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"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."
John Muir
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Connecting Our Trails
Coming Memorial Day Weekend
A beautiful trail just got better and will be open to the public come Memorial Day weekend!
MLT has completed a multi-year-effort to connect trails in Shady Dell, making it easier to enjoy longer and more satisfying hikes.
Projects such as this take time, but patience and partnerships pay off for everyone.
This land is owned by the Save the Redwoods League (SRL), and it is adjacent to the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park at Usal. MLT designed and built the first trail at Shady Dell, the Peter Douglas Trail, which is an extension of the Lost Coast Trail.
The Peter Douglas trail was completed in 2016.
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After the completion of that trail, Director of Stewardship Nicolet Houtz worked with SRL to come up with the idea of a trail that would loop around the property connecting to the Peter Douglas trail. Houtz wrote a grant application to the State Coastal Conservancy for the planning, design, and permitting of two new trails, the Ridgeline Trail and Creekside Trail. Funding was awarded for this project in 2018.
The Ridgeline Trail was a difficult alignment to figure out, given the steep terrain, a spider web of logging roads, and constraints imposed by the property's boundaries. Once this alignment was determined, the required California Environmental Quality Act surveys were completed and a coastal development permit obtained; Houtz wrote a second grant for the construction of the trail
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So, here we are years later. Good things are worth the wait! And we're proud to invite you to a hike where you can see for yourself the fruits of this project.
An effort such as this takes time and teamwork. MLT had seven trail crews (California Conservation Corps and American Conservation Experience) help build the trail, along with contractors, MLT staff and interns. The loop trail, a combination of the Peter Douglas trail and the Ridgeline trail is approximately 7 miles. The Creekside trail, a shorter trail along Shady Dell Creek, is 0.5 miles.
Join us, if you can, on June 15, 2024 at 10 a.m. for an MLT staff-led show and tell hike on the new trail. Information will be available on social media and our website.
To learn more about the many wonderful trails in Mendocino County, click here.
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Help Conserve
a Redwood Forest
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Please join us in the Hathaway Creek Forest campaign!
We need your help to protect 38.5 acres of second-growth redwood, Douglas fir, and Bishop pine forest at the headwaters of Hