional fire protection there,doing some eucalyptus removal, and trying to makethe property even more fire safe.”

the land trust properties at the MitteldorfPreserve and Arroyo seco ranch were also affectedby the fire and firefighting operations. the Forestservice sent as many as 12 bulldozers up existingMitteldorf roads to access ridges and build firebreaks to the south of the preserve. “We typicallyonly allow hikers on that property,” says Meyers.“so when you have big bulldozers come throughmultiple times, the roads and bridges get heavilychewed up. We completely understand the need toestablish those fire breaks. now, we’re trying to getthose roads back to a place where they’re hikeableand not causing erosion into the streams.”

says D.Z., “We were the access to the backcountryfor the contingency fire line if the fire would havestarted crossing over Palo Colorado and intoGarrapata Canyon.”

to protect the property’s three structures, D.Z. hada huge challenge before him. he did not have thewater necessary to employ fire-retardant gel to pro-tect the buildings, and due to the last three years ofdrought and the many trees lost to sudden oak

Death, there was copious dry fuel surrounding thebuildings. “We had to figure out a strategy to dothe best we could, and part of it was getting struc-tural fire blankets,” he says. D.Z. and several vol-unteers performed a test run deploying theblankets, which resembled wrapping the buildingsin tin foil. they learned how long it would takeand how many people were needed to install them.

“We had a pretty good view of things from up ontop of the preserve, and we were only eight milesfrom the fire as the crow flies, which isn’t all thatmuch,” D.Z. recalls. thankfully, the blaze washalted south of Palo Colorado and never reachedMitteldorf Preserve.

Arroyo seco ranch saw significant impact fromfirefighting, with both the Forest service andCalFire using the property as a staging area. “theycut several fire breaks to contain the indians Fire,”Meyers says. “our ranch was the northernmostcontainment line to stop the fire. Many dozer-widefire breaks were cut to get equipment in, there wasback-burning on the property, and they took downmost of the fencing.” on the bslt agenda forArroyo seco in the near future: replacing thefences, repairing the roads, and controllinginvasive plant species in disturbed areas.

COMMuniTY CareSin the midst of securing the safety of its own peopleand lands, the land trust also focused on commu-nity fire relief through a promising and historicalliance with big sur’s Coast Property ownersAssociation (CPoA), donating $100,000 fromthe land trust’s David Whitney legacy Fund forbig sur to the CPoA’s massive fire relief effort.

CPoA secretary and big sur resident lisa Kleissnerwas vacationing in hawaii when word of the firereached her. she had just been on the phone withthe association’s president, Jeannie Ford, discussingthe possibility of raising a fire relief fund to help thebig sur community, when she received a phone callfrom bslt’s rachel saunders. saunders informedher that the land trust’s board was considering adonation to the relief fund.

“And when rachel told me the amount, i told her,‘oh, well, that must be for us and a few other or-ganizations,’” says Kleissner. saunders assured herthat the entire $100,000 was slated for the CPoA.

“i was stunned,” Kleissner recalls. “i mean, theneed certainly justified the amount, but it was soquick and this generosity happened right in thesame flashpoint moment when we were seeing theneed grow exponentially every day and werewondering if we could keep up with it.”

Michael Gilson, big sur resident, CPoA boardmember, and co-owner of the big sur bakery, losthis home and two weeks’ worth of business due tothe fire and evacuation. “it was a home that irented for the last three years on the newell familyranch, and we were one of the very first people tobe evacuated on the night that the fire started,”Gilson recounts. “the house burned a day-and-a-half later. but we couldn’t get back in because the

fire had engulfed the road leading in, and i had gotten onlyabout 20 percent of my stuff out.”

Gilson slept on the bakery floor, staying behind to provide foodto the firefighters and to help protect the building. thinkingback on the land trust’s donation, Gilson says, “My experiencehas been that the land trust was just a great ally for us, and ithink they proved it by stepping up and basically being the firstdonor to what became a crucial financial lynchpin for this com-munity during the fire. by doing so, they gave confidence to oth-ers to donate.”

According to Kleissner, the CPoA held a meeting at the big surbakery with bslt representatives and all of the major relief or-ganizations, including the red Cross and the United Way. Alsoin attendance were Congressman sam Farr, Monterey Countysupervisor Dave Potter’s office, Monterey County’s social serv-ices, the sPCA, and local business owners and residents. theCPoA’s immediate order of business was to determine how tobest utilize their relief fund.

“We did this out in the back patio, and we could barely heareach other,” says Kleissner. “helicopters were flying overhead,bombers were dropping retardant, the fire was now comingdown the ridge. it was all unfolding as we were having thisdiscussion about what services could these organizationsprovide to the community that was now partially evacuated.”

