In an act of keen vision and extraordinary generosity, landowners Bob & Gretchen Lieff

have entered into a voluntary conservation agreement with The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County to permanently protect 250 acres of their rugged and beautiful south county ranch. The landmark donation was completed in early October and is the first phase of a two part project – the Lieffs own an additional 1,750 acres of habitat-rich, oak-studded ranchland which The Land Conservancy is working to secure funding for in 2010 through a partnership with the California Wildlife Conservation Board.

The Lieff Alamo Creek Ranch is immediately adjacent to Los Padres National Forest and sits in the shadows of Stanley Peak where it drains to Alamo Creek and the Cuyama River below. With fantastic oak woodland, including coast live oak, blue oak, and valley oak, as well as areas of coastal scrub, chaparral, and serpentine soils, the Lieff Alamo Creek Ranch exhibits rich habitat diversity that supports abundant flora and fauna. The property also contains about 38 acres of Class I and II soils in an alluvial plain where the Lieffs will continue to organically farm Syrah and Grenache vines, two Rhone grape varietals that have become popular with wine aficionados in recent years.

“We are honored to become conservation partners with Bob & Gretchen Lieff by working together to achieve their vision for this magnificent ranch. They have a go-for-it attitude and have been rock solid in their commitment to this project. We look forward to continuing our work with them and Wildlife Conservation

Board in 2010 to permanently protect the entire ranch for the future.” - Bob Hill, Conservation Director

The Lieff Alamo Creek Ranch conservation partnership is one of many exciting projects on the horizon. To find out how you can help support local conservation, or how a conservation easement can help you preserve your ranch for continued agricultural use, visit www.LCSLO.org, or call our office anytime (805) 544-9096.

Vol. 25 No. 5 - Fall/Winter 2009

Conservation of Lieff Alamo Creek Ranch

Upcoming Events ART ECO

Artist’s Reception & Conservation Benefit

Fri. Nov. 6th

6-9pm FrameWorks Gallery 339 Marsh St., SLO www.SLOART.com 15% of all art proceeds

benefit LCSLO!

Thanksgiving Day Hike Thur. Nov. 26th

9am-12pm Black Lake Ecological Area,

Nipomo RSVP at 544-9096x18

Holiday Barn Lighting & Gift Shop Sat. Dec. 5th 5pm - 6:30pm

Join us at the Octagon Barn to celebrate the season & purchase

gifts benefitting the Barn!

Octagon Barn Open House Sat. Dec. 26th

1-4pm 4559 S. Higuera St.

Annual Conservation

Reception Thur. Jan 28th

6-9pm Temple Beth David

10180 Los Osos Valley Rd, SLO

Stay posted for volunteer planting

events in January at www.LCSLO.org!

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Lieff Alamo Creek Ranch in southern SLO County

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Living On the Land

Preserving our local farms and ranches is essential to protecting our scenic open space, watersheds, wildlife habitat, local food, and local culture. Preserving our local farms and ranches is a priority of The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County. Family farm succession, key to the sustainability of a family business, can be much more diffi-cult in California due to the elevated real estate prices that result in high estate taxes.

A local example is the 5,500 acre Las Tablas Ranch located in the Adelaide area which has been in The Bonnheim Family since 1919. Mike & Barbara Bonnheim, the third generation, currently manage the ranch and are continu-ing a life-long love of the land as did Donn Bonnheim, Mike’s father, who recently passed away. Honored as the 2008 Cattle-man of the Year for San Luis Obispo County, Donn was a pio-neer in Agritourism and helped to establish the Williamson Act—a statewide agricultural preservation program. Mike Bonnheim holds a degree in Farm Management from Cal Poly, successfully completed Holistic Management International’s Ranch and Rangeland Managers Training Program, serves as second vice-president to the Upper Salinas-Las Tablas RCD and Chair to the California Cattlemen’s Association Wildlife Management Com-mittee, and was awarded the San Luis Obispo County Native Tree Stewardship Award 2006.

“…sustainability must simultaneously address ecological, economic and social ramifications, and yet those things have a diminished importance and are purely subjective when the current genera-tional ranch owner has little encouragement of keeping the ranch intact and in the family due to

estate tax debt.” - Mike Bonnheim, Rancher & Conservation Easement Landowner

In 2005, as part of their ranch succession plan, the Bonnheims entered into a voluntary conservation easement to restrict development on the Las Tablas Ranch with The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County, while con-tinuing to live on and earn their livelihood on the ranch.

“My family realized we had to decide whether we wanted to be in the land business or the ranching business. Once we decided to stay in ranching, it was a no brainer to sell the development poten-

tial on our land. Although no rancher favors the idea of encumbering his ranch with an easement, a conservation easement was the only vehicle by which my family could devalue our ranch by perma-nently retiring the commercial residential development potential, [thereby] reducing estate tax li-ability, but by no means eliminating it. The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo was the only

land trust willing to help us do this while allowing us to retain full resource managerial flexibility, which in turn frees us up to do long term, creative decision making.” - Mike Bonnheim

Because of the long-term planning benefit to family farms and ranches, like the Bonnheim’s Las Tablas Ranch, The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County considers recently proposed legislation pertaining to estate taxes, such as H.R. 3524, vital to preserving our local farms and ranches.

“H.R. 3524 is fair and levels the playing field. It removes succession anxiety and frees up ranching families to concentrate on the ecological, economic and social decision making aspect of

stewarding land sustainably. That is a win-win for everyone.” - Mike Bonnheim

We encourage you to learn more about current estate tax reform efforts and to take action by contacting your local representative. Start now by reading portions of a recent California Farm Bureau Federation article, “Estate Tax Proposal Would Help Farm Families”, which we’re reprinting on the next page.

(Pictured left to right) Former Director, Ray Belknap worked with Donn Bonnheim and Barbara & Mike Bonnheim to preserve their family ranching business by selling the development rights on their land.

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Estate Tax Proposal Would Help Farm Families Too often when farm and ranch families suffer the loss of a loved one, they must also deal with the wrenching decision of how to satisfy the estate or inheritance tax for property that is passed from one generation to the next.

The Family Farm Preservation Estate Tax Act, H.R. 3524, would exempt farm and ranch assets from estate taxes as long as the property remains as a family agricultural operation. Introduced by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Napa, and Rep. John Salazar, D-Colorado, the bill would also exclude land enrolled in a qualified conservation easement from the estate tax.

A large coalition comprised of 28 farm organizations has endorsed this tax-reform legislation. Allowing farmland and ranchland to stay within family ownership, they said, retains the knowledge of the land's soil, water, wildlife habitat and other resources that assure continuity of stewardship practices. Environmental groups have also endorsed the legislation, including the Environmental Defense Fund, Public Lands Council and the Land Trust Alliance.

"Estate taxes can undermine important conservation values by forcing the breakup, sale and devel-opment of family-owned farm, ranch and forest lands, even when those lands provide important

resources for the public, including high-quality watersheds, wildlife habitat, and food and fiber pro-duction. The bill’s provision for the deferred estate taxes to be paid upon any subsequent sale of

such lands is fair to all taxpayers, and ensures that this deferral is not used to simply avoid taxation." - Rand Wentworth, President of the Land Trust Alliance

This article was re-printed with permission from the California Farm Bureau Federation; Written by Christine Souza, Assistant Edi-tor for the California Farm Bureau Federation and printed on September 2, 2009. H.R. 3524 – Read the bill: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/C?c111:./temp/~c111rQCApq

The Land Conservancy’s restoration crew has been hard at work removing invasive Arundo donax (also known as giant reed) from the San Luis Obispo Creek Watershed. It took 5 years of persistent work along San Luis Obispo Creek supported by funding from the Avila Beach Trustee Council and California Department of Fish & Game, but we are finally working down-stream of the City of SLO on a march towards the ocean!

