MENDOCINO LAND TRUST

P.O. BOX 1094 October

MENDOCINO, CA 95460
PHONE: 707 962-0470
2004
FAX: 707 962-0444 The mission of the Mendocino Land Trust is to
conserve important natural resources of Mendocino
EMAIL: mlt@mcn.org County including wildlife habitat, open space, sce-
nic vistas, working farmlands and forests, and to
www.mendocinolandtrust.org facilitate public access.

Covering the County: Coastal Cleanup Day

in Mendocino a Success
by Holly Newberger, Membership and Outreach Coordinator
Illuminating A
The 2004 Cleanup marked the 20th anniversary of the Sense of Place:
California Coastal Cleanup Day program, making this one Light Filtering Into the
Old-Growth Redwoods
of the longest running, and the largest volunteer events in Stand at Ridgewood
the state. Volunteers cleaned trash and debris from 1,100 Ranch.
miles of the California coast as well as another 1,000 miles Photo by James Bernard.
along the inland shorelines of bays, creeks, rivers, and lakes
throughout California. In Mendocino County, 225
volunteers cleaned 25 beaches from Gualala to Westport on
a beautiful and sunny Saturday morning. Volunteers found
2,400 pounds of trash and 380 pounds of recyclables.
As County coordinator, the Mendocino Land Trust
would like to extend special thanks to all the Beach Conservation of Redwoods Marks First
Captains and all the other volunteers who made Coastal Protection at Ridgewood Ranch—With Some
Cleanup Day a success again this year! Because of your Timely Help From Our Friends
efforts, our beaches are sparkling clean for all to enjoy. by James R. Bernard, Executive Director
This year’s Beach Captains (listed geographically from
south to north) are representative of our coastal community: On September 10, 2004, Save-the-Redwoods League
provided a formal commitment of $300,000 of the $500,000
Gualala River (Jan Harris, Adventure Rents) needed by the Mendocino Land Trust to conserve one of the last
Gualala River and Coast (Kim Swenson, Arena Union remaining unprotected old growth redwood stands in
Elementary) Mendocino County. This leaves a shortfall of $200,000, which
Gualala Point (Buck Henry, Gualala Lions Club) needs to be raised by the Land Trust by mid-October 2004 in
Greenwood Beach (Marjy Hopper and Neil Zeiger) order to complete the transaction by the end of the month.
Manchester Beach (Vikki Robinson, Point Arena Lions
Club) The old growth, as well as a stand of mature second growth
Schooner Gulch (Peter Reimuller) redwoods, will be protected by a 32-acre conservation easement
Navarro Beach (Linda Perkins, Sierra Club--Mendocino that will be sold to the Land Trust by the owner of Ridgewood
Group) Ranch, the Golden Rule Church Association (GRCA). A
Van Damme (Betty Mahon and friends) portion of Walker Creek--an important steelhead stream—is
East Big River Beach (Dick Somer, Mendocino Land Trust) included in the easement area. The conservation easement will
Russian Gulch (Kathy Scott, Pacific Reef Scuba) prohibit any cutting or development in the redwoods and is part
Jughandle Beach (Grace Sharples, Soroptomists Intl. of of the long-term effort by the Land Trust to conserve over 4,600
Fort Bragg) acres of the 5,000-acre Ranch.
Caspar Beach (Lila McMurtry) “We are very pleased to provide support to the Mendocino
Hare Creek (Christine Anderson and friends) Land Trust to protect the redwood groves at Ridgewood
Noyo Harbor Beach (Steve Beeman, Knights of Columbus) Ranch,” said Save the Redwoods League Executive Director
Noyo River (Mendocino County Aids Volunteer Network Kate Anderton. “The grove of ancient redwoods stands in
and the Primary Purpose Treatment Program) majestic isolation in the middle of the beautiful flat valley at the
Glass Beach (Officer Robert Goley, Noyo Coast Guard) heart of the Ranch. We hope that its permanent protection will
Pudding Creek (Rodney Fedor, Fort Bragg Middle School) inspire others to contribute toward protecting the remainder of
(continued on page 2) this historic landscape.” (continued on page 5)
 The President’s Corner
by Chet Anderson, President, Board of Trustees

The old adage that "the only permanent thing is change" certainly
Board of Trustees
applies to non-profit organizations in general, and the Mendocino Land
President Trust, in particular.
Chet Anderson
Vice President We have a dynamic new Executive Director, James Bernard, who is
Bill Lemos working to help make us a more professional, more efficient and far-
Secretary reaching organization. We have the core of a solid staff who will make
Jessie Lee VanSant sure our pending work is accomplished and find new ways for us to conserve land in Mendocino
County. We have a good Board working together to provide the oversight and policy guidance
Treasurer
Dick Somer
needed to help the organization grow and succeed at the work of land conservation. And we have
a great reservoir of talent in our members, especially our active volunteers. Your involvement
Trustees and financial support are absolutely critical to MLT's continued success.
Janice Gendreau
Alan Falleri In that vein, a handful of hardy volunteers helped MLT fulfill one of its property management
David Jensen functions on Saturday, August 14th. The property surrounding the historical cemetery in Caspar
is currently held by MLT, pending its transfer to the state parks system. The property was
acquired with funds from the State Coastal Conservancy as part of the Land Trust project to save
the Caspar Headlands. Our thanks goes to all the volunteers, including Carol Ann and Roy
Falk, Dora Lee Ross, Ray Duff, Betty Barber, Grail Dawson and myself, who filled two
Staff pickup trucks full with litter and garbage. (Thanks also to the "unknown" person(s) who gathered
another load of trash from another part of the property and packaged it neatly by the entrance in
Executive Director
the following week. Board Vice-President Bill Lemos filled his truck and hauled that load to the
James Bernard
dump.)
Conservation
Project Manager Change at MLT includes personnel. Many of you have had a chance to recently interact with
Louisa Morris Christine Anderson, our Development Director for the past two years. Christine left MLT to
start a grant consulting business. All of us on the Board and staff wish Christine the best in this
Membership and endeavor and we are confident that she will remain one of our valuable volunteers. As evidence
Outreach Coordinator of this, Christine served as the Beach Captain on Hare Creek for the Coastal Cleanup.
Holly Newberger
Almost simultaneously, we welcome our new Big River Program Manager, Matt Gerhart, into
Big River Program the MLT family and the greater Mendocino Coast community. We know Matt will be a great
Manager
Asset, and I encourage you to seek him out to meet him as he plans for reactivating the popular
Matt Gerhart
Big River Stewards Program.
A parting thought: "We will be known by the tracks we leave behind." (Dakota Proverb)

Coastal Cleanup Day (continued from page 1)

Ward Avenue (April Rains)
Virgin Creek (Keith and Cherie Wyner)
Seaside Beach (Pam and Chris Kamstra)
Ten Mile Bridge South (Art Morley, Mendocino Coast Audubon
Society)
Westport Union Landing (Westport Village Society)
Eddie White Beach (Bill Brazill)
Chadburne/Blues Beach (Gone Surfing)
Thank you to Fort Bragg Disposal for donating dumpsters
used in the Cleanup. And thanks to Corners of the Mouth and
Safeway for donating food and drinks for the after-Cleanup
barbecue MLT hosted on Big River beach, attended by 25
Coastal Cleanup Volunteers
hungry volunteers. John Weber, Libby Guthrie, Gabby Reinhart and Joe Rogers from
2 the Mendocino County Aids Volunteer Network
Photo by Cyril Colonius.
 Letter from the Protect Water and Lands Beyond a Lifetime
With Planned Giving
Executive Director
The Mendocino Land Trust is launching a Planned Giving
James R. Bernard Program that will help individuals to make a contribution
toward the conservation of Mendocino County’s natural
resources for generations to come. There are many options to
Conservation Values. We say that a conservation ensure that your financial assets are used for land
easement is a set of restrictions a landowner voluntarily conservation. These options include: bequests, life-income,
places on his or her property in order to preserve its naming a beneficiary, gifts of stock, gifts of personal property,
conservation values. So what are these “conservation and charitable remainder trusts. Some of these gifts allow you
values?” Conservation values are the natural, scenic, open to receive income and/or tax benefits. We will be elaborating
space, biological, and ecological features of a property that upon these options and others in upcoming newsletters.
provide public benefit on which the tax relief for
conservation easements is justified. Examples are high- Making a Bequest
quality terrestrial or aquatic ecosystems; habitats for rare, You can make a bequest by including the Mendocino Land
threatened, or endangered species; prime farmland and Trust in your will or estate plan. Sample language for a
scenic vistas visible to the public. Ridgewood Ranch is a bequest is as follows:
place where all of those conservation values are present,
and fundamentally, that is why we are working there. I give $_____ or _____% of my estate to the
Sometimes the array of conservation values present on Mendocino Land Trust, a nonprofit corporation located in Fort
a piece of land announce themselves to our senses and our Bragg, California for the protection and conservation of the
intellect simultaneously. The part of Walker Creek environment.
running through the mature second growth redwoods on
Ridgewood identified itself to me as salmonid habitat on What are the benefits for you?
my first visit. The stream course has a nice ratio of pools
and riffles, contains large woody debris (including root · Tax Savings – You can save on federal estate taxes.
wads), and is overhung by shading trees meaning cooler · Flexibility – You can change your bequest whenever
water temperatures conducive to aquatic life and favored you choose.
by salmonids. · Leave a Legacy – you make a contribution to
conserving the environment for future generations.
Sometimes you have to look down at your feet to
understand the conservation values. The dense vegetal For detailed information about setting up a bequest or
carpet comprising the coastal prairie at our Navarro Point other planned gifts, the Mendocino Land Trust can refer you to
property is highly diverse when one looks at it closely. attorneys and financial planners who are able to guide you
Navarro Point is one of only a few locations on the North through the process. Please call James Bernard at 707-962-
Coast where one can still find remnants of the native 0470 for more information.
grasses that once dominated the first terrace close to the
ocean.
Sometimes the conservation values lead you to see
opportunity that goes beyond the boundaries of the
property. The purchase of the stunning array of Making the Most of Your Gift
conservation values embodied by Big River means that The Advantages of Giving Wisely
there now are 60,000 acres of connected wildlife habitats Including gifts of real estate and other appreciated assets
on the protected land and adjacent public land, with over
100 miles of contiguous trails. The Community Foundation of Mendocino County is
convening and MLT will co-host this workshop free-of-
The Land Trust intends to stay focused on the
charge for the public. Jim Larson, Attorney will be the
conservation values of the lands we are considering for
presenter. It will be held from 10:00 a.m. to Noon on October
conservation and where we planning for management.
22nd at the Fort Bragg Presbyterian Church located at
However, the point is not just that the land possesses
367 South Sanderson Way.
conservation values, but that the legal tools we use protect
them in perpetuity. We are not only working to maintain Reserve your place by calling
present day conservation values, but nurture them for The Community Foundation
future generations. 468-9882 4 4
Next Issue: The Economic Value of Land Conservation.
 Matt Gerhart Joins MLT as Big River Program Manager
On September 20th, Matt Gerhart started work as the new Big River Program
Manager. The position combines the responsibilities of reactivating the Big River
Stewards Program with management of the development of the Big River Interim
Management Plan. Matt was the successful candidate from a strong pool of 38
applicants.
Matt received his BA in Anthropology from Yale University in 1995, with a
focus on the human relationship to the unbuilt world, in particular the creation of naturalized parklands. In
subsequently working toward a masters degree in the Geography Department at the University of California at
Berkeley, Matt focused on the relationship between urban growth pressures and open space protection, using the
Bay area as an exceptional example of a regionally-preserved urban greenbelt. Matt’s studies included land use
policy, landscape and forest ecology, and citizen and community participation in public processes. For his MA
thesis work, Matt researched local citizen conservation activism in the creation of the parklands and preserves for
Marin County.
Since receiving his MA in 2002, Matt continued developing experience in land conservation by working
with the State Coastal Conservancy and The Conservation Fund to analyze conservation planning in northern
coastal California. Through that work, his interest has grown immensely in the outstanding resources of the North
Coast and the actions taken for their preservation. He is very excited for the opportunity to put his knowledge and
skills to work at Big River, in the context of such an engaged and committed community.
In his spare time, Matt enjoys spending time with his fiancée, Laura, and enjoys hiking, biking, running,
tide pooling or just relaxing with a good book. Matt is appreciative of the efforts made on his behalf by the MLT
extended family to help him find suitable housing and welcomes calls and meetings with the “shareholders” of Big River.

