summer 2009 landlines newsletter ~ land conservancy of san luis obispo county

8/8/2019 Summer 2009 Landlines Newsletter ~ Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County

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Surely youve heard the bad news about the conservation impacts of Californias State budgcuts. Here are the most concerning impacts weve indentified:

$14.2 million pulled from State Parkswill result in the closure of approximately 100

parks, more than a third of the entire State Park system. No closure list has been prepa

yet but nearby parks such as Montana de Oro are threatened.

Total suspension ofWilliamson Act subventions will remove nearly $35 million provid

to local governments statewide to support farmland conservation. This imperils curren

and future contracts that protect nearly 40% of land in San Luis Obispo County. (831,0acres out of total 2,114,750 acres are currently under Williamson Act contract in SLO County.)

Elimination of more than $8 million in support for the California Conservation Corps(CCC) will severely impair the programs educational and community services to parks,

trails, wetlands and other natural areas enjoyed by the public.

This sobering outcome reminds us of the importance of protecting agricultural

land uses in our County, and of the fragility of government programs designed to

conserve agricultural lands. Cuts to the Williamson Act may take away a valuable

program, but fortunately Conservation Easements can fill this same role and do i

permanently. More and more landowners are choosing this option, and The Land

Conservancy has been working hard to help.- Brian Stark, Executive Director

In difficult economic times, it becomes

clearer that government programs cant

always be relied on when needed. It is

in times like these that local land trusts

like The Land Conservancy step up to

provide critical assistance to the com-

munities they serve. Landowners are

turning to land trusts to keep their lands

intact, in the family, and producing

food. Thanks to the support of ourmany donors, The Land Conservancy

has never been in a better position to help landowners meet their goals. Over the last 25

years, we have emerged as a trusted, efficient and successful organization built on the skills

professional staff and the passionate generosity of our supporters.

Now is the time to invest in our local lands by increasing financial support for

permanent land protection and developing long-term sustainable sources of incom

- Gary Felsman, President Board Trustees

Consider your role in shaping the future of San Luis Obispo County. Contact Executive Direc

Brian Stark to discuss land donations, financial support, and planned giving opportunities or to share ideas

Vol. 25 No. 4 - Summer 2009

Conservation is in Our HandsUpcomingEvents

Full Moon Night HikeFri. Sept. 4th

5:30pm

Black Lake Ecological

Area, Nipomo

RSVP at 544-9096 x14SPACE IS LIMITED

Creek Cleanup DaySat. Oct. 3rd

9am-12pm

Santa Rosa Park, SLOAnd Sites throughout

SLO County

Octagon BarnWork Day

Sat. Sept. 12th

9am-12pm

Join volunteers on the 2nd

Saturday each month

Become a fan ofThe Land Conservancy

on Facebook.

Here today but will it be here tomorrow?


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Standing Up for Local Ranches

The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County is a vital resource for local ranchers and landowners wishing toprotect rangeland through the use of conservation easements. As part of our commitment to local ranchers, ourBoard of Trustees recently adopted a resolution to become a partner with the California Rangeland ConservationCoalition (CCRC). The CRCC is a statewide collaborative organization of ranchers, environmentalists, and agenciesworking together for the benefit of all with a focus on conserving & enhancing rangeland and ensuring the long-termviability of California's ranching industry.

The Land Conservancy is excited to join other state-widepartners and national conservation organizations in support of

private landowners who who want to protect their land.- Bob Hill, Conservation Director

Land Conservancy projects east of 101 are included in the CRCC fo-cus area. The resolution states that, These lands support importantecosystems and are the foundation for the ranching industry that ownsthem. For more information on CCRC visit www.carangeland.org/partners.html

Conservation Associate, Margo Heekin Clark, attended the annualCRCCs Range Summit to help build our relationships with national,state & local agencies and private landowners working together to protect and enhance our range ecosystems. She alsoattends local meetings with the Central Coast Rangeland Coalition, a local group that is comprised of individuals andorganizations that envision vibrant, diverse, productive, diverse and sustainable rangelands and communities in Cali-fornia's central coast region.

For more information on voluntary conservation easements and land protection options please call Bob Hill, Conservation Director, orMargo Heekin Clark, Conservation Planning Associate at (805) 544-9096. Or visit our website www.LCSLO.org to learn more aboutland preservation opportunities.

The Land Conservancy welcomes new staff talent! Nathan Reiss and Leah Lippe have joined our crew asRestoration Specialists. In addition, we have two summer interns, Brian Strachan and Katy Lewis. We are very

excited about the different skills and abilities these individuals bring to our mission. Welcome aboard!