After hearing from all the agencies present, CPoA board mem-bers realized that because the fire had not yet been labeled a“disaster,” there was nothing the government agencies couldoffer. the agencies recommended that the CPoA use the moneyfrom the relief fund to provide bridge funding that could helpdisplaced community members.

At that point, the CPoA board members thanked everyonefor their time, convened a board meeting, and decided upon$300 grants to those in need. “it all happened in rapid pace,”says Kleissner. “We went to the fire meeting an hour later andthen made the announcement. the next thing, we startedissuing checks.”

Most of the relief work took place out of Kleissner’s garage inthe north part of big sur, outside of the evacuation zone. Asmore residents were evacuated, Kleissner recalls, they suddenlyhad a lot of time on their hands and went from part-time volun-teers to full-time volunteers. “People who were displaced andwanting to help showed up. so, on any given day, we mighthave had 18 or 20 people here helping to process the paperwork,which is pretty amazing.”

the $300 checks proved to be a lifeline for 649 individuals,about 1,200 people altogether when you count the families, saysKleissner. she reports that the total amount of fire relief fundsraised by late August was slightly over half a million dollars, someof which is now slated for further fire-related missions. the relieffunds paid for temporary housing and gasoline for evacuees,restocked refrigerators and freezers emptied of their spoiledcontents, and even ensured that a single mother’s son’s dreamof attending soccer camp was not dashed. soon letters andemails poured in to the CPoA, thanking the association andthe donors for the peace of mind the grants provided.

Wrote one big sur employee, “the relief check really helpedbridge the gap between the panic of losing income and seeingthings come back online. With two kids – one brand new –it was greatly appreciated and useful during a time of suchuncertainty.”

Another grant recipient wrote, “to those of us who were dis-placed during the fire, the money provided invaluable assistancewith gas and lodging expenses. i thought it was incrediblygenerous of the CPoA to provide big sur residents with reliefchecks, and also a remarkable display of humanity that enoughmoney was donated to do so.”

longtime big sur architect and CPoA board member robertCarver describes the land trust’s “tremendous kickoff donation”to the relief fund as “a truly historic moment of synergy betweenthe bslt and the CPoA.”

a One-TWO PunChthe groundbreaking cooperation between the land trust andthe CPoA continues in the aftermath of the fire, looking aheadtoward the next potential crisis for the big sur community. Foreven after the threat of fire is gone, the other shoe can drop – andin big sur’s steep and rugged landscape, it usually does. Wild-fires pack a one-two punch and deal their second blow when thewinter rains appear.

soil erosion is a paramount concern after a fire, particularly onthe precipitous slopes and canyons that comprise the santa luciarange. “there’s an expectation that there’s going to be a lot ofmaterial, including ash, small sediment and rock and probablydead trees, limbs and branches,” says Donna Meyers. “it will all

move down the slopes because of the steepness in big sur, andit will move toward the creeks and rivers.” she warns of a debrisflow, “where all the water and the material mixes together andcreates a big, moving pile of rock and wood and water.” thesedebris flows have so much force behind them that they can takeout roads, buildings and bridges.

to address erosion issues on its properties, bslt handpickeda group of top watershed scientists, principally barry hecht ofbalance hydrologics, inc., assisted by Dr. reid Fisher of PacificGeotechnical engineering. then the land trust introducedthese scientists to the CPoA and funded an initial assessmenton watershed conditions post fire. CPoA has now dippedinto their fire relief funds to hire these scientists to work withprivate landowners.

“Donna Meyers is very knowledgeable about that process and,of course, we are not so knowledgeable,” says CPoA’s Kleissner.“it was really terrific to have her step in and provide her adviceand her know-how to guide us on the kind of help we needed.”

the watershed scientists have been conducting surveys via heli-copter and on foot, hiking into watersheds and along the rivers.they visit individual properties and hold community meetingsto advise residents and business owners on how severely thesurrounding areas were burned. they explain what to expectafter the rains, whether a road may be lost, or whether a watersystem may be further damaged.

the watershed scientists’ studies show a lot of native plantseed present in the soil right now, says Meyers. she expects thatmany of the native plants will start coming back in the soil layer,especially if there is a light rain period before the actual winterstorms hit. “it’s conceivable we’ll get some growth or sproutingof plants, but not to the extent that it’s going to fully protectthe ground from eroding when the winter rains hit,” she says.Meyers has beenencouragingpeople notto take downburned treesbecause most ofthose trees willlikely recover.