Arundo is a non-native, aggressively invasive plant that looks like Bamboo. It displaces native shrubs and trees, thus crowding out food sources for local wildlife. Arundo also clogs stream channels causing flooding and erosion, AND it uses water at an alarming rate, growing up to 4 inches per day!

“The Land Conservancy aims to completely eradicate Arundo from the entire SLO Creek watershed, which is no small feat when you see how much Arundo has taken over many southern California waterways.”

- Kaila Dettman, Restoration Program Manager

We recently teamed up with the California Conservation Corps and the City of San Luis Obispo Natural Resources Protection Program to tackle a massive stand with additional funding provided by the Santa Lucia Fly Fishers Club.

More help is needed, so we encourage YOU to join us in our Arundo eradication goal! If you see Arundo in or around the City of SLO, please contact The Land Conservancy for removal. Or call us for a free brochure about taking action against Arundo in your community (805) 544-9096.

Arundo Under Attack

A CCC member is dwarfed by her adversary, invasive Arundo, which LCSLO is working to eradicate from SLO Creek Watershed.

Remembering John DeVincenzo, Trail Visionary

In October, The Land Conservancy was saddened by the loss of a conservation visionary, John DeVincenzo. John was a good friend of The Land Conservancy, and along with fellow visionary Bob Jones, hatched the idea of a natural recreation trail joining the City of San Luis Obispo to Avila Beach. Originally called the “City to the Sea Greenway”, the trail was renamed the “Bob Jones City to Sea Trail” in 2003. John’s vision still inspires The Land Conservancy as we continue work-ing on the trail. We hope to see construction of new trail sections begin in 2011.

On top of initiating the city-to-sea trail concept, John also donated a conservation easement to LCSLO along San Luis Obispo Creek in 2000. His easement dona-tion permanently protects a substantial restoration project we installed and con-tinue to maintain. Our relationship grew as we purchased additional land from John to form the Lower San Luis

Obispo Creek Floodplain Preserve. Our goal for the preserve has always been to keep the land in productive agriculture, and John worked with us to maintain farming uses.

“John was always willing to try new things as a farmer, to integrate farming with creek protection, and we learned a lot

together along the way. We’ll miss John, but we know his vision will live on through the City to Sea Trail and the land

he helped us protect along San Luis Obispo Creek.” - Brian Stark, Executive Director

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Page 5

Optimism in a Down Economy By Brian Stark, Executive Director

As a non-profit Director, it’s hard to go anywhere without recurring questions about the state of the global economy and how we’re doing. Indeed, this has been a challenging year and a half. Nevertheless, The Land Conservancy has adopted strategies to remain focused on permanent land conservation and generate optimism for our future.

The Land Conservancy’s income comes from a combination of grants, fees for services, and private donors & mem-bers. Our grants were initially unaffected by the economic downturn, but when the state froze the sale of bonds in December 2008 the supply of funds dried up. Other restora-tion grants come from private endowments, but poor market performance reduced the funding available from these programs as well. While the economy contracted, The Land Conservancy did not sit idle to await worrisome impacts. We started early in planning for accomplishing our mission with fewer resources by setting organizational priorities and reducing expenses.

Fortunately, the biggest surprise in the midst of the recession has been the strength of our private donor support. In 2008 we had our best private fundraising year ever. We’re grateful that our donors have been there for us—they are the main reason we are still working at a feverish pace to protect local lands.

Here are our key strategies for maintaining our organizational strength despite a down economy:

1. Our highest priority is retaining our capacity to succeed with talented staff. We resisted the temptation to substantially cut staff positions in order to reduce expenses. We did make some minor staffing changes, but we be-lieved these were smart regardless of the economy. We know the economy will recover, and when it does, we will emerge with our human resource leadership intact and avoid the costs of training new staff.

2. Keeping our inward & outward focus on our core mission has kept our staff busy and highly motivated. Our land conservation team is still working with local landowners on some of the best conservation projects we have ever tackled. We continue to stay in dialog with our potential grantors and to develop funding proposals so that we will have a host of prepared projects when funds become available.

