spring - summer 2005 northcoast regional land trust newsletter

8/3/2019 Spring - Summer 2005 Northcoast Regional Land Trust Newsletter

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N orthcoast r egioNal l aNd t rusts priNg /s ummer 2005

Robert Benson Cold Springs: Last Meditation of the Summer,2001Watercolor on paper

Continued on page 4

On April 28 the Northcoast Regional Land Trustassumed ownership of 54-acres of former tidelands

located along the Freshwater Creek Slough nearThree Corners (along Old Arcata Road betweenEureka and Arcata). The purchase by NRLT is animportant step in the effort to re-establish naturaltidal flow to the property and restore estuarine

wetlands that are vital to many resident andmigrating fish and wildlife species. The project

will also create unique opportunities to enhanceagricultural, educational, and recreational valuesassociated with the property and adjacent lands.

Freshwater Farms is one of many ongoingNRLT projects that collectively support wildlife

habitat, outdoor recreation, and strong agricultural,fisheries, timber, and tourism economies. Althoughsometimes pitted against one another, such diverse

values together comprise the high quality of life weexperience here on the North Coast. FreshwaterFarms is notable in that it includes multiple interestsin a single package.

Freshwater Farms also demonstrates the promiseof creativity, collaboration and public/privatepartnerships in crafting constructive solutions

By Shayne GreenFreshwater FarmsNRLT Comp letes its Sec ond Ac q uisition


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Maya Conrad, Executive DirectorShayne Green, Projects Manager

Elizabeth Zenker, Office ManagerTempra Board, Development, Newsletter

Erik Wilson, Projects CoordinatorHolly Lockwood, Intern

At this moment, thefuture of private land

conservation across thenation is at stake.

Blake Alexandre, President, DairymanDavid McMurray, Past PresidentRetired University Administrator

Ruth Blyther, 1st Vice PresidentRCAA Co-Director

Laura Kadlecik, 2nd Vice President,Treasurer, Resource Planner

Michael Smith, Secretary

HSU Natural Resources Professor Wes Anderson , Appraiser/Rancher

Mark Andre , Deputy Director,Environmental Services, City of Arcata

Melissa Bukosky , Biologist/Geologist John LaBoyteaux , Organic Farmer

Jack Limmer , Real Estate BrokerFred Neighbor , Attorney at Law

James Able, Forestry Consultants, Inc.

Dave Albee, School Superintendent Jim Anderson, retired CPA Kim Browning, Resource Timber Manager

Tom Brundage, GeologistNancy Diamond, Attorney

Jeff Dunk, McKinleyville Land TrustRich Ghilarducci, Humboldt Creamery

Zuretti Zuey Goosby,Field Rep. for Senator Wesley Chesbro

Dr. Steve Hackett, HSU Professor,Business & EconomicsSteve Hackett, RancherKevin Hartwick, CPA,

Cholwell, Benz & Hartwick

Annette Holland, Jacoby Creek Land TrustSandra Jerabek, Consultant,Nature and Heritage Tourism

Lee Mora, Humboldt Auction Yard owner,Rancher

Kathy Moxon, Humboldt Area FoundationLiz Murguia, District Representative

for Congressman Mike ThompsonColleen OSullivan

Chuck PowellTom Rowe, Attorney

Rondal Snodgrass, Land CounselorBill Thompson, Jacoby Creek Land Trust

Paul Warner

Arnold Whitridge, SawyerKatherine Ziemer, Director,Humboldt County Farm Bureau

Board of Directors

Board of Advisors

Staff

Letter from theExecutive Director

Dear Friends,

As supporters of the NorthcoastRegional Land Trust, we all know that protecting meaningful placescan improve our economies, thehealth of our ecosystems, and ourcommunities for years to come. Wealso know that this can often feeldaunting in the face of rapid growth

and development. As a friend of the NorthcoastRegional LandTrust, each of ushas consciously chosen to embracethe positive andbuild new ground