“there’s reallynothing we sug-gest that peopledo on theirproperties,per se,” Meyersreports, but saysthat the landtrust is attend-ing communitymeetingsfocused on ad-vising propertyowners of theirrisk factors andon what thewinter may hold. “even in a perfect big sur, it’s almost impossi-ble to get completely ready for winter. but you can plan whatyou’ll do during a storm. Are you going to leave for a littlewhile? Are you going to make sure you have everything youneed to take care of yourself if your road goes out?”

the henry Miller library is at particularly high risk frommudslides, according to Meyers, as the fire severely burned thewatershed behind it. the land trust owns the property and thebuildings that house the historic library. “Most of our analysishas shown that there’s a real risk that the building could be se-verely affected if there was a big storm,” warns Meyers. “We’reworking with both Caltrans and these watershed scientists tosee if there’s anything we can do to provide some additionalprotection for the buildings as they come through the winter.”

PreParing FOr The FuTurethe third tier of the land trust’s approach to the wildfire also in-volves assisting the community to plan for the long-term future.in fact, discussions for management of wildfires were already inthe works a few months before the basin fire broke out.

in March of 2008, the land trust had assembled a group of bigsur advisors to address how best to deploy the David Whitneylegacy Fund for big sur in service of stewardship and commu-nity. this advisory group included residents Frank Pinney,bob sayre, Mary trotter, ned Callihan, ray sanborn, Greghawthorne and Martha Diehl. the group’s recommendationwas not only appropriate, but prescient in nature: Allocate fundsto develop a big sur fire management plan. things were movingright along up until the fire.

in the fire’s aftermath, Frank Pinney, Chief of the big sur volun-teer Fire brigade, submitted a request to bslt to fund the prepa-

ration of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan for residentsand associated wildlands in the big sur Area. the land trustoverwhelmingly approved this application with a grant of$67,000, the full amount requested.

According to Pinney, these funds will enable the communityto develop a plan to reduce the likelihood of future wildfires,identify areas that need post-fire restoration, and develop acommunity-based incident management strategy to assurelocal participation in the case of a natural disaster.

“in the past, those homes that had been threatened had often-times been protected by the owners in conjunction with or inplace of the professional firefighters that come in to fight thefire,” Pinney says. he admits that the big sur community isunique in that so many of its residents are willing and able tojoin in the fray. “We are really in a rural interface, where wehave rural skills that are inherent to people living here,” he says.Pinney notes that in more suburban areas, people often don’thave the interest, skills, or desire to protect their own propertiesfrom a fire and prefer to leave it to the professional agencies.

“Down here, by relying on others to protect our property, wefound that in point of fact the firefighting agencies were not ableto,” Pinney says. “they either didn’t have the resources, theywere short of people, or they felt that the sites were too danger-ous to send people from the team to go up there.”

these circumstances, Pinney realized, necessitated a CommunityWildfire Protection Plan that could be relied upon to identifylocal capabilities. “When a particular neighborhood has a fireor a serious event, then they can work at that level and can teamup with other neighborhoods, with other stakeholders, such asForest service and CalFire, and with the sheriff ’s department.All of the agencies that have an interest and a stake in the envi-ronment here on the big sur coast will be called to task to honorthat protection plan once it’s completed,” Pinney says. “they’llall have buy-in, they’ll all have input, and they’ll all have anopportunity to put their interests into it. so it will be a localplan to some degree driving national-level planning. that’s ourdream and that’s our hope.”

throughout history, people who live in rugged, rural areas havelearned to rely on their friends and neighbors, particularly intimes of crisis. When the wildfires hit big sur this summer,that community spirit and connectivity between the land and itspeople proved itself to be fierce and alive. how do you measurea fire? Perhaps in healing and helping and pulling together –community, property owners, state and federal agencies, non-profits, renters, business owners and employees alike – to forgenew alliances and construct solid plans for a safer and moresustainable future.

Fire photographs by Kodiak Greenwood, see page 9.

“...people who live in rugged, rural areas

have learned to rely on their friends and

neighbors, particularly in times of crisis.

When the wildfires hit Big Sur...that

community spirit and connectivity

between the land and its people

proved itself to be fierce and alive.”

3

Zad Leavy, a Los Angeles attorney instrumental in Roe v.Wade, had recently left the sprawl of Southern Californiafor the small town charms of Big Sur. Sherna Stewart grewup attending Quaker schools in Chicago, Tennessee and NewHampshire and, at the tender age of 21, crossed the countryin a Mini Minor, landed in Big Sur, and met her future husbandsix months later. Lloyd Addleman had recently sold hissuccessful Silicon Valley electronics firm and relocated to BigSur. Roger Newell grew up between his father’s home in BigSur and his mother’s home in Carmel, married and studied inBerkeley, where he worked for a large-scale planning firm,then returned home to raise his family in the place he lovedbest. Martin and Suzann Forster owned a home overlookingPfeiffer Beach and traveled regularly to Kauai to oversee anisland princess’s estate. Nancy Hopkins, Peter Harding, andspouses Laela Leavy, Beverly Newell, and Pat Addlemanrounded out the eclectic crew.

“We were all neighbors, we all knew each other, and weshared a similar appreciation for the very special beautyof the Big Sur area,” says Newell.

