L.A. Sierra Club fundraising appeal

8/28/2011
Dear Fellow Sierran,
We're fighting locally every day to keep our open space open – and we need your help!
 
The Sierra Club Angeles Chapter is working to stop poorly planned commercial and residential development that is chipping away at our few remaining nearby ecosystems. 
We must preserve open space for the good of the environment, local residents, and nature’s creatures!
Our ongoing battle to preserve open space takes stamina and coordinated plans of action from our members in L.A. and Orange Counties -- and it also takes money!
Donate now to keep our open space open!
Here are some of the ongoing efforts your donation will support:

• The Santa Monica Mountains Task Force has been instrumental in blocking the Sweetwater Mesa Development in Malibu where U2 guitarist and international humanitarian The Edge wants to build a residential colony and access roads atop a pristine ridgeline.
• The Montebello Hills Task Force has intervened to protect the hills from a Texas oil company's plans to build 1,200 homes on the last remaining large area of open space between the Los Angeles River and the Rio Hondo -- a rare coastal sage scrub habitat that is home to the federally-threatened California gnatcatcher and the Red-tailed hawks that soar above.
• The Banning Ranch Task Force continues to fight residential development on the 412 acres of wetlands and adjacent bluffs in Orange County, and to promote a permanent public open space, park, and coastal nature preserve that will improve air and water quality, and provide space for relaxation, education, and recreation.
• The Coyote Hills Task Force is promoting a park and reserve with access for recreation and education, instead of the 760 residential units plus a commercial strip proposed by Chevron's developer. This 510-acres is the largest remaining undeveloped wild land site in north Orange County with a host of rare and endangered species and threatened habitats.
• The Santa Clarita Group Conservation Committee is working to curb the developments planned on Newhall Ranch, including the Landmark Village and Mission Village, in order to protect the last unpaved river in Los Angeles and to preserve more of the remaining pieces of open space in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Please donate today to ensure that these large residential and commercial developments are stopped in their tracks!
Help us preserve our open spaces for the next hundred years. The planet deserves it and so do you!

Sincerely,

Hersh Kelley
Chair, Angeles Chapter

Chow-Down Time for Berries on the Bay Ridge Trail

Berry Trails from http://ridgetrail.org 8/23/2011 It's that time of year, berries are ripening along the trail!  We recommend grazing these sections of Ridge Trail, and feel free to post up-to-the minute juicy “berry reports,” photos, etc. on our Facebook page: Huckleberries and Blackberries Skyline Trail from Tilden Regional Park to Redwood Regional Park (East Bay) - why not hike this on Thurs, Sept 1 with other trail supporters during the East Bay Hills event?

Huckleberries Big Trees Trail in Indian Tree Open Space Preserve (North Bay) Redwood Trail to Purisima Creek Trail in Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve (Peninsula) Lost Trail in Windy Hill Open Space Preserve (Peninsula) Blackberries Brandon Trail in Anthony Chabot Regional Park (East Bay) - East Bay Hills hike on Sun, Sept 5! Ridge Trail in The Presidio (San Francisco) - plus enjoy the Presidio Habitats Exhibition (extended through Sept 2011)! Creek Trail in Coyote Creek Parkway (South Bay)

Big Sierra's to Tejon Purchase is brewing...

Deal May Open the "Tollhouse" for Wildlife to Cross California

The link between the Sequoia National Forest and the Tejon Ranch conservation project may be purchased soon by the private Nature Conservancy with assistance by the taxpayers. The Tollhouse Ranch is 15,000 acres of oak trees and grasslands lying just north of the 58 Freeway a bit east of Bakersfield. Once saved, the Nature Conservancy plans on re-selling the land with complicated preservation deed restrictions to another buyer. This wildlife corridor is one of the most important in the State of California as it connects the Sierra Nevada mountains to the Angeles and Los Padres National Forests in L.A. and Ventura county, which have trail connections to the remaining undeveloped open spaces in Big Sur and San Diego. So saving this proerty is a really big deal.