3. We have examined our operational needs to reduce any unnecessary expenses. While there really wasn’t much to cut here, we took the opportunity to re-commit to frugality and identified opportunities for cost savings throughout the office which all added up. For instance, after performing an energy audit we made a variety of effi-ciency upgrades and reduced our overall consumption resulting in savings of nearly $100 a month on our energy bill.

4. We remain diligently focused on growing our private fundraising program. Our strategic plan calls for in-creasing the pace of land conservation by developing a stronger local funding base that reduces our dependence on grants. Recent fundraising efforts have been rewarded: Our generous donors have heeded our call to action by in-vesting in The Land Conservancy when we needed it most. Further, we’re building long-term partnerships and creating opportunities for passionate philanthropists to leverage the community benefits of local land protection.

5. We are increasing our community outreach efforts. It is essential that our neighbors understand the impor-tance of land conservation in our County. While some organizations have cut back in this area, we believe that the strategic investment in staying connected to our community is critical to our growth and success both today and to-morrow. Much of this work has been undertaken by our Board of Trustees at little cost to the Conservancy. Their dedication to the Land Conservancy is inspiring more people to join our efforts and expand public support.

6. Lastly, staff from all of our departments are working on further diversifying income sources. We are fortu-nate that we already have a variety of funding sources, but we are actively working on some new innovative ideas that will serve to further strengthen the organization by generating sustainable income over the long-term.

Brian Stark has helped The Land Conservancy grow its community programs over the past 13 years with a recent focus on diversifying and expanding income sources. For more information or to share ideas, contact Brian at 544-9096.

Turning the Classroom Inside Out

Page 6

Just as students are settling into their new classrooms, a handful of dedicated educators are planning to bring them back out. Under the guidance of Program Director, Beverly Gingg, the “Learning Among the Oaks” education program has kicked off its 5th season teaching elementary students through a series of field-based exploratory hikes. California Conservation Corps project leader, Miguel Diaz, and his crew pre-pared the LATO trail for fall adventures that lie ahead for Santa Margarita Ele-mentary School’s 4th-6th grade classes. As in previous years, each class will focus on a different trail study theme by exploring the backyard of their own school. New Cal Poly trail interns, Casey Dilg & Rachel McDowell, are eagerly prepar-ing to lead the students on thematic educational hikes that engage youth in a wide spectrum of learning styles and opportunities.

Casey Dilg is a Cal Poly Biology senior from Portland, Oregon. An avid birder and out-door enthusiast, Casey has been involved in a variety of Cal Poly field studies and has com-pleted an internship at the Oregon Zoo where he enjoyed planning & presenting educa-tional programs for children. Casey says, "Outdoor education is an invaluable addition to classroom learning. I am excited to be part of the Learning Among the Oaks Program and can't wait to get out on the trail with students this fall!" One of Casey's initial projects was to set up a bird display at the SME library for all students to enjoy.

Rachel McDowell, a Cal Poly junior studying Animal Science, hails from Taylorsville, CA (Plumas County), where she was heavily involved in 4-H youth leadership and livestock pro-duction. At Cal Poly, she continues to find time for community service while also earning aca-demic honors. With a special interest in rangeland ecology, she has participated in field studies in Costa Rica. Rachel will be taking the lead in exploring ranch life and oak rangeland conser-vation issues with Santa Margarita’s students. Special thanks to Santa Margarita Ranch and to these dedicated trail docents, volunteers and partners: Jane Thomas; Lee, Catherine & Elizabeth Cortina; Kevin Osborne; Carol Sinsheimer; Dave Wilson, Coyote Road School; Mike Anderson, California Conservation Corps; Marguerite Costigan and Terry Sanville; John McCabe; Pacific Wildlife Care; Dr. John Perrine, Cal Poly Biological Sciences Department; USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service; Lorraine Clark, Farm Bureau Ag Education Committee; Santa Margarita School Faculty and Staff; and key partner The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County. Thanks to an anonymous donor for generously supporting the Cal Poly Internships. LATO is supported by 2005-2008 ~ 2009-2011 grants from the California Wildlife Conservation Board to the San Luis Obispo County University of California Cooperative Extension. Please note that the LATO Trail is located on private property at Santa Margarita Ranch. Access is restricted to approved docent led educational hikes. Contact Beverly Gingg at 549-9319 or bgingg@smcf.org for more information.