The friends gathered in each other’s living roomsand kitchens and out onto their patios and backdecks to share the beauty and wonder they foundin Big Sur and their burning desire to ensure themagic would continue forever. “There was asynergy among us,” Leavy says. “We spent a lotof time together. The meetings in our homes wenton and on until we began to form The Big Sur LandTrust.” The fledgling Land Trust incorporated inFebruary 1978.

“Basically, the notion (of a land trust) was rathernew and unfamiliar to our coastal area, so we werekind of pioneers,” says Newell. “We were one ofthe early land trusts that became very high profilebecause of all the interest in Big Sur.”

Leavy agrees, noting that they eventually helped otherland trusts start up in areas such as San Luis Obispo.“Now, fledgling land trusts would come to us for assistance,”he says. “As a result of the work we did, we became wellknown throughout the United States as a pioneer land trust.”

LOVE OF THE LANDSherna Stewart, Zad Leavy and Roger Newell all credit child-hood experiences with influencing their adult passions to pro-tect and preserve Big Sur’s wild places. In the mid-Seventies,Sherna Stewart had just returned to Big Sur after living inCarmel Valley. Her husband Kipp was busy designing the newVentana Inn. She traces both her interest in activism and herpreservationist bent to her childhood growing up in Chicago.

“My mother never saw a civil liberties march she didn’twant to join,” Stewart laughs. And growing up in the big city,Stewart relished her times spent at summer camp. “To me,it was just a breath of heaven. The out-of-doors just had thistremendous sense of beauty and freedom. And that’s whatI loved about Big Sur.”

Zad Leavy first became interested in conservation as a BoyScout growing up in Santa Monica. Later, as a successful

attorney in West Los Angeles, he took regular camping trips tothe Big Sur coast with his wife and two children. “We campedin Washington, Northern California, all over,” Leavy says. “ButBig Sur was our favorite.” Such a favorite, that Leavy boughtproperty in 1972 above what is now Ventana Inn. He beganbuilding a house in 1974 and moved his family to their newhome a year later.

Roger Newell’s father arrived in Big Sur in 1925 and pur-chased land in the 1930s. Young Roger’s earliest memories ofgrowing up were on the 350-acre Newell family ranch, asouthern neighbor to Deetjens Big Sur Inn. “I was actuallyborn in Monterey hospital, so I’m a local kid,” says Newell.

Going to school in the Carmel school district back when theSunset Center housed the K-7 classrooms, Newell was inspiredby his sixth grade teacher Bill Blee, a former forest ranger, andBlee’s botanist friend. “Between the two of them, they formeda junior Audubon society, and some of us kids quickly becamemembers,” Newell recalls. “We would take field trips and beshown all the fascinating things about nature that these twomen had to share.”

Newell appreciated the wildness of his homeland. “As I grewup in Big Sur, I always stayed with the preservation perspec-tive,” he says. “I never had any aspirations to see the familyranch divided up to make money. It was always to retain itin a natural state as much as possible.”

MEETING OF THE MINDSThe Land Trust began their conservation efforts by gatheringat members’ homes. Very often they met at the Hopkins’residence, sometimes at the Leavys’ house or at the Stewarts’Coastlands home, and occasionally on the Newell ranch.These meetings generally took place monthly, but, Leavy says,“When things were happening, it was more often.”

The Hopkins home was a favorite meeting spot, recalls Newell,because of its perch atop Partington Ridge. “And we had greatpotluck gatherings, which is the best of the best in food,” heremembers. “The potluck is the way people get together in BigSur. You bring something special, and everybody else bringstheir special items. You end up with a gourmet spread of food.”

30 YEARSBSLT FOUNDER’S DAY

hat happens when you combine a top L.A. lawyer; a grandson of President Warren Harding;a wandering soul with a Quaker past; a Stanford-educated engineer; a homegrown landscapearchitect/land planner; caretakers of a royal Hawaiian family estate; and a member of a pioneeringBig Sur family? Magic happens. The Big Sur Land Trust was born of such a fusion and has inspiredand brought countless others into its fold for 30 years — all of whom have at least one thing incommon: a deep and abiding love for the Big Sur Coast.

continued on page 7

From left - Roger Newell, Martin Forster, Beverly Newell, Lloyd Addleman,Nancy Hopkins, Sherna Stewart, Peter Harding, Pat Addleman, Zad Leavy

Not pictured here are: Laela Leavy, Suzann Forster and Sam Hopkins.

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The early meetings at Stewart’s house were quite informal andopen to anyone who wanted to attend, Sherna recounts. “Wejust batted around ideas. People were enthusiastic about somany places that might be included.”

“We would spread out there on the lawn and, you know,talk it through,” adds Leavy. “We’d just discuss how to goabout promoting the organization, encouraging people toprotect their lands.”

“I did work on the Land Trust’s first brochure,” shares Stewart.“I did the first logo the Land Trust had. It was sort of an abstractview from my front porch. And then a little while later, myhusband did a painting that they would use as a poster.”

Leavy recalls that the early days involved “a lot of research,a lot of fundraising, a lot of talking, contacting people allover the state, connecting with other land trusts, with otheragencies that would assist us, state, federal and local.”

EARLY SUCCESS STORYThe Big Sur Land Trust thought big from the very start. Theirfirst acquisition concerned over 3,000 acres now known asthe Gamboa Ranch. Even more impressive, according toLeavy, the deal was closed in an exhilarating 48 hours overthe telephone. “That transaction was reported all over thenation,” he says. “The way we did it became a formula ofhow to do it and was used as an example of bringing in aconservation buyer, namely David Packard.”

Apparently, a group of developers from Oklahoma were alsobidding on the property at that time. “We just barely sneakedunder the radar,” says Leavy. “We just barely beat them.”

Land Trust board member Lloyd Addleman knew DavidPackard through his own electronics business and had alreadybeen in contact with him regarding the idea of working withthe Land Trust to preserve the property. Then Leavy fortuitouslyhappened to telephone the land owners in New York at theprecise moment they were meeting to discuss what to dowith the property, then known as the Potter Ranch. “And atthat meeting, I said, ‘Well, what do we need to do? Let’swrap it up,’” Leavy recalls.

Leavy explains that although Packard wound up owning theproperty, the land was forever protected because the Land Trustowned the conservation easement. “A lot of it can be seenfrom Highway 1,” says Leavy. “So the public benefits byhaving that area kept pristine.”

LOST AND FOUNDFounders Lloyd Addleman and Nancy Hopkins, instrumentalmembers of the Land Trust from the start, have since passed

away and are deeply missed. Tragically, the Hopkins’ andthe Leavys’ homes, two of the first three meeting places forThe Big Sur Land Trust, were destroyed in the Basin ComplexFire. Leavy had lived in his residence for 25 years until hesold it in 2000 and moved to Carmel. “It survived four fires,”Leavy says. “In this one, it finally went.”

On the Newell property, the main ranch house was saved,but the fire destroyed all four other historic buildings on thesite. The wedding of Newell’s oldest son was to take placeon the property on the 28th of June, and if it weren’t for thewedding planning, the ranch house would have burned aswell, according to Newell.

In preparation for the wedding, a tent camping site wasbeing set up for many of the groom’s friends, says Newell.“My contribution was to clear land, cut brush beyond theusual clearing process each year, and open up the road,which had been enclosed with brush that hadn’t beencleared out over the years.”

“The firefighters complimented us,” he says. “They said thisis a model of a home that is defensible.”

Sherna Stewart’s former home, occupying the ocean side ofHighway 1, was spared by the fire. And whether it’s the earlyfounders’ pioneering energy still imbuing the premises or justthe incredibly good fortune of The Big Sur Land Trust, theStewart house is a gift that keeps on giving.

It came as a wonderful surprise to Stewart when her formerhome was donated to the Land Trust in 2006. After 25 yearson the property, the Stewarts had sold it in 2000 to DavidWhitney and Phillip Johnson. Johnson passed away andWhitney, unbeknownst to Stewart, had bequeathed the prop-erty to the Land Trust upon his own death in January 2005.Proceeds from the Land Trust’s sale of the home created theDavid Whitney Legacy Fund for Big Sur. The $100,000 theLand Trust donated to the Big Sur Fire Relief Fund, whichhelped so many displaced community members in their timeof need, came out of the Whitney Fund.

“It was just such an amazing coincidence,” says Stewart.“Just such an amazing unfolding because of the way this househad been so involved in the early stages of the Land Trust.”

From their small but ambitious beginnings to becoming amodel among land trusts throughout the United States, TheBig Sur Land Trust’s founders are proud of what they started30 years ago around the dining room table. Says Newell,“I think the biggest impact that we could have on the Big Surcoast is in place. So that is satisfying to me.”

Thanks to the generosity of the late Big Sur resident David Whitney –who bequeathed his Big Sur home to the Land Trust for sale and useof the proceeds – The Big Sur Land Trust has established The DavidWhitney Legacy Fund for promoting healthy lands and communitiesin Big Sur. The Land Trust has spent the past year looking at the mostpragmatic uses for the fund in light of its land and water conservationmission as well as its new vision for supporting and sustaining viablehuman communities within the context of healthy landscapes.

BSLT established a group of Big Sur advisors to help sort through allof the worthy projects and needs within the community and leveragethese new resources to maximum effect. Long term, the Land Trustwill support projects that effectively address critical conservation andcommunity needs, while also building local capacity for sustainingthose efforts.

