Yolo Land Trust E-news
In this Issue:
- YLT receives 2011 Honor Award
- Chuck Tyson joins the YLT Board of Directors
- Margo Heekin joins the YLT Staff as Stewardship Coordinator
- Clark Easement - Farm Couple Creates Legacy by Cory Golden ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
- Bob Marr joins the YLT Board of Directors
- Jessica Kilkenny joins the YLT Board of Directors
- Chris Scheuring joins the YLT Board of Directors
- YLT easements preserve Swainson’s Hawk habitat in the Putah Creek corridor south of Davis
Yolo Land Trust receives 2011 Honor Award
Chuck Tyson joins Yolo Land Trust
Chuck Tyson
Margo Heekin joins Yolo Land Trust
Margo Heekin
Clark Easement
Davis area farmer Bruce Clark, center, describes his vision for his land to Michele Clark, Executive Director of the nonprofit Yolo Land Trust, while Michael Bilancione, a realty specialist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, listens in.
FARM COUPLE CREATES LEGACY . . . .Conservation easement keeps land in agriculture By Cory Golden ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER.. When Bruce Clark looks out from the front porch of his farmhouse four miles west of Davis, he sees a landscape as he thinks it should be. “It’s beautiful, and I want it to stay like that.” And now, it will. Bruce and his wife, Judy, have placed 140 acres of their organic farm under conservation easement in a deal announced earlier this week.
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service provided $550,000 and the California Department of Conservation $275,000 toward the purchase. Yolo County contributed $42,000 from its ag land mitigation fund toward the transaction costs and long-term monitoring obligations. For their part, the Clarks agreed to accept a price equal to about 75 percent of the estimated market rate for their development rights. Such easements are both increasingly popular —and increasingly difficult to fund in tough budgetary times. They provide a way to permanently protect agriculture or habitat uses by compensating landowners who give up their development rights. Such property remains on county tax rolls, and the easements stay in effect even if the land is sold. Michele Clark (no relation), the executive director of the nonprofit Yolo County Land Trust, which will hold the easement, said about 75 landowners in the county, with 22,000 acres among them, have expressed interest in similar deals. “My challenge,” she said, “is where to find public funding.” Bruce Clark said his came through at the state level only because another deal elsewhere fell apart. “Honestly, I didn’t think it was going to work out,” he said. “We came within a whisker of not getting it." The couple grow tomatoes and alfalfa, mostly, and will continue to do so under the easement. They’ve owned much of the preserved land along Russell Boulevard for almost 27 years. Two sloughs cross the farm, which is home to Swainson’s hawks, owls, pheasants and quail. There’s a coyote den, too, and a beaver has set up shop near a 3-acre spot where the Clarks intend to plant native grasses. Bruce has spotted a bobcat on his land and, now and then, he’s seen golden eagles.
The Clarks originally planned to used the proceeds from the sale to buy 98 acres from a neighbor. As the process wore on, Bruce managed to raise the money for that purchase by selling other land instead. The two parcels were once part of a century-old, 300-acre farm owned by the Hamel family. Bruce and Judy hope to see the farm pieced back together. They would like to place the second parcel under an easement, too. “I want to protect it after I’m gone,” said Bruce, who is 67. “I can protect it as long as I’m alive but after that, who knows? “We don’t have any kids, so this may be the only thing we leave behind.” Reprinted with permission by the Davis Enterprise
Bob Marr
Bob Marr
is a fifth generation Californian from a family with both urban and ranching interests. Some of his family pioneered post Gold Rush cattle and grain operations in the San Joaquin Valley. Other family members brought their vineyard expertise and wine making skills from Southwestern France to establish ranch operations in Southern Alameda County after emigrating from Southern France in the early 1880’s. He graduated from San Francisco State with a BA in Geography and Environmental Studies and then received a MS from Humboldt State University in Natural Resources with a specialty in Watershed Management and Fisheries. After employment with the US Forest Service and with Alaska Department of Fish and Game he settled for a time in Seattle working as an appraiser for Lamb, Hanson, Lamb, one of the larger appraisal firms in the Pacific Northwest. Bob first moved to Yolo County when his father transferred from UC Berkeley to UC Davis for a position with the Geography Department. He returned to Yolo County in 2000, moving to Woodland upon accepting a position with the California State Board of Equalization in Sacramento. He is presently a member of a Board of Equalization audit team reviewing the practices and procedures of assessor’s offices throughout the state to maintain compliance standards with applicable statutes, laws and guidelines. Bob is the owner, operator and winemaker of Marr Cellars, a producer of premium and distinctive California red wines since 1997. He also enjoys a variety of activities with his two children. Bob currently resides in Davis with Selena 11 and Patrick 14.
Chris Scheuring
Chris Scheuring
was raised on a family farm in Illinois, before his family moved to Yolo County and began farming "out west". He graduated from Davis High School, and received his undergraduate degree from UC Davis. He served as a pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps for 8 years, before returning to Davis where he earned a law degree. He is now an environmental lawyer specializing in land use and water resources, representing agricultural clients. Chris is also involved in the family farming operations in western Yolo County, which produce walnuts, almonds, mandarin oranges, and other crops. He resides in Davis with his wife and three medium-sized children.
Jessica Kilkenny
Jessica Kilkenny
Jessica Kilkenny joined the Yolo Land Trust board in 2010. Jessica is the Vice President/Commercial Loan Manager of First Northern Bank’s Winters Branch. where she manages the daily operations of the Winters Branch. She remains in tune with the needs of the Winters business community through her community involvement. Jessica has served on the City of Winters Community Development Agency Loan & Grant Advisory Committee, the Winters Healthcare Foundation Fundraising Committee, the Winters High School Agriculture Advisory Board and the Sutter Davis Hospital Foundation Board, to name just a few of her many community activities. She was appointed by the Yolo County Board of Supervisors to serve on the Yolo County Workforce Investment Board and was appointed by the Winters City Council as a Commissioner of the City of Winters Economic Development Committee. Jessica has received the Winters Citizen of the Year Award, the Theodore Winters Award, the Yolo County FFA Outstanding Service Award, the First Northern Bank Superior Service Award (twice), and the Business of the Year Award. She continues her community involvement by being an active member of Winters Rotary Club, Winters Chamber of Commerce, and the Yolo County Workforce Investment Board. Jessica and her husband Dennis have lived in Winters for more than 16 years.
YLT easements preserve Swainson’s Hawk habitat in the Putah Creek corridor south of Davis
Photo by LorrieJo Williams of one of our Yolo County Swainson’s Hawks
YLT worked with the Yolo Natural Heritage Program Joint Powers Agency and four landowners along Putah Creek, south of the City of Davis, to complete five conservation easements benefiting the Swainson’s Hawk through the preservation of agricultural lands that provide high value foraging habitat. Totaling 430 acres, these easements compliment existing conservation in the area and form a cornerstone of permanently protected foraging habitat benefiting Swainson’s Hawks and other raptors. The easements also protect the riparian vegetation for nesting habitat along Putah Creek.