with diverse stakeholders. So, in atime when terms like cumulativeeffects, degraded water quality,and loss of prime farmland canbecome abysmal, I find it importantto focus ahead on what were doingright. What motivates me areinspiring local examples that affirm

we can have a healthy economy and athriving ecology by working together.Two recent examples that excite meare: 1) the Humboldt Creameryslatest announcement about theirnew national distribution of locally produced ice cream; and 2) seeingSix Rivers to the Sea landowners

voluntarily initiating salmon habitatrestoration on their land and sharingtheir experiences with others.

Clearly, we are fortunate to beliving and working in a region wherepeople are devoted and connectedto the landscape. That stronglocal commitment is anomalous tomany other places in our country.

Unfortunately, the conservationaction that has been so successful inour mission to protect the workingand wild lands of the North Coast isin an unprecedented dilemma.

At this moment, the future of private land conservation across thenation is at stake. Rand Wentworth,President of the national Land Trust

Alliance called the recent conditions

in WashingtonD.C. the PerfectStorm forconservation inthe USA. Theprimary incentiveto landowners- whether they areland-rich and cash

poor, coping with an estate transferor in need of a tax break are tax deductions available for conservationeasement donations. These coreconservation incentives are underthreat because of a recent reportby Congresss Joint Committeeon Taxation, which recommendsdismantling tax deductions forlandowners who volunteer toconserve their land a program thatmakes private land conservation, andthe work we do at the NRLT possible.

Landowners throughout ourregion care deeply about the future of the North Coast, and as a result are

willing to protect important resourceson their property in order to preserveits working and wild heritage. Theonly things making this a financially reasonable option in the face of risingproperty values and developmentpressures, are the well-deservedincome and estate tax deductionsthat are currently available. These


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The Buckeye Conservancy P.O. Box 5607 Eureka, CA 95502

Johanna Rodoni, Executive Director(707) 786-9662 www.buckeyeconservancy.org

Friends of the Dunes Land TrustP.O. Box 186 Arcata, CA 95518Lisa Hoover, Land Trust Chair(707) 444-1397

www.friendsofthedunes.org

Humboldt Northcoast Land TrustP.O. Box 457 Trinidad, CA 95570Gail Kenny, President(707) [email protected]; www.hnclt.org

Jacoby Creek Land TrustP.O. Box 33 Bayside, CA 95524Susan Ornelas, Executive Director(707) 822-0900; [email protected]

McKinleyville Land TrustP.O. Box 2723 McKinleyville, CA 955

Jeff Dunk, President(707) [email protected]

Middle Mattole Conservancy P.O. Box 73 Honeydew, CA 95545Gabrielle Roach, [email protected]

Northcoast Regional Land TrustP.O. Box 398 Bayside, CA 95524(707) 822-2242Maya Conrad, Executive Director

www.ncrlt.org

Sanctuary ForestP.O. Box 166 Whitethorn, CA 95589Eric Goldsmith, Executive Director(707) 986-1087; [email protected]

South Fork Trinity River LandConservancy P.O. Box 36 Mad River CA 95552David Rose, Executive Director(707) 574-1077

[email protected]

Local LandTrust Contacts

tax incentives have been in place formore than 25 years, and have led tothe voluntary conservation of morethan 35 million acres of land acrossthe nation and now the federal JointCommittee on Taxation has proposedto effectively eliminate them.

Their proposal would not allow any deductions for donating aconservation easement on theproperty on which a landowner lives,it would slash the deductions allowedfor donating a conservation easement(from 100% of what the easement is

worth, to no more than 33% of its value), and it would limit deductionsfor donating land to the price thelandowner originally paid for the

property. This would eliminatemost conservation easements, makeit unaffordable for agriculturallandowners to donate land, anddiscourage long-term landownersfrom donatingland.