The Land Trust is proud to announce the deployment of $50,000 fromThe David Whitney Legacy Fund to 10 local organizations. Grants of$5,000 apiece will help further their important work on behalf of thecitizens and community of Big Sur.

THE RECIPIENTS ARE:

Big Sur Health Center

Big Sur Historical Society

Mid-Coast Fire Brigade

Captain Cooper School

Big Sur Grange

Monterey County Housing, Inc. (for development of workforce housingin Big Sur under the advisement of the Big Sur Workforce Housing Group)

Pacific Valley School

Big Sur Arts Initiative

Henry Miller Library

Campamento Rancho Rico

The Land Trust also contributed $100,000 from the WhitneyLegacy Fund to the Coast Property Owners Association's Fire ReliefFund and $67,000 to fund the development of the Big Sur VolunteerFire Brigade’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan. (See “RisingFrom the Ashes” on page one for more information.)

DAVID WHITNEY LEGACY FUNDDEPLOYED IN SERV ICE OF THE B IG SUR COMMUNITY

continued from page 4

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Ric Masten

Celebrated poet Ric Masten, Renaissance man, unofficialpoet laureate of Carmel, and author of 23 books of verseand drawings, died May 9 at his Palo Colorado home

after a nine-year battle with prostate cancer. He was 78.

A Carmel native, Masten discovered in March that thecancer had spread throughout his body and into his brain.

After digesting this grave news, his reaction was,“How do you go out dancing? By doing what you’ve

always done — being yourself.”

Being himself was a multifaceted endeavor for Masten, who was a singer-songwriter, a painter, an actor, a quick-drawpistol shooter, a carpenter and a high school track star. His rich life experiences were reflected in his work.

“Ric Masten’s poems take us to the heart of the human experience because they come from the heart of a good andwise man,” said PBS commentator Bill Moyers, one of many famous Masten fans. “It is impossible to read his

work without being grateful to a man who takes life as it comes and gives back better than he gets.”

Masten was a member of The Big Sur Land Trust since 1998. Many times, he read his poetry and told his stories,entertaining the crowds at the Land Trust’s Land and Legacy Circle annual get-togethers. His work continues

to inspire us all, connecting the places we love with the lives we live.

Lloyd A. Addleman

Lloyd Andrew Addleman, a founding member of The Big Sur Land Trust, diedJune 5 at the age of 81 after a long battle with cancer.

Lloyd graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in electrical engineeringand was an Army Air Force veteran of World War II. In 1956, he and three otherengineers and physicists from Sylvania started Microwave Engineering Laboratoriesof Palo Alto, conducting their first research and experiments in a Prohibition-erawine cellar on the Los Altos Hills property where Addleman was also building hisfamily home.

MELabs grew with a customer base that included the Air Force, the Atomic EnergyCommission, Motorola and General Dynamics Corp., with early projects focusingin the area of microwave surveillance receivers. Among its products were Stanford

University’s radio telescope, designed to track and record the sun’s radio waves, and the first attaché case “mobile”telephone for Carry Phone Corp.

Addleman retired from MELabs in 1970 at the age of 43 and began building a new home on the Big Sur coast,where his interest in preserving Big Sur’s wilderness led him to become a founding member of The Big Sur LandTrust. He was a friend of David Packard and was instrumental in securing the Land Trust’s conservation easementon the Gamboa Ranch.

In 1982, he and his son, David Addleman, launched Cyberware, a company that pioneered three-dimensionaldigitizing technology, which became a standard resource for special effects in the movie industry, employed in suchfilms as “Terminator 2,” “The Abyss,” and “Jurassic Park.”

He was featured in Fortune magazine as a “young wizard” and “egghead” in 1960, honored as an OutstandingYoung Man by the California State Chamber of Commerce in 1961, and in 1995 received an Academy Award forCyberware’s efforts in special effects.

Addleman enjoyed family camping trips, building the family homes, and sailboat racing on Monterey Bay. His wifePat still resides at the home they built in Big Sur.

In Memoriam

Dawn AndersonCarl Pohlhammer & Anita Arrellanoramon Ayresrick & Margaret baldwinbonnie brooksPhillip butler and barbara baldockCarmen ChandlerMax & Cynthia ChaplinDick & betty DalsemerDonald & Janet Davidson

Charitable remainder trustnorma DavisJohn & esther DolanKaren & Philip Drayersusan DuCoeurKent & lyn evanssteven & Fila evansonMeade Fischersean & becky FlavinMarjorie & Fong FolsomMary r. GaleMr. & Mrs. valerio Giusi