Surf the Web, Save Our Land

Just by searching or shopping on the Internet via "GoodSearch" or "GoodShop" The Land Conservancy will receive a small cash donation for each search request or shopping item purchased at no cost to you. Powered by Yahoo, the search engine provides the same excellent search and shopping results you’re used. Many popular online purchases from Travelocity, Priceline, Expedia, Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Home Depot and others can earn cash for The Land Conservancy AND provide you with discounts.

How to Help

1) Set GoodSearch as your default search browser by downloading the GoodSearch toolbar from www.goodsearch.com (Quick, safe & easy!)

2) Before making an online purchase, check GoodShop to see if the store is enrolled at www.goodsearch.com/goodshop.aspx

Page 7

Board & Staff Loving the Land

The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County recently appointed its 2009-2010 Executive Officers and ap-pointed a new member to the Board of Trustees. These passionate and talented volunteers will oversee the direc-tion of the organization for the upcoming year and continue to strategically implement a conservation vision for San Luis Obispo County that includes doubling the current pace of conservation. In January of this year, the Board of Trustees pledged $251,000 in cash and planned gifts to advance conservation programs. 2009-2010 Executive Officers of The Land Conservancy’s Board of Trustees include:

President, Gary Felsman (Arroyo Grande) Serving another term as President, Gary Felsman has been a local conservation champion for over two decades. A resident of Arroyo Grande, Gary’s ability to effectively build bridges among different groups has resulted in vital land conservation including the preservation of Hearst Ranch and various portions of the San Luis Obispo Greenbelt. Gary co-authored a local trail guide book but may be best known by his namesake trail, “Felsman Loop,” on Bishop Peak. Gary works as a Principal Hardware Engineer at Performance Technologies. Vice President, Lisa Wise (Los Osos) Lisa Wise, who served as Treasurer last year, has been appointed to Vice President this year. Lisa has 20 years of professional experience in land use planning, public accounting and fi-nance. A former public servant of the County of San Luis Obispo Housing and Economic Development Division and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, Lisa has also worked as an urban planner, Certified Public Accountant, and professor at Cal Poly. She lives in Los Osos and is the principal and owner of Lisa Wise Consulting. Treasurer, Valerie Endres (San Luis Obispo) Valerie Endres was appointed Treasurer with more than 16 years experience as a Board Trustee. Valerie is a former Chair of the City of SLO Planning Commission and a past presi-dent of the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival. Having lived in San Luis Obispo since 1969, Valerie is a member of the San Luis Obispo Association of Realtors, the Sierra Club, the League of Women Voters, and the Central Coast Recorder Society.

We are also honored to have Pete Jenny serve as our newest Trustee. Pete recently retired from his position as Deputy Director of San Luis Obispo County Parks. A longtime advocate for out-door recreation and land protection, Pete was instrumental in the success of the Dana Adobe Cultural Landscape project and a variety of other countywide conservation efforts. He serves on the Bay Foundation board and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our organization. Additional Land Conservancy Board Trustees include Beverly Gingg (San Luis Obispo), Herb Kandel (Nipomo), Penny Rappa (Avila Beach), BK Richard (San Luis Obispo), Alex Rothenberg (San Luis Obispo), and Ed Carson, Emeritus Trustee (Oceano).

We are also pleased to welcome Teresa Tibstra as the newest member of our profes-sional staff. Teresa volunteered for almost a year before officially joining the team as Membership Assistant. Her duties include membership donation coordination and vol-unteer & events outreach in the community. For the past eight years, Teresa was an ele-mentary school teacher and prior to that, she spent some time teaching English to inter-national students at the American English Institute. Teresa has an MBA with a Marketing emphasis, a BA in Linguistics and Liberal Studies, and a California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. In her leisure time, Teresa enjoys baking, traveling, home improve-ment projects and visiting vintage VW car shows (as demonstrated by the big smile at right!) We send our best wishes to former Community Connection Liaison Dave Rau who was instrumental in formaliz-ing our volunteer program and engaging hundreds of local people in our conservation mission. Best of luck, Dave!