Nathan Reiss graduated from Whitman College in 2008 with a degree in Politics and a focus on Latin

American and Environmental Politics. He was a backcountry trip leader and lived in Botswana, Africa

where he apprenticed as a traditional fisherman. Nathan herded goats for weed abatement & fire safety

before joining The Land Conservancy. He loves to hike, bike, play Frisbee, travel, and read.

Leah Lippe is a Cal Poly graduate with a degree in Environmental Management & Protection. Prior to

joining us, she worked for a local landscaping firm providing maintenance for residential and commer-cial properties. Leah is passionate about protecting our natural habitats and is excited to be working

with our organization.

Brian Strachan is pursuing a degree in Environmental Management with a concentration in Environ-

mental Policy at Cal Poly and plans to graduate this fall. As the Restoration Intern, he is researching

and compiling grant information for future restoration projects and other conservation programs. Brian

worked as a supervisor at Poly Escapes, a campus-based outfitter, and is an avid outdoorsman.

Katy Lewis is a fourth-year undergrad in the Cal Poly City & Regional Planning Department. Her in-

ternship supports the Land Conservancys communication with members and the media. Katy is from

Roseville, California and can be found making crafts or reading a good book about nature.

New Faces to LCSLO

Rangeland stakeholders convene a CCRC meeting at

Fair Oaks Ranch in Paso Robles.


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In Defense of Our LandsBy Brian Stark, Executive Director

In a recent conversation with a donor, I was asked how we can be sure we are really protecting land forever. What if awealthy interest sought to violate a conservation easement? Could we afford to defend it? This question speaks to the

heart of our mission as a land trust.

When The Land Conservancy accepts a conservation easement, we are making a pledge to our donors and to our

community that we will do everything in our power to protect these conservation investments. We also make this commitment to taxpayers because conservation easements generate tax deductions. Ultimately, the public needs to know

that their investments in conservation are managed and protected for the long term. This means that we, as a land

trust, must always be good stewards of our lands and monitor our conservation easements. When necessary, we must

also be prepared to defend the conservation restrictions in the event of a real or threatened violation.

Defending a conservation easement can be costly, and the IRS requires that for an organization to be a qualified

holder of conservation easements they must have the resources to defend them. This is why the Land Conservancy ha

set aside funds as part of every conservation project to form a cash reserve solely for this purpose. Even with

substantial reserves, land trusts like ours are always working to strengthen our defense capacity so we can provide mor

assurance to our valued donors that conservation lands will be safeguarded forever.

Conservation easements and preserves owned by land trusts are increasingly under attack across

America. These attacks are coming from a few landowners who attempt to undermine their

conservation easements, utilities looking for new transmission corridors, adjoining landowners,

developers and trespassers. Although land trusts have had relatively few legal challenges, research

shows that as property values rise, incentives to disrupt or void easements grow as well,

and so does trespass on land trust property.- Land Trust Alliance, 2009

With the costs of legal actions growing, it is wise for an organization to have aplan in the event that defense reserves run short. For years, land trusts have been

discussing the potential value of pooled easement defense funds as a solution,but actually creating a program on a local, regional, and state scale proved elu-

sive. Today, following many months of planning, our national umbrella group,

Land Trust Alliance (LTA) has announced that they have developed a frame-

work for a pooled defense insurance program for local land trusts throughout

the nation. The insurance program will be owned by the participating land trusts

and will be an important part of strengthening the land conservation movement.

The national scale of the program widely distributes the burden, making the pro-

gram affordable to most land trusts. In order for the program to launch, a total

of 12,000 conservation easements and fee properties will need to be enrolled.

LTA has asked our land trust for a commitment to participate, and we intend todo just that. It is our hope that other land trusts will share our commitment to

launch the program.

Even with insurance we will continue to build our reserves as the first line of

defense, but it is great to know we have the power of the entire land trust move-

ment behind us. This should give considerable confident to our donors and the

IRS, that we are ready and able to protect our special lands forever.

Brian Stark has served as Director since 2004 and has been involved with TLC for 15 years.

Contact Brian with questions or comments at (805) 544-9096 x12 or [email protected].

For more information about theLand Trust Alliancevisit www.LTA.org.

Conservation Vocabular

Conservation EasementVoluntalegal agreements with willing landowne

that permanently restrict all or most

development rights on their property

Land TrustA private, community-based, non-profit organization estab-

lished to protect land and water re-

sources for the public benefit. When

used in this way, the term "Trust" mea

the resource is made permanently safe

against harmful uses. Most often, the

resources under protection have natura

recreational, scenic, historic orproductive value.