Jack Glendeningsara harkinsDiane e. harmonJohn & Marcia harterruth hartmannArt haseltinePeter heubleintrish hibbenJoanne hivelyrod & Alma holmgrenMrs. Jeanne s. holmquistCatherine M. horneelsa Con & bucky JacksonJim Jefferyrobert KohnGary Kuriserling lagerholmZad & laela leavyJohn liebertFred and Patricia MaurerJohn & Jane McCoyblaine McDonoughJack Meadors, iii

Alice MoserDon & laura newmarkJeanette otterJo owenMr. & Mrs. lou Pavesilana Pricesuzanne & Allen rice-spiersvirginia ruthGeorge n. someroCynthia M. spencerbarbara springharrison omsonDr. & Mrs. Mike turbowJohn D. WachsJohn e. Warnerbonni & Joel WeinsteinMichael & Marilynn WhitcombMargaret WilliamsKatharine WilsonWilliam & birgit Winanselizabeth WrightCarol younglinda Zinn

land and legacyCirclee land and legacy Circle honors and acknowledges those families and individuals who includee big sur land trust in their charitable estate plans. ese legacy gifts make a personal and lastingstatement by protecting our glorious, irreplaceable landscapes for generations to come.

CirCle MeMbers

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Luminous as the Moon and Starsby Ric Masten

some stories come linked togetherlike railroad carslike death and an old abandoned stove

I was just a kid rummaging throughthe garbage and junkpeople dumped off Highway 1 onto our propertybusted appliances… rusted machinery… car partsa constant aggravation to my fatherbut luminous as the moon and stars for me

one day a beat up old stovegraced the roadside bushesin those days mercurywas used in the oven thermostatjust the kind of treasure an 11 year oldcould salvageand use to make dimes shine

headed back to the housequicksilver cupped in my palmfor the very first timeand for no apparent reasonit came to methat one day I would diethe scary thoughtfalling on me like a bombshutting me downnailing my feet to the ground

thenas any kid would doI put the prizethe precious ball of mercuryback on the front burnershoving death asideafter allnearly a lifetime would passbefore my oncologist would say:"… and when the time comes,and it will comeI promise you a graceful end."

nearly a lifetime would passuntil I’d need to rememberthe luminous moon and starsand the childhood trickof focusingon the quicksilver at hand

Reprinted with permission. To learnabout Ric Masten and read more of hiswonderful work, go to www.ricmasten.net.

2008 BIG SURARTIST-IN-RESIDENCEANNOUNCEDBay Area artist Laura Diamondstone was recentlychosen for the 2008 Artist-in-Residence program,co-sponsored by The Big Sur Land Trust and the BigSur Arts Initiative. Diamondstone, a mixed-mediaartist and painter, was granted an eight-week resi-dency with free housing in an artist studio locatedon the Land Trust’s Glen Deven Ranch, plus a$3,000 stipend provided by the Arts Initiative.

“My art studio borders San Francisco’s mostafflicted ghetto,” says Diamondstone. “I amconscious of the ecologic impact and the personaland environmental hazards of my art-making andattempt to compensate by including foundmaterials otherwise en route to landfill.”

Diamondstone was selected by a committeecomprised of Big Sur artists, community members,and Big Sur Arts Initiative representatives.

“With Laura being in an urban environment, it'svery easy to find objects that you can use for yourwork,” notes Karen Blades, executive director ofthe Arts Initiative, explaining part of the reason whythe selection committee chose Diamondstone.“We felt that once she’s put into a rural, naturalenvironment, that might stretch her work a bit.”

During her residency, Diamondstone plans to“create series with ash, natural earth pigments, andorganic materials of Big Sur to construct and formmy paintings.”

Diamondstone will live in the artist studio thatVirginia Mudd once used as a writing sanctuary.Mrs. Mudd, a former Board member of the LandTrust, and her husband Dr. Seeley Mudd were long-time, generous contributors to the Land Trust and,upon their passing, left the property to BSLT. “Weare supporting this program because of Virginia’sheartfelt desire to have artists inspired by Big Sur,”says Lana Weeks, BSLT’s Director of Philanthropy.

The residency begins September 29th andconcludes November 21st. The Arts Initiative andthe Land Trust will host a reception to view hercompleted artwork in December. Details for thisevent will be available on the Big Sur Arts Initiativewebsite, www.bigsurarts.org.

BSLT COMPLETES STRATEGIC PLANIn April 2008, The Big Sur Land Trust completedits new strategic plan, with guidance from organi-zational consultant Dr. Mary Hiland and inputfrom key community stakeholders. The plan out-lines objectives for broadening positive impactsand expanding partnerships within the communityin service of the Land Trust's mission (see BSLTNewsletter, Fall ’07). The Land Trust will introduceits strategic plan, the culmination of three yearsof work, over the coming months.

BSLTWEBSITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION:EXCUSE OUR CYBERDUST!