Welcome Pete!

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Estate Gifts Provide Local Land Legacy

The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County recently received a surprise legacy gift from a generous and long-term supporter; Arthur Rosen left $5,000 to his local land trust through his will. Rosen chose to dedicate a portion of his estate to the conservation of important land-scapes unique to San Luis Obispo County. A staunch supporter of local land protec-tion, Rosen was a member of The Land Conservancy since 2000 and donated regularly to the Visionary Vistas Land Protection Fund.

“The generosity and foresight of our supporters never ceases to amaze us. Arthur’s gift will be appreciated for generations to come through

the permanent protection of local lands in his home community.” - Brian Stark, Executive Director

Rosen served as Professor Emeritus at Cal Poly and Director of the Physics Depart-ment Radioanalytical Facility, and he was a veteran of the US Navy. He supported a variety of other community causes including Cuesta College, Foundation for the Per-forming Arts, Mozart Festival and the local Planned Parenthood. We intend to use Arthur’s estate gift to leverage grant funding for the permanent pro-tection of a ranchland property that is under negotiation and have inducted him into our Terra Firma Society in honor of his generosity. We also encourages others to include nonprofits in their estate plans. Planned giving provides a unique opportunity for community-minded individuals to combine their philanthropic passions with financial planning to help navigate the future. People can work with nonprofits during their life-time to set up a legacy that provides lasting benefits to causes they care about, such as land protection.

The Land Conservancy’s Board President, Gary Felsman, has done just that. “Darlene and I have been members of the Land Conservancy for more than 10 years. We have

watched the Land Conservancy grow, and we continue to learn about the vital role it plays in the com-munity preserving special places we all know and love. We have made a significant investment in the organization to help support today’s mission. We have also included them in our estate plans to help

ensure The Land Conservancy continues to be a strong organization for generations to come.” - Gary Felsman.

Other notable members of The Land Conservancy’s Terra Firma Society include former local philanthropists Jan Mracek, Allan Minker, and Shirley McLain.

• Mracek named The Land Conservancy as a partial beneficiary in her will. Her passing in 2007 enabled the es-tablishment of an endowment fund to support local land conservation forever.

• McLain donated her estate, including 40 acres of land southeast of Santa Margarita, to The Land Conservancy in 2008. Since then, her property has been encumbered with a permanent conservation easement creating the "McLain Wildlife Preserve" and sold to a conservation buyer. Proceeds from the sale now endow the permanent protection of the property and fund other similar conservation projects.

• Minker left The Land Conservancy a bequest of his retirement savings which was reinvested in our Commu-nity Connection program. His seed funding of an internship position has now been leveraged into a more robust volunteer and outreach program that engages the public in local conservation efforts.

Regardless of your philanthropic passions, planning for your financial future is essential in today’s dynamic economic environment. Talk with your loved ones about what you want to see happen when you’re gone. If you are interested in leaving a legacy of permanent land protection in San Luis Obispo County, please contact Brian Stark, Executive Director of The Land Conser-vancy at (805) 544-9096. Or contact the County Community Foundation at (805) 543-2323 to invest in The Land Conservancy’s “Core Conservation” Endowment Fund.

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The Summer Youth Corps, a collaboration between the California Conservation Corps and Cuesta College, do-nated nearly 400 hours to improving Land Conservancy pro-ject sites. Thanks for your hard work!

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Local People, Local Land

74 volunteers pitched in on Creek Day to remove over 2,000 pounds

of litter from 18 sites throughout the City of San Luis Obispo. In total, the countywide Creek Day

2009 effort removed over 12,000 pounds of debris from 63 regional

sites by 548 volunteers. Thank you volunteers and event sponsors

SLO County Supervisors, Tobacco Control Program, SLO

Baked Bakeries, San Luis Garbage and SLO City Rangers !