To graspthe severity of the changesbeing proposed,imagine alandownerholding a few hundred acresof land alongEel River.The landowner has sustainably harvested the forest there for threegenerations, and would like to placea conservation easement on theproperty that will keep hundredsof acres of forest in sustainableproduction while preserving the rich

wildlife habitat and salmon-bearingstreams on the property. Under thecurrent tax law the landowner canbe a resident on the property, andstill retain the rights for very limitedfuture building if desired, whilereceiving a fair 100% deductionon the value of the easement (thedifference of appraised value beforeand after the easement).

If the Joint Committees Proposalsgo through, this landowner will haveno deduction incentive whatsoeverfor donating an easement onproperty that holds a residence,making it widely discouraging to takesuch conservation measures. If, for

example, there was not a residenceon the property, the landowner

would still only receive a deductionof 33% of the value of the easement,again hardly making it a worthwhile

venture when enormous sums of cashare commonly offered for subdivisionof such properties.

In a time when the wildness andthe working lands of our region areunder relentless pressure, we need

policy that will encourage landowners with financially reasonable incentivesto promote conservation on theirlands, not policy discouragingresponsible stewardship and charitable

donations. What private

landownersand land trustsaround thecountry haveaccomplishedin the pastthree decadesdeservescelebration, butit is only a sliver

of what is possible. To continue withthis very important public service toprovide clean air and water, a viableagricultural base, natural lands and

wildlife habitat for future generations we are asking you to please take

action. The current incentivesprogram is simply the best way toachieve conservation of Americasnatural legacy in the 21 st century, and

with your help we can steer the JointCommittee on Taxations proposalsin a positive direction. See What youcan do box, above.Special thanks to project coordinator ErikWilson for contributing to this report.

What you can do to help:Contact Senators Boxer andFeinstein and CongressmanThompson and tell them how important it is to preserve our

conservation incentives. Informationand a sample letter, including electedofficials addresses, is available on our

website: www.ncrlt.org


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Freshwater FarmsLand Conserva tion a s Part of a Bigger Pic tu

North Coast CleaningServices Inc.

Thomas C. BrundageRegistered Geologist

The project represents thepromise of collaboration...

in crafting constructive

solutions where we otherwisetend to get stuck in the mud.

Charlie TripodiThe Land Man

Wetlands such as this will be expanded and enhanced by the planned restoration project.

where we otherwise tend to get stuck in the mud. The project already involves funding and participation by diverse stakeholders such as adjacent

landowners, non-profit organizations(NRLT and Redwood Community

Action Agency), local firms(Freshwater Farms Nursery, McBain& Trush, Inc., SHN Engineers),state and federal agencies (CoastalConservancy, California Departmentof Fish and Game, NOAA Fisheries),and a variety of community supporters, including local residentsand their representatives.

NRLT intends to use theFreshwater Farms property to restoreestuary habitat considered vital to therecovery of salmon, steelhead, andother fish and wildlife populationsthat were historically more abundantaround Humboldt Bay (see Estuaries,

next page). In addition to rebuildingfish populations, implementing suchprojects at strategic locations withinregional watersheds will likely play an

important role in the recovery of a fisheries economy that

was far more robust in yearspast. Perhaps stories of fishso plentiful you could walk across small streams withoutgetting your feet wet, willone day be more than justreminiscence by the oldergeneration among us.

TheFWF restorationproject is beingdesigned in partto help alleviateseasonalflooding thathas reducedrangelandproductivity on an adjacentagriculturalproperty.Constructionof new sloughchannels isproposedto facilitatethe flow of

freshwater fromupstream pastures onto the FWFproperty, thereby bolstering the

enhancement of wetlands. Thiscomponent of the project willaugment the primary restorationactivity: removal of a tidegatelocated along Freshwater Slough toallow tidal backflow of water ontothe property via the Wood Creek channel during high tides.