Conservation RestrictionsA set rules negotiated between a landowner

and a land trust that conserve critical

land resources. Restrictions are estab-

lished on a case by case basis dependin

on the resources present but might in-

clude: limited number & size of new

structures, no new roads, maintaining

wetland/creek buffers, no mining, no

commercial buildings, etc.


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Clean Sweep for SLO County Creeks

We are soon approachingSan Luis Obispos Countywide Creek Day. CreekDay is a collaborative effort between several conservation-minded organizations

and agencies throughout SLO County. The event engages hundreds of commu-

nity-members, from Paso Robles to Nipomo, for a three hour attack on harmful

and unwanted litter. Come join volunteers in cleaning our local waterways and

directly improving the world we live in!

Volunteer to help The Land Conservancy at

one of 22 sites around the City of San Luis

Obispo by meeting at Santa Rosa Park.

Or help at another site in your community.

To volunteer in the City of San Luis Obispo,

contactWende David at 544-9096 x14 or email

[email protected].

To volunteer at another county site contact a site

leader near you found atwww.CreekDay.org.This is a great opportunity for community clubs,

organized teams or friends to join together for a

fun day making a difference.

Need an alternative volunteer cleanup opportunity? Participate inCoastal Cleanup Dayon

Saturday, September 19th. Visit www.ecoslo.orgfor info about local stations in need.

PhotobyDaveRau2008

Page

Creek Day 2009

Saturday, October 3rd

9am-12pm

Participating cleanup areas:

SAN LUIS OBISPO

Santa Rosa Park

CAL POLY at SLO

SANTA MARGARITA

ATASCADERO

TEMPLETON

PASO ROBLES

FIVE CITIES

Teachers Holly Naylor & Jim Nett

bring students to help each year.


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Check Out SMCF.org

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Santa Margarita Community Forestry(SMCF) has a newwebsite look with many interesting features thanks to longtimevolunteer webmaster,Andrew Von Dollen.

The revamped website engages users with a "Learning Among

the Oaks" photo journal, local oak planting resources from theNative Tree Committee of San Luis Obispo County,downloadable publications, current project snapshots, andmuch more!

Andrew has been contributing histime and talents to develop andmaintain smcf.org since 1997. Hewas a high school student then andis now a Cal Poly computer sciencealumnus working as a computer

programmer/analyst from his homein Corvallis, Oregon. A native of theCentral Coast and a descendent of aPaso Robles area pioneering farmfamily, Andrew and his wife Theresa are enjoying the North-west. When he's not working on the computer, Andrew is anavid hiker and mountain biker.

Led by Board Trustee, Bev Gingg, SMCF promotes conservation &stewardship of Santa Margarita's community forest through educationand volunteer service. It operates as a chapter of The Land Conservancy.

One Effort, Constant SupporThe Land Conservancy depends on donations fr

its wonderful members. However, we acknowled

that during these tough economic times it can b

difficult to budget anything extra.

One valuable solution is to make small monthly

donations. A $5 or $10 monthly donation can beautomatically deducted securely from your credit car

These donations are a great option for both you an

The Land Conservancy. For you, these regular

contributions are easy to budget and remember. Fo

LCSLO, it not only enables us to do more, but also

allows us to predict our revenue stream with improv

accuracy. We know that many questions can arise

regarding online donations, so here are some FAQ

What organization processes the online donations?

Network for Good Powered by Groundspring, a 501(3) charity, processes the donations through a service

entitled DonateNow.

Will a portion of my recurring donation get skimmed off the top

A 3% credit card processing fee is deducted from

monthly donations. This is simply the cost of doing

business, but the fee goes toNetwork for Good, a non-

profit organization that does beneficial community

work. This is also competitive with local bank fees.

Can I make a recurring donation at a greater interval than eve

month?Yes. When signing up to make recurring donations, y

will have the option to make a donation every month

three months, or year.

Will I receive a receipt for my online donation?

Yes. When you make a donation and the credit card i

verified, a tax receipt is automatically emailed to you

acknowledging the contribution for tax purposes.

How do I set up an online recurring donation?

Go to http://www.lcslo.org/donate.html. On the righyou will see a yellow box entitled Three Ways to

Donate. Click on the Groundspring.org link. Fill out

the required information and your desired donation

optionsyou can even dedicate your contributions to

particular fund.

Thank you for considering a recurring donation t

The Land Conservancy! Contact Membership &

Development Manager, Wende David at 544-9096 x10 for m

information or to get answers.

San Luis Obispo was recently named as one of the top tenplaces to live byU.S. News. The article focuses on the welcom-ing beaches & vineyards, the nice climate and the fact that theoutdoors is what draws tourists to San Luis Obispo.