I have written about the Sierras-to Tejon-to L.A. wildlife corridor battles here:
http://rare-earth-news.blogspot.com/search/label/Tejon%20Ranch

The sellers of this property are connected to the Rudnick family, which also recently sold another massive ranch further east to wind farm developers. For more on that deal:
http://rare-earth-news.blogspot.com/search/label/Onyx%20Ranch

Grasslands and blue oaks. Photo by E. J. Remson

TOLLHOUSE RANCH IS IN RED (BELOW)

SOME MORE DETAILS FROM THE INTERNET:

Rudnick ranch purchase—15,000 acres for $11 million
http://www.sierranevada.ca.gov/docs/434sum.pdf

http://www.nature.org/aboutus/privatelandsconservation/conservationbuyer/properties/natureorg-buyer-property-data-file-4.xml

Tollhouse Ranch,California, Kern County
Size: 14,945 acres, Price: $7,475,000

At closing, the buyer will be required to convey to the Conservancy a conservation easement as described below.
…TNC does not currently own the property; however, TNC currently holds an option to acquire the property. Consequently, the opportunity represented by this online posting is contingent on TNC’s acquisition of the property. TNC would also consider the possibility of assigning its option to a conservation buyer.

http://www.nature.org/aboutus/privatelandsconservation/conservationbuyer/properties/tollhouse_ranch_project_location-map.jpg

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/transprog/ctcbooks/2011/0511/117_2.5c7_EEM.pdf
$500,000 from CalTrans

Even More New Parks to Explore....

In North L.A. County:

Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve--adjacent, to be solar power mitigation site
http://www.fairmontbuttemotorsportspark.com/
11/20/2010, Developer bows to opposition to racetrack, By: Craig Currier, Antelope Valley Press
ANTELOPE ACRES - The developer who proposed building the Fairmont Butte Motorsports Park has decided to scrap his plans and sell the property, reportedly to a solar developer for use as mitigation land and remain as open space.

MORE: http://avconservancy.org/ConservancyNews2010Nov.pdf

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Wetlands Saved near Devil's Punchbowl County Park

http://www.avconservancy.org/
purchased wetlands near Devil Punchbowl park
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=10301658&l=c96a1027ee&id=209358993571

http://avconservancy.org/ConservancyNews2011Feb.pdf
One man’s loss is another’s gain. Antelope Valley Conservancy’s Una Wetlands I grants have preserved an alternate site, spring-fed wetlands at Devil’s Punchbowl.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Antelope-Valley-Conservancy/209358993571

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TWO BIG PURCHASES IN THE WORKS

Several local parks agencies are negotiating the purchase of the Rio Dulce Ranch and the Vulcan Materials parcels which total a little over 2000 acres. They form the keystones in a bigger plan to link the two halves of the Angeles National Forest, which is divided with private0owned lands due to the federal giveaway of land to the Southern Pacific Railroad in the late 1800's, which ran its tracks through the corridor. My contact at the parks department says the State's Wildlife Conservation Board is planning to commit around %5 million to purchase these two parcels.

Efforts so far to connect the two halves of the forest can be seen at the famous Vasquez Rocks county park, and parcels shaded purple, green and yellow in the map below.

I wrote more on this issue here:
http://rare-earth-news.blogspot.com/2011/03/land-deals-for-la-mountain-parks-in.html


PICTURES OF THE CORRIDOR:

https://picasaweb.google.com/Rare.Earth.fotos/ThreeSistersRocksInAguaDulceCA

https://picasaweb.google.com/Rare.Earth.fotos/ChasingTheSnowInVasquezRocksAndActon

https://picasaweb.google.com/Rare.Earth.fotos/VasquezRocksSanGabrielSierraPelonaMountainsPinchpointAndDevilSPunchbowl

CLICK ON MAP TO ENLARGE

Even More New Parks to Explore....

In the Sierra Nevadas and Central Valley:

IN SHASTA COUNTY:

Hathaway ranch 6630 acre conservation easement
http://www.pclfoundation.org/publications/sierranevada/shasta.html
http://www.shastalandtrust.org/content/view/19/1/

JS ranch 5940 ac conservation easement
http://www.alcnet.org/PR_JS_Ranch

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IN TEHAMA COUNTY:

(NOT FINALIZED) 5545 ac Pine Creek CE—Rose Ranch, seeking $1 million of total $1.5 mil cost of CE from SNC
http://grants.sierranevada.ca.gov/Easygrants_WS_SNC/applicationpdf.aspx?id=385

80 acres—near Lassen NP—saved 4/2011
http://www.wildernesslandtrust.org/news/eighty-acre-added-to-the-lassen-volcanic-wilderness/

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IN PLUMAS COUNTY:

BY THE FEATHER RIVER LAND TRUST:

Heart-K ranch 884 acres
http://www.frlt.org/docs/hk_directions.pdf
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Come-Celebrate--Heart-K---Signed--Sealed--Delivered-.html?soid=1102283092745&aid=3XGHZYiLLRU

Maddalena ranch—575 acres
http://frlt.org/oursuccesses.html
http://www.frlt.org/docs/madd-directions.pdf

Leonhardt Learning Landscape—42 acres,
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs092/1102283092745/archive/1105007767955.html

318 acre conservation easement at Pierce Family ranch, completed 12/2010
http://www.flickr.com/photos/frlt/sets/72157625403168342/

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IN SIERRA COUNTY:

Sierra County Land Trust Protects Volcano and Young America Lakes
5/19/11 from High Sierra Rural Alliance
http://sierracountylandtrust.org/index.shtml
http://www.sierrafund.org/news/495-sclt

Thanks to the herculean efforts of Laurie Oberholtzer of the Sierra County Land Trust and Carl Somers of The Trust for Public Land, three more parcels totaling 835 acres surrounding the Sierra Buttes will be kept in trust for the public. One parcel contains Young America Lake. Another parcel includes Volcano Lake. The acquisition also includes a large portion of the craggy face of the Sierra Buttes.
Previous purchases by the SCLT have included two parcels bordering the eastern edges of Volcano Lake and four parcels on Upper and Lower Sardine Lakes. Their land holdings now total over 1500 acres. The public will now be able to enjoy un-gated access to these jewels in the Lakes Basin area which will be managed by SCLT for hiking and back country camping.
The most recent 835 acre purchase was made possible by a grant funded through Prop 50 in 2007 to the High Sierra Rural Alliance as sponsor for SCLT from the Sierra Nevada-Cascade Grant Program. HSRA is thrilled to have played a part in the acquisition of this unparalleled landscape for public use. We wish to thank everyone who helped make the purchase possible and wish the SCLT much good luck and further successes in protecting the treasures of Sierra County.

MAP OF Young America lake
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=39.59960,-120.65091&z=15&t=T

map of Volcano lake
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=39.60668,-120.62521&z=15&t=T

http://sierracountylandtrust.org/whatwedo.shtml
While much of the Lakes Basin is in the Tahoe National Forest, almost 3,000 acres are still privately owned, mostly old mining claims.

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IN NEVADA COUNTY:

Sugarloaf Mtn-- 30 acres bought by city of Nevada City, 12/10/10
http://www.nevadacityadvocate.com/nevada-city/3498.html
http://sierrafoothillsreport.com/2011/01/31/nevada-city-gains-title-to-sugarloaf/

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IN PLACER COUNTY:

1800 acre Bruin ranch, (WCB 11/2010 gave half the purchase price)
http://www.tpl.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/california/northern-sierra-nevada/harvego-bear-river.html
http://auburnjournal.com/detail/144340.html

MAP: http://geocommons.com/overlays/68765

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TDLT buys 122 ac in Martis Valley,

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/12/3623207/preservation-trust-buys-martis.html#ixzz1MoxyPCwl
Approx. location: http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=39.29957,-120.10657&z=14&t=T

52 acre Big Gun preserve
http://www.placerlandtrust.org/news-detail.aspx?title=Big+Gun+Preserve+Protects+Endangered+Species&newsID=49

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IN EL DORADO COUNTY:

1/18/2011
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/18/3330966/talks-begin-on-public-uses-for.html
The Bureau of Land Management acquired the 695-acre property near Rescue just beyond Folsom Lake in 2010.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/folsom/kanaka_valley.html

land ownership map: http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/ca/pdf/folsom/kanaka_valley.Par.75978.File.dat/ownership.pdf

topo map: http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/ca/pdf/folsom/kanaka_valley.Par.29358.File.dat/topo.pdf

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IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

IN ALPINE COUNTY:

20 acres from Wilderness Land Trust to USFS
http://www.wildernesslandtrust.org/news/ilderness_land_trust_acquires_20_acres_to_add_to_the_mokelumne_wilderness/

http://www.wildernesslandtrust.org/news/wilderness-land-trust-permanently-protects-20-acre-private-inholding-as-part-of-the-mokelumne-wilderness/

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IN MADERA COUNTY:

Topping ranch conservation easement—1362 acres
http://yubanet.com/regional/Sierra-Nevada-Conservancy-Board-Approves-10-Million-in-Bond-Funded-Watershed-Protection-Projects-in-the-Sierra.php

2990 acre conservation easement, by Sierra Foothill Conservancy
http://www.californiaoaks.org/html/current_issues.html

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IN TULARE COUNTY:

152 acre Dry Creek and 1819 acre Homer ranch preserves,
http://www.thesungazette.com/articles/2011/05/18/news/news04.txt
http://www.sequoiariverlands.org/map/nature-preserve-map.html

50 acres added to US BLM's Atwell Island preserve in 2010
http://www.alcnet.org/projects/overview/california/atwell_1
Atwell Island Land Retirement Demonstration Project,

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IN KERN COUNTY:

434 acres donated by National Audubon Society to feds, 3/10/11
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsbytes/2011/471xtra_wild_adds.html

More New Parks to Explore....

In Southern California:

ORANGE COUNTY:

Lake Forest-Orange co. land swap
http://www.ocregister.com/news/park-291583-forest-lake.html
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/park-291583-forest-lake.html?graphics=1#graphics1

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SAN DIEGO COUNTY:

125 acres bought by Lakeside River Park Conservancy, 4/25/11
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/14/santee-using-grant-funds-to-buy-land-along-san-die/

6.5 acres saved by Lakeside River Park Conservancy, 5/19/11
http://www.lakesideriverpark.org/About/hahana.html

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SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY:

Mojave Desert LT purchases—3300 acres in Cady Mts., 955 acres Quail mtn
6/13/11
http://mojavedesertlandtrust.org/index.html
http://mojavedesertlandtrust.org/newsletters/MDLT_Summer2011.pdf

The Land Trust was able to purchase 3,300 acres in December 2010 in the beautiful Cady Mountains Wilderness Study Area, about 40 miles east of Barstow, with a grant from the California Department of Fish & Game. This purchase protected the habitat and wildlife corridors for sensitive species such as bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, burrowing owl, prairie falcon, and golden eagle.

We are currently working to close escrow on more than 70 parcels with as many landowners in Imperial County that will protect a portion of the Chuckwalla Desert Wildlife Management Area - an area designated to aid in the recovery of the threatened desert tortoise. This area contains critical tortoise habitat, but also contains a large checkerboard pattern of inholdings that, if developed, will threaten the recovery of the species. When the Land Trust acquires these parcels, 1,600 acres of habitat will be protected to give the tortoise a better chance to survive.

More New Parks to Explore....

In the Eastern Sierras:

INYO COUNTY:

2323 acres donated by National Audubon Society to feds
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsbytes/2011/471xtra_wild_adds.html


MONO COUNTY:
135 acre conservation easement in Mono Basin-Simis Ranch—ESLT, on DeChambeau creek
http://easternsierralandlines.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/mono-basin-traditions-preserved/
http://www.easternsierralandtrust.org/Pages/documents/DeChambeauConservationEasement.pdf

60 acre Conservation easement--Nappe family
http://easternsierralandlines.wordpress.com/2011/07/22/willow-flat-easement-critical-wildlife-habitat-preserved/

More New Parks to Explore....

On the Central Coast:

IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY:

107 acre Castle Rock—Sempervirens fund
http://www.sempervirens.org/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sempervirens-Fund/140155342671005?v=wall
http://www.sempervirens.org/hike.php#featuredhike

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535 acres in Little Basin transferred to State ownership
http://www.sempervirens.org/news.php
http://uccr.org/LittleBasin.htm

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MONTEREY COUNTY:

317 acres bought by Big Sur LT—Whisler-Wilson ranch
http://www.bigsurlandtrust.org/news/show/17-big-sur-land-trust-acquires-historic-whisler-wilson-ranch-for-public-benefit-and-wildlife-values

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SRL gives 60 acres to USFS
http://www.savetheredwoods.org/newsroom/news_detail.php?id=115

http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDfxMDT8MwRydLA1cj72DTUE8TAwjQL8h2VAQAMtzFUw!!/?ss=110507&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=STELPRDB5213688&navid=091000000000000&position=Feature*&ttype=detailfull&pname=Los%20Padres%20National%20Forest-%20Home

http://www.savetheredwoods.org/protecting/acquisitions_current.shtml

http://www.savetheredwoods.org/protecting/acquisitions_current.shtml#padres

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Big Sur Land Trust buys 3 acres and 10 acre conservation easement
http://www.bigsurlandtrust.org/news/show/8-big-sur-land-trust-acquires-and-protects-carmel-river-lands-secures-critical-link-in-carmel-river-parkway

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Wilderness LT buys 160 acres in Ventana Wilderness
http://www.wildernesslandtrust.org/news/2007/ca-ventana.html

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IN SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY

189 acre O’Connor ranch conservation easement, near the city of SLO in the Morros (Cerro Romualdo)
http://www.lcslo.org/o_connor_ranch_project.html

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IN SANTA BARBARA COUNTY

633 acre conservation easement at Lyons ranch (Los Flores Hunt Property)
http://www.sblandtrust.org/ageasements.html
http://www.sblandtrust.org/ageasements.html#Los%20Flores
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69 acres in Sierra Madre Mts—
The Trust with the help of The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County purchased the land for transfer to the U.S. Forest Service and to create the future opportunity to add Cox Canyon to the San Rafael Wilderness.
http://www.wildernesslandtrust.org/top_priorities.html
http://www.wildernesslandtrust.org/news/acres_protected_in_the_los_padres_national_forest/

New Parks to Explore....

In the San Francisco Bay area:

SAN MATEO COUNTY

97 acres bought by POST—Silva, 5/2011

http://www.openspace.org/CGI-BIN/agendas_minutes/2011.05.11.POST_%28Silva%29_Purchase_r-11-14.pdf
http://www.openspacetrust.org/
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SOLANO COUNTY

147 ACRE-conservation easement-Hamilton property
http://www.solanolandtrust.org/NewsDetail.aspx?hArticle=3

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1500 acres—Rockville trails purchase by Solano Land Trust
scc.ca.gov/.../ftp/.../20110519Board12_Rockville_Trails.pdf
http://benicia.patch.com/articles/site-of-proposed-housing-development-now-preserved-as-open-space

http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-06-15/news/29659683_1_open-space-oak-trees-corridor

The deal, reached last week, is in essence a down payment on 1,500 acres of former Indian hunting grounds and settlements that contain some of the Bay Area's most sensitive habitat. The land trust now has until February to raise an additional $10.5 million to buy the remaining 1,170 acres from White Wing Highlands Associates or the developers could exercise their right to build 185 homes.

…The land, known as Rockville Trails Estates, is next to the 650-acre Rockville Hills Park, owned by Fairfield. Once the purchase is completed, the land would connect with the 800,000-acre Blue Ridge Berryessa Natural Area and form a huge corridor of open space with the potential for a regional trail system and numerous recreational opportunities for the public.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/14/MNIM1JOD1E.DTL

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NAPA COUNTY

Wildlake Ranch purchase—Napa Land Trust
http://napalandtrust.org/2011/05/landtrustofnapacountyannouncestheculminationofthenapavalleywildcampaign/

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LAKE COUNTY

Goat Mtn—664 acres by Tuleyome, 4/2011

http://lakeconews.com/content/view/19180/919/
http://www.tuleyome.org/index.php?option=com_phocagallery&view=category&id=6:goat-mountain&Itemid=98

http://www.restorecalifornia.net/goat%20mountain.html

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MARIN COUNTY


BY THE MARIN AGRICULTURAL LAND TRUST:

1214 acre Corda ranch conservation easement—MALT
http://www.malt.org/news/press/press_06_01_11_malt.php
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_18186118

http://www.malt.org/about/map.php

160 acres Toluma farms—conservation easement—MALT
http://malt.org/news/easements.php

New Parks to Explore....

On the Northern California Coast

IN DEL NORTE COUNTY:

Siskiyou Land conservancy
http://siskiyouland.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/our-ongoing-commitment-to-the-unparalled-smith-river/
80 and 148 acres
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IN MENDOCINO COUNTY:

http://www.mendocinolandtrust.org/index.php
Mendocino Land Trust--On January 5, 2010, the Mendocino Land Trust completed the acquisition of Hare Creek Beach in Fort Bragg. The Land Trust purchased the 5.6 acre beach in order to conserve the sensitive habitats on the propoerty, as well as to provide coastal access.

http://www.mendocinolandtrust.org/index.php?Land_Conservation:Current_Projects:Mendocino_County_Coastal_Conservation_Plan

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http://www.wildernesslandtrust.org/top_priorities.html
640 acres On the north flank of Leech Lake Mountain in the inner coastal range and the Eel River Watershed

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IN SONOMA COUNTY

Jacobs ranch— http://bayareabarnsandtrails.org
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Skaggs Island—3300 acres transferred to USFWS by USN
http://openspacecouncil.typepad.com/bay-area-open-space-council/2011/03/news-skaggs-island-goes-to-usfws.html

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/17/BAOF1IE2JC.DTL#ixzz1HD537hXk

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BY THE BODEGA LAND TRUST:

Tannery Creek 187 acre conservation easement

http://www.bodeganet.com/landtrust/documents/BLTSpringNewsletterformailing.pdf

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bodega-Land-Trust/247119123182#!/pages/Bodega-Land-Trust/247119123182?sk=wall

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BY THE SONOMA LAND TRUST:

Bald Mtn ranch –420 acres Bald Mtn Ranch, and 6 acre Sassin conservation easement, 572 acres Live Oaks Ranch, 34 acre Drake donation—Sonoma Land Trust, Currently the third largest landowner in the county

http://sonomalandtrust.org/news_room/press_releases/110516_easements.html

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20110210/ARTICLES/110219928/1350?Title=Sonoma-Land-Trust-gets-572-acre-gift

http://www.facebook.com/sonomalandtrust?ref=s#!/sonomalandtrust?v=wall

http://www.sonomalandtrust.org/news_room/press_releases/100209_BennetValley.html