NRLT is crafting agreementsthat will enable the neighboringFreshwater Farms Nursery to harvest

wetland plant cuttings and seeds forpropagation and use in restorationprojects at Humboldt Bay and

elsewhere. In fact, the restorationproject is in large part the brainchildof nursery owner Rick Storre, whooriginally purchased the property

with the idea of returning it to itsformer tidelands glory and using theland as a source of native wetlandsplants for his nursery operations.

Continued from Page 1

Continued on Page 6


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CAT KOSHKIN, Attorney & Counselor at Law

Helping families preserve landfor the next generation

The skys re ectionon Freshwater Sloughhints at a quiet life onHumboldt Bays bottomlands. The slough is animportant estuary for salmon and other fshand wildlife species.

The significance of the FWFproject is best understood withinthe context of the greater HumboldtBay ecosystem and ongoing effortsto restore its fish populations tohistoric levels. The 20,000 acreFreshwater Creek watershed is amajor tributary of Humboldt Bay and has been a focus of local fishrecovery efforts. The watershedharbors coho & Chinook salmon,steelhead trout, sea-run cutthroattrout, and numerous other fishand wildlife species. Within the

Freshwater Creek watershed andother tributary streams of HumboldtBay, lack of estuary habitat hasbeen identified as a key limitingfactor for salmonid populations 1.It is estimated that around 90% of Humboldt Bays historic tidelandshave been converted to other usessuch as agriculture, commercialand residential development, androadways since European settlement.Estuaries are important areas wheresteelhead and salmon acclimateto the shift in salinity and prepare

their internal osmotic balance

for going to the ocean as juvenilesand returning to spawn as adults.Functioning estuaries providebackchannel habitat and otherslackwater refugia where young fishfind shelter during periods of heavy rain and high water. Scientific studiesindicate that juvenile fishes reared inestuaries, one of the most productivehabitats on earth, grow faster andhave higher survival rates than those

without access to such habitats. A variety of other marine fishes,including commercially harvestedgroundfish species, utilize estuaries asjuvenile rearing habitat.

(Footnotes)1 Redwood Community Action Agency andHumboldt Bay Watershed Advisory Committee2004. Draft Humboldt Bay Watershed SalmonRecovery Plan. Unpublished document.

Estuaries a nd the Humb old t Ba y Wa tershed

By Shayne Green


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Freshwater Farms Acquisition

Continued from Page 4

Former owner Rick Storre envisions return-ing the property to its former tidelands glory and using the area as a sustainable sourcesof native wetland plants.

Eel Canyon Farms

The Fershwater Slough oodgate currently limits ow of water into the wetlands enhancement area.

To the extent that it dovetails withStorres innovative business endeavor,the estuary enhancement project willcontribute not only to an innovative

A legacy gift to the Northcoast Regional Land Trust will not only ensurethat some of our most beautiful and important lands on the North Coastare preserved, but could also provide you with income for life, a reductionin capital gains taxes, and other benefits.

There are many ways that you can be a part of our North Coast Legacy: Remember NRLT in your will or living trust Name NRLT as a beneficiary of your IRA or Qualified Retirement Plan Name the NRLT as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy

If you currently have a will, you can easily add a codicil (an amendment)to include a bequest (a gift in your will) to the Northcoast Regional LandTrust. An example of appropriate language for inclusion in your will orliving trust is:

I give, devise and bequeath to the Northcoast Regional Land Trust, a Californianonprofit public benefit corporation with the mailing address of Post Office Box398, Bayside, California, 95524, the sum of _____ dollars [or otherwise describethe gift or asset] for its general purposes and use at the discretion of the NorthcoastRegional Land Trusts Board of Directors.

If you are interested, please contact your personal financial planner orattorney. For basic information, please contact the Northcoast RegionalLand Trust at 707.822.2242.

Leave a Legacy for North Coast Open La nd s

form of local agriculture, but alsoto the North Coasts promisingrestoration industry.