Our job is to keep San Luis Obispo strong in the top ten.Withyour help, The Land Conservancy will continue to protect spe-cial landscapes and provide outdoor experiences that make thisCounty a great place to live, work and play.

Visit a Land Conservancy preserve to experience why our com-munity made the "Top Ten". Information about our favoriteplaces open to the public can be found at:www.lcslo.org/faq/public_sites.html

See you on the trail!

Enjoying Life in the Top Ten?

Andrew Von Dollen


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Local People, Local Land

Amy Freeman, Marcelle Bakula,Wende David, and Sara Silverberg

feature Hi Mountain Lookoutresearch efforts during the CondorBenefit Mixer at Saucelito Canyon

PhotosbyDanielOlstein

Hikers enjoy a privately-guided tour of Johnson Ranch OpenSpace in San Luis Obispo by Land Conservancy BoardPresident Gary Felsman (shown center of photo on left).

PhotosbyDarleneF

elsman

PhotosbyDaveRau

Foggy Bay String Bandplays a tune in honor of

wildlife and conservation atthe Condor Benefit Mixer.

Conservation Associate,Margo Heekin Clark,joined area ranchers in

hearingDavid Foss talkabout his grass-fed Angus

cattle operation at Fair OaksRanch in Paso Robles.

www.forbeef.com

WaterFest 2009 made a

splash in Morro Bay giv-

ing hundreds of visitors

an opportunity to learn

more about keeping our

local waterways healthy.

The Young ProfessionalsNetworking Grouppitched in to clear brush &trash at Lower SLO Creek.

We appreciate the opportunityto collaborate and give back.- Lindsey Harn

Despite the hardcore manuallabor, I had a good time and Ithink we accomplished a lot.- Kelly Sebastian

PhotobyDaveRau


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Special Thanks & Congratulations

Volunteering & Wish List

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Octagon Barn CommitteeLandscape Leaderto maintain mowing/weed

whacking, acquire & plan future tree planting, prepare site for general landscaping

Electrical Conduit (1/2 and 1 for Barn lighting)

Trenching support at Octagon Barn Center

Wooden, L-shaped desk with drawers (gently used or new; delivery requested)

Contact us at 544-9096 to contribute time or goods.

Board Of TrusteesGary Felsman, PresidentLisa Wise,Vice President

Alex Rothenberg ,TreasurerValerie EndresBeverly GinggHerb KandelMolly PrestonPenny RappaBK Richard

Ed Carson, Emeritus

StaffExecutive Director: Brian Stark

Conservation Director: Bob Hill

Restoration Program Manager:Kaila Dettman

Stewardship Manager:Daniel Bohlman

Membership & Development Manaand LandlinesEditor:Wende David

Business Manager: Crystal Elwood

Project Managers:Mark Skinner & Michael LeBrun

Conservation Planning Associate:Margo Heekin Clark

Community Connection Liaison:Dave Rau

Membership Asst:Teresa Tibstra

GIS Analyst: Brian OSullivan

Crew Leader: Ryan Ihm

Restoration Specialists:Nathan Reiss & Leah Lippe

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 ChapterContact Herb Kandel at

[email protected]

Santa MargaritaCommunity Forestry

Contact Beverly Gingg at

[email protected]

Thank You to Nancy & Bill Greenough for donating a digital camera for fieldmonitoring & research.

A pat on the back for Ryan Ihmwho was promoted from Restoration Specialist

to Crew Leader. Keep up the great work, Ryan!

Congrats to staff member Kaila Dettmanwho recently got married. Best of luck

to Mr. & Mrs. Hooker!

Congratulations to our nonprofit partner, Growing Grounds Farm, on its 25th

Anniversary and to its parent organization,Transitions Mental Health

Association, on 30 years of service to our community. Check out the local story

featuring our collaboration with Growing Grounds on page 4 and on our website.

547 Marsh St., San Luis Obispo, CA 934

The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo Countyis your local, non-profit land trust working to permanently set aside local lands

for the benefit of people and wildlife.

If you support what we do, please tell your friendsand encourage others to join.

Connect With UsWe appreciate our members and supporters and want to improve our communi-

cation with you. We want to more consistently and swiftly update you as to what

endeavors we are pursuing and what activities we are up to. We also want to give

you the opportunity to get more involved and share your ideas.

To help accomplish these goals, The Land Conservancy has recently created a

Facebook page. We hope that this service will provide a new comfortable outlet

for communication and information diffusion.

Stay on top of whats happening, join in

discussions, and check out new photos by

becoming a fan of The Land Conservancy

of San Luis Obispo County on Facebook.

summer 2009 landlines newsletter ~ land conservancy of san luis obispo county

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