BSLT’s website – www.bigsurlandtrust.org – isundergoing a major renovation. The upcomingdynamic, user-friendly and secure site will includemany interactive features. The redesign will betterreflect the Land Trust’s new direction of reconnect-ing people with the land, and highlight our ex-panded network of partners who make our workpossible. Launch date is November 20, 2008.In the meantime, please call us at 831.625.5523with any questions about our upcoming eventsand activities.

news briefs

he dream of establishing a Carmel River SongbirdPreserve is getting closer to reality. The site of the future

preserve is the 12-acre McWhorter property located on SchulteRoad in Carmel Valley. It is home to at least 43 types of birds,as well as other sensitive species, including the California red-legged frog, Western pond turtle and steelhead trout. By acquir-ing this property, the Land Trust can preserve critical riparianand in-stream habitat on the lower Carmel River, while securinga key stretch of the Carmel River Parkway. The Parkway projectaims to extend a trail along the southern side of the river be-tween Valley Greens Drive and Palo Corona Regional Park,offering hikers several miles of walkways to explore state andregional parklands.

The Ventana Wildlife Society, working in partnership with BSLT,currently operates a small ornithological laboratory on the pro-posed Songbird Preserve, banding birds for the past six years.This lab and its important research, which includes monitoringone-third of the threatened riparian bird species in California,would be expanded and made permanent once the acquisitionis complete.

Bird number 96955 stands out in Jessica Griffiths’ mind.Griffiths, a wildlife biologist for the Ventana Wildlife Society,has banded birds in the preserve since the project’s inception

in 2003. The 96955 refers to the last five digits of the bird’snine-numbered leg band.

“This particular Swainson’s thrush has been coming back everyyear for five years,” says Griffiths, describing the thrush as plain-looking, but with a beautiful flute like song. “It shows us thatsongbirds are capable of navigating extreme distances and re-turning with clockwork precision to the exact same quarter milesquare patch of land without any assistance.”

Griffiths notes that the Swainson’s thrush requires riparianhabitats and returns every year from Central and South Americato breed on the Carmel River. “If one year it came back andthat habitat was no longer there, the bird wouldn't have any-where else to go. They're really dependent on the samepatches of land,” she says.

Along the Carmel River, the Swainson’s thrush could be theproverbial canary in a coal mine. It’s a designated RiparianFocal Species, which is a bird that exclusively inhabits and issignificantly connected to the river environment.

“If you have an area with Swainson's thrushes, you know youhave a healthy riparian habitat,” says Griffiths, “They can beseen as sort of an indicator species for the health of the habitat.If the Swainson's thrush were to disappear from the CarmelRiver, that would be a very bad sign.”

Fortunately, thanks to restoration efforts by Monterey PeninsulaWater Management District in the area, the number of Swain-son’s thrushes is slightly increasing. Says Griffiths, “I think thatreally speaks to the importance of land preservation.”

The Land Trust has secured 50 percent of the funds to obtainthe site and now seeks the remaining half million dollars tocomplete the purchase and convey the property for public use.

BSLT CLOSES IN ON

ACQUIRING CARMEL RIVER

SONGBIRD PRESERVE

Jessica Griffiths and Betsy Reeves with a Chestnut-backed Chickadee.

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PHOTOGRAPHINGTHE BIG SUR FIRE

Fine art photographer KodiakGreenwood stayed behind thelines during the Big Sur fire tohelp fight the blaze and capturethe dramatic images in our coverstory Rising from the Ashes.

Our thanks to Kodiak fordonating the use of theseimages for our newsletter.

SPACE INVADERSFire is an intrinsic part of the natural ecology of the Big Sur coast and hasbeen for thousands of years. The native plants have adapted to life with wild-fires, with many species benefiting from fire activity. Indeed, some nativesactually require a fire incident to re-seed. Natives generally bounce backquickly over the few years following a wildfire. Indigenous animals areoften spared, and even smaller animals whose populations take a biggerhit rebound quickly with access to new young plant life in the area.

However, the Land Trust now must deal with the potential for non-native,invasive species intruding upon the landscapes. “Typically, when you disturbthe soil in an area, many invasive plants can take advantage of that distur-bance,” says BSLT’s Conservation Director Donna Meyers. “These invasivesmay move into the meadows and areas where bare soils are exposed dueto fire breaks. We’re going to need to manage that, because most of ourproperties are preserved for native plants.”

On the Arroyo Seco and Mitteldorf properties, Meyers expects to find anincrease in invasive thistle and other non-natives whose seeds may havepiggy-backed their way onto the properties on the bulldozers. “We don’tknow exactly what kind of species we’re going to end up with,” she says.“We may also be surprised by natives rebounding significantly. We haven’tseen this type of event before.”

Researchers have already discovered fresh green growth occurring in muchof the burned areas. If winter rains start slowly, the recovering vegetationmay assist in protecting slopes from erosion.