NRLT will eventually provide forpublic access to the property for scenic, educational, andrecreational enjoyment.

Access by foot and watercraftare planned. An access plan

will be developed as part of the Management Plan beingprepared during 2005.

FWF fits within a larger

strategy of restoring fisheriesand protecting primeagricultural lands that supportlocal dairies, farms andranches. NRLT is currently

developing a Farmland ConservationPlan (FCP) that identifies key areas

for conserving farmland based ona range of criteria that includes soilproductivity, parcel size, zoning, andthreats from development. The FCPshould help to identify opportunitiesand constraints in the planningof future habitat protection andrestoration projects. Restoring estuary habitat and protecting agricultureare seen by NRLT as two sides of the same coin, a currency by whichthriving North Coast ecosystems,communities, and economiesmaintain steady purchase.

Restoration planning, permittingand fundraising activities are expectedto take place through 2006, with theproject implemented (including allconstruction) by the end of 2007.


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Randy Speck Herrmann & Cheyenne SpetzlerSun Valley GroupFrancis & Lorana SweetMarlene SylviaTed & Josephine Trichilo

Vicky Turner & Rudy RampMarlena & Moises VegaLynne & Bob WellsClay Yerby Natalie Zall

FriendGeorge & Beverly AllenTempra BoardRita CarlsonSusan & Earl CarsonLisa ConradRuss ConradDiane Des Marets & David PriceChuck & Marilyn DewittRichard Duning &

Nancy Correll Jud Ellinwood & Anda WebbDavid Epstein &

Patricia Platt EpsteinMark FritzkeBruce GardinerR. Uwe & Zuzana Gellner

Zuey Goosby Christine HensonLisa HooverClaudia Israel

Jerome & Nancy LengyelDon & Kathleen Lutosky Mattole & Jeanne M. MattoleLois Mellert

Archie MossmanColleen OSullivanMarianne Pennekamp

Jennifer Pierce Andrew & Mary Riley

Jared Rossman William L. ShapeeroSherman Schapiro

Jason Smith &Christi Hawkins-Smith

Loren & Darlene SmithSara Traphagen

Traphagen DesignRichard & Phyllis Stanewick

Anne & Roger WeissBill & Melissa Zielinski

Agencies &FoundationsCalifornia Coastal Conservancy California Department of

ConservationCalifornia Department of Fish

& Game, Coastal SalmonRecovery Program

Columbia FoundationNorcross Wildlife FoundationResources Legacy Fund

FoundationUSFS Forest Legacy Program

Thank You NRLT 2004-2005 Supporters!

Founders Circle AnonymousBlake & Stephanie AlexandreFrancis & Carol CarringtonStephen & Sharon DaviesDick HackettSteve & Jill Hackett

Northwest Resource Annette & Greg Holland Jack & Rita Limmer Al Macy / Responsive SoftwareDavid & Madeline McMurray Lee & Eileen Mora

Humboldt Auction YardLynn & John Pettlon

Charlie Tripodi & Maya Conrad

Steward Joan BermanHarry Blumenthal &

Scott MitchellSue BoschHeidi Bourne & Peter JermynMelissa Bukosky Shayne Green &

Jennifer BloeserDavid R. Hodges

Dennis RaelTom & Emily Rowe Jeff & Edy SchwartzBill & June Thompson

Conservator Anonymous (2)Mark AndreRuth Blyther & Thomas Francis

Thomas C. Brundage &Diane DeFord

Bill CoomberBill & Lynda HuttonThelma Ingebritson

John Laboyteaux Nancy Rehg

Jay Russ James & Virginia Waters

Sponsor Anonymous (3) Jim & Judith AndersonMarjorie & Frank AndersonCelestine B. ArmentaBarbara Barratt

Jon BrooksBrooks Appraisal Service

Robert K. BrowningKit Crosby-Williams

Jacqueline Debets & Rick BendStan & Judy DixonElias Elias & Gretchen ZieglerSusan Frances