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“Having a group of local high school kids be paid to work and learn on

conservation lands at no cost to The Land Conservancy or to the project sponsor –

now that is a win-win situation.” - Michael LeBrun, LCSLO Project Manager

“I thought the evening was great! It was a beautiful sunset and moonrise ...We saw deer, a few birds on

the water, and heard coyotes in the distance. We also saw a great horned owl in the eucalyptus grove and I was able to set up our spotting scope on it and allow

the hikers to take a look.” - Dan McElhinney, Director of Volunteers, Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center Ph

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Supporters enjoyed a moonlight hike to our Black Lake private preserve co-hosted

by LCSLO and the Dunes Center. Get info on upcoming events like this by signing up

for our email updates at www.LCSLO.org.

Bev & Bryan Gingg (shown at right) hosted a Grass Fed Beef

Tasting at their home and invited their friends & neighbors to learn more about local beef

products and practices of Nick Ranch and its partnership with

The Land Conservancy.

Greig Cummings (left) samples the

beef raised by 5th & 6th generation ranch-

ers, Norman Nick and his son Stephen.

Carlos & Rosemary

The Baxley Family SLOHS Key Club

Directors Brian Stark and Bob Hill (left) dis-

cussed conservation strategies with Chuck

Mills and Darla Guen-zler, Directors of the

California Council of Land Trusts during a recent visit.

CCLT advocates for statewide land protection

policies and funding.

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‘Tis the Season of Giving

Since 1918, six generations of the Nick Family have managed their ranch in eastern San Luis Obispo County with innovation and foresight to keep their operation not only viable, but also sustainable. The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County is honored that the Nick Family approached us to explore a conservation partner-ship which would permanently protect their family’s land.

The Land Conservancy prioritizes working with local farm-ers and ranchers because we have witnessed their long-term commitment to local land, food and wildlife. The Nicks are no exception having been excellent stewards of their ranch’s resources by implementing conservation practices to improve the grassland, wildlife habitat and water quality.

In addition to how they take care of their land, the Nick Family has also listened to health conscious consumers who value the benefits of eating beef that is grass fed, or-ganic and locally raised. Nick Ranch beef cattle are 100% grass fed without antibiotics or hormones; not exposed to herbicides or pesticides according to Certified USDA Organic standards; live on the ranch in a low stress natural environment without confinement; and are not fed grain or animal byproducts. Not only is it a more healthy choice, but the taste is excellent which they have achieved by selecting cattle breeds developed for their taste and quality. To find out more please visit: www.enjoygrassfedbeef.com

* This is the first in a regular series featuring local Land Conservancy partners who prioritize land protection and resource stewardship.

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*Local Food Feature: Nick Ranch Grass Fed Beef

Norman Nick tends his 100% grass fed cattle. His family is exploring a conservation partnership to permanently protect their ranchlands while continuing the family business.

Now is the time when people start thinking about what to buy family and friends for the holidays. Are you think-ing: He doesn’t need another tie and she probably doesn’t want another scarf—what should I get them? Why not give a gift this season that has real meaning and lasting value.

Give the gift of conservation by purchasing annual Land Conservancy memberships, buying unique barn donation gifts or making a donation in someone’s honor or memory.

Please contact Teresa or Wende at 544-9096 if you have special requests or would like to purchase gifts over the phone.