Building the Public Trail to Belinda Point The Best Laid Plans: Navarro Point
by Louisa K. Morris, Conservation Project Manager
Public Access Update
The Land Trust is nearing completion of the by Louisa K. Morris, Conservation Project Manager
public access trail to Belinda Point, which is west
of Ocean Drive south of Fort Bragg (near the The Land Trust’s ambitious plan to construct the
Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens). A lengthy long-awaited parking lot and trails at Navarro Point
process, involving county permits, landowner this fall has been postponed to late spring/early sum-
consultations, and completion of agreements with mer 2005 to give contractors enough lead time to pre-
the State Coastal Conservancy and California pare bids and schedules for construction. MLT was in
Coastal Commission has reached the point where “full steam ahead” mode to build the parking lot and
the Land Trust can begin construction of the trails this fall, but only received one response to a re-
accessway. quest for bids from contractors. The price tag on this
MLT will construct the trail to Belinda Point bid was nearly double the amount budgeted with the
from October 2 - 6, 2004. Louisa Morris is State Coastal Conservancy for construction, in part due
coordinating a mix of volunteers and contractors to to the location and consequent additional fuel costs. In
clear brush and branches, move downed logs, and consultation with Sheila Semans, MLT’s project man-
install signs to create a new trail corridor for public ager at the State Coastal Conservancy, the Land Trust
access within the trail easement area. MLT has decided to wait until next spring to readvertise for a
worked closely with landowners Wilma and Bill contractor with the expectation of receiving more com-
Follette and Jeff and Cheryl Walsh to determine the petitive bids at that time. MLT’s amended funding re-
location of the public trail on their property. Plans quest to the State Coastal Conservancy for this project
are being made for monitoring and for volunteer will be considered by the Conservancy at their Decem-
maintenance of the trail and associated beach. An ber 2004 meeting. Please call Louisa Morris or James
opening ceremony for the accessway is tentatively Bernard at the MLT office, 962-0470, if you
4
scheduled for Saturday October 23rd starting at 1 p.m. have questions about this project. 3
 Ridgewood Ranch continued from page 1 Overall Effort to Conserve Ridgewood Ranch
The League’s contribution comes at a critical time, and Approaches the Halfway Mark in Garnering State and
the Land Trust is pleased that they are the first private Federal Commitments of Funding
organization to provide conservation funds for the overall On September 1, 2004, the Natural Resources
effort to conserve Ridgewood Ranch. The Land Trust Conservation Service (NRCS) of the U.S. Department of
hopes that this keystone commitment will serve as a Agriculture officially approved $830,000 from the Farm and
lodestar for others to come forward and contribute the Ranch Land Protection Program (FRLPP) toward the purchase
remaining $200,000 we need to protect the redwoods. The of an Agricultural Conservation Easement on the Ranch. The
Land Trust is working with supportive adjacent landowners Land Trust successfully competed for part of $3 million
and the Inland Mendocino County Land Trust to identify reserved for California from a national total of $84 million for
potential contributors in a fundraising campaign focused on the FRLPP this year. The FRLPP grant represents an
conserving the redwoods. important step forward to achieving the integrated
GRCA has generously agreed to sell the conservation conservation of the Ranch through a variety of public and
easement at $191,000 less than its appraised fair market private funding sources.
value of $691,000. With commitments totaling $2.24 million from state and
federal sources, the Land Trust is approaching the halfway
mark toward realizing the $6 million necessary to acquire
conservation easements on the Ranch. The total value of the
conservation easements is an estimated $13 million, but
GRCA has agreed to donate $7 million of this value through a
bargain sale to the Land Trust. In addition to all projected
public funding, $1 million in private funds remains to be raised
in order to leverage additional public monies.
The news of progress on the Ridgewood Ranch project has
resulted in press stories in The Willits News (with a followup
editorial advocating contributions to the redwoods purchase),
The Ukiah Daily Journal, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, and
The Los Angeles Times.
In Partnership: Landowner Tracy Livingston,
Congressman Mike Thompson, MLT Project Manager
Roger Sternberg, and Executive Director James Bernard. Paper or Paperless? Let Us Know How You
Photo by Kendall Smith.
Would Like to Receive the MLT Newsletter
Congressman Thompson Visits Ridgewood Ranch and The Land Trust seems to have a lot to talk about these
Reaffirms Commitment days and we want to keep our members and supporters
Representative Mike Thompson visited Ridgewood informed of what we’re doing in a timely manner. The Land
Ranch on August 25, 2004 and took the opportunity to Trust also needs to be cost-conscious. Specifically, the
underscore his commitment to securing federal Forest quarterly newsletter takes considerable staff time, postage,
Legacy Program (FLP) funding conserving Ridgewood’s paper, ink, and electricity to produce. For those of you who
productive forestlands. In August 2002, Representative like the tangible nature of the printed version or don’t have
Thompson requested $850,000 for the project. In 2003, email, rest assured, we’ll continue faithfully to mail it out to
Ridgewood Ranch was ranked second by the state of you. However, if you’d like to go “paperless” and read the
California Department of Forestry for federal funding. The newsletter online, we can let you know by email when the
project was identified as one of fifty-four Forest Legacy newsletter is posted as a pdf file (Portable Document
projects nationally to receive funding by the Bush Format--readable with a free download of Adobe Acrobat) to
Administration at a level of $500,000. In June 2004, the U.S. the MLT website. Readers of the electronic newsletter get to
House of Representatives approved $400,000 for the project. view the photos in color and retain the option of printing out
At press time, the Land Trust was working with the the pages. If you are interested in receiving notification of
California congressional delegation to ensure that appropriate the electronic newsletter’s availability, please let Holly know
FLP funding was included in an omnibus federal by email (hnewberger@mendocinolandtrust.org) and we’ll
appropriations bill for fiscal year 2005. discontinue sending the “dead tree” version , thereby saving
resources.
The Land Trust deeply appreciates Representative
Thompson’s efforts to support the Ridgewood Ranch
conservation effort. 5
 Upcoming Events
October 23, 2004 9:00 a.m. to Noon
JON KLEIN PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS

Jon Klein will lead a 2-3 hour class at the Spring Ranch
portion of Van Damme State Park on Saturday, October 23rd.
Jon is a professional wildlife and nature photographer. His
work is displayed and for sale at North Coast Artists in Fort
Virgin Creek Shorebird Walk Bragg on an ongoing basis. The hike will begin at 9:00 a.m.
The class is intended for photographers of all levels.
On August 28th, 28 people participated in this three- Participants should bring a camera with a macro and/or
hour walk and approximately 27 varieties of shorebirds telephoto lens, extra film and batteries. The meeting place
were spotted, including Snowy Plovers. Several people will be the northernmost parking lot at Spring Ranch directly
on the hike were enticed to participate when they heard across from Gordon Lane, approximately 2 ½ miles south of
that Toby Tobkin would lead the hike. The size of the Mendocino on the west side of Highway 1. Jon suggests
group necessitated splitting into two parties with MLT wearing earth tones to maximize camouflage.
Board member and veteran birder Dave Jensen leading
the less experienced participants. Our thanks to Toby Check our website www.mendocinolandtrust.org for
and Dave for sharing their local knowledge and coordi- information on upcoming hikes and other events.
nating seamlessly.

MENDOCINO LAND TRUST

P.O. BOX 1094 NON-PROFIT
POSTAGE
MENDOCINO, CA 95460 PAID
PERMIT #3
PHONE: 707 962-0470 FORT BRAGG, CA
FAX: 707 962-0444
EMAIL: mlt@mcn.org
Post Office: Return Service Requested www.mendocinolandtrust.org