Julie Fulkerson & Lynn EvansRich Ghilarducci

Humboldt Creamery Assoc.Kirk & Catherine GirardDanny HagansHarvey M. Harper

Judith HinmanS. Sherman Hirsch

E.R. Hirsch AssociatesDavid Hoffman / InternewsFred HummelHarvey Kelsey &

Susan CashmanSharmon & Peter Kenyon

Riverbar Farm Ann King & Douglas SmithCatherine KoshkinThomas Lisle & Lorinda Dengle

Nat MaffeRobert & Mavis McKelvey Ken MillerLouise MillerBen & Ananda Morehead

Jim & Gay MorrisonMargaret Nulsen &

Chris FrolkingFelicia OldfatherChuck Powell

Allan Ridley &Helen McKenna Ridley

Herb SchwartzChange Mediation

Michael SmithRondal & Susanna SnodgrassPaul & Virginia SpringerScott Sway Ronald & Donna ThompsonKent & Johnna TownsendMartha TraphagenDon & Andrea TuttleBarbara Van Putten &

Barbara WallaceMock WahlundTerrell Watt

Arnold Whitridge

Donor AnonymousThomas & Catherine AllenSandra AntonsonIllijana Asara & Jim Vandegriff Carolyn AyresGeorge & Judy BloeserLucinda Bradshaw

William & Carol BrueskeRita CaroleStuart CataldoChris & Jeanne ChapinCharles & Natalie Di CostanzoSuzanne & Bruce Dockter

William & Nancy DunnDiamond D Ranch

Joan Early John & Patricia HarrisTheodore & Adelene JonesTom & Carolyn JonesRichard Klein

Judy & John LongshoreLaura MadjediMartin McClelland

Oscar Larson & AssociatesCarol MonePhoebe Netzow & Jonas BergDaniel & Penne OGara

Jane PattersonMartha PayneNurit & John PendletonTerry Raymer

Wendy RingMarie Antoine & Stephen SillettBob Sizoo & Sue Turner


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Cover Art

The cover painting by Robert Benson, ColdSprings: Last Meditation of the Summer, was featured atHumboldt State Universitys First Street Gallery inMay of 2003, in an exhibit of Bensons work entitledMeeting Ground: Thirty Years of Painting Done on Site.Bensons plein-air, abstract watercolors are deeply rooted in place, and are inspiring to the NorthcoastRegional Land Trust as we work to protect specialplaces on the North Coast.

A member of the Tsnungwe Tribe, Benson wasraised on a small ranch near Willow Creek. His early outdoor experiences, tied to seasonal rhythms and

activities, have been a lifelong inspiration in his work particularly his connectedness to nature drawn inpart from close observation and intuition.

Bensons work is also a call to others to achieve thisconnection, and out of this, to protect and stewardthis land. In the eloquent accompanying essay to theFirst Street Gallery exhibit, Ken Weiderman writes,one feels connected to the land and all the things on it, thenthe entire natural world becomes a community.... Benson...challenges the viewers to observe their own landscapes witthe same depth...charging all of us to become better stewardof this land that is inseparable from our being.

First AmericanTitle Company

NRLT SeeksConservation Buyers!

Mission: The Northcoast Regional Land Trust isdedicated to the protection of working landscapes, farms, forests and grazing lands, and to the preservation and

protection of land for its natural, educational, scenicand historic values.

Northcoast Regional Land TrustP.O. Box 398, Bayside, CA 95524

Nonprofit OrgU.S. Postage

PAIDFerndale, CA

Permit #3

Grant funding provided by: Columbia FoundationResources Legacy Fund Foundation

If you or someone you know is interested in purchas-ing land for conservation purposes, please call us at707.822.2242. We may know of a good fit for you.

spring - summer 2005 northcoast regional land trust newsletter

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