Barn Donation Gift Benefits $25 Set of unique note cards $50 Set of 4 etched wine glasses or Hand-painted shingle $100 Embroidered hat or Set of 12 etched wine glasses $250 Engraved brick $500 Big Barn Package (brick, hat, 12 glasses & note cards) $1,000 Honor tree & plaque $5,000 Engraved path paver & honor tree with plaque $10,000 & up Commissioned artwork, facility rental, naming rights and other customized benefits

Annual Membership Gift Benefits Gift recipients receive:

• Membership welcome letter • Set of unique note cards & Local trails bookmark • Quarterly newsletter • Special invitations to hikes & events • Private invitation to Annual Conservation Reception

(January 28, 2010) Bonus! Gift Memberships at $100 and up will also receive a “Special Places” t-shirt made with organic cotton and soy-ink

Special Thanks & Congratulations

Wish List

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• Ranch Gates (Two 12 - 14 foot sturdy gates, working order)

• Video recording & editing (Help us make short videos to post on the website)

Donations are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated! Thank you.

Board Of Trustees Gary Felsman, President Lisa Wise, Vice President Valerie Endres, Treasurer

Beverly Gingg Pete Jenny

Herb Kandel Penny Rappa BK Richard

Alex Rothenberg Ed Carson, Emeritus

Staff Executive Director: Brian Stark

Conservation Director: Bob Hill

Restoration Program Manager: Kaila Dettman Membership & Development Manager and Landlines Editor: Wende David Stewardship Manager: Daniel Bohlman

Business Manager: Crystal Elwood Restoration Ecologist: Mark Skinner Project Manager: Michael LeBrun

Conservation Planning Associate: Margo Heekin Clark

Membership Assistant: Teresa Tibstra Restoration Specialists: Nathan Reiss & Leah Lippe

Interns: Brian Strachan, Katy Lewis, Sarah McCutcheon

LANDLINES is printed on recycled paper. Sign up for our eco-friendly on-line newsletter and preview all the same great photos & stories in full color!

Nipomo Chapter Contact Herb Kandel at

hkandel@slonet.org

Santa Margarita Community Forestry

Contact Beverly Gingg at bgingg@smcf.org

Thank You to the following for your outstanding contributions:

• Arthur Rosen for his very generous planned gift

• John & Vanessa O’Connor at SLO Baked Bakeries for donating fresh-baked cinnamon rolls for every Creek Day volunteer in the City of San Luis Obispo!

• County Board of Supervisors and County Tobacco Control Program for sponsoring the countywide Creek Day 2009 cleanup effort. Round of applause!

• Guy Hackman at K Jewel Radio 1400AM and SLO City Rangers for their continued support of the annual Creek Day cleanup effort.

547 Marsh St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County is your local, non-profit land trust working to permanently protect and restore

local lands for the benefit of people and wildlife.

If you support what we do, please tell your friends and encourage others to join as a member.

In 2006, The Land Conservancy was honored to accept a conservation donation that permanently protects Fred & Pat Frank’s 60 acres of farmland, oak wood-land habitat and nearly a mile of Graves Creek in Atascadero.

The protected property includes a tree farm. If you’re looking for a locally grown Christmas tree, consider supporting the Frank Family by purchasing your tree from Hidden Springs Tree Farm in Atascadero.

Not only will your purchase support a sustainable multi-generation family business on protected land, but 100% of your money will stay in our community. That’s a whole new way of saying Happy Holidays in San Luis Obispo County— by supporting local people and local land.

Get a Locally Grown Christmas Tree

Are You a Member?

The Land Conservancy’s Annual Members are the foundation of our public support. Funds from our annual donors are critical to our conservation mission and make it possible to be suc-cessful protecting and restoring local lands for the benefit of people and wildlife. In addition to the important funding, our annual donors provide a very direct connection with the com-munity we serve. We value the input we receive from our donors and feedback on our projects. Annual membership categories include:

• Student– $10 • Sustaining – $30 • Steward – $50 • Patron – $100 • Benefactor – $250 • Guardian – $500 • Visionary - $1,000

If you’re not a member, please consider joining. You can make a recurring monthly donation or sign up for automatic renewals online at www.LCSLO.org. Just click the Donate button. Or feel free to contact Teresa or Wende at 544-9096 to discuss your membership options over the phone. You can also help us by signing up a friend, neighbor or co-worker as a new member. The more com-munity support we have for our mission the more successful we’ll be. Thank You for prioritizing local land conservation in San Luis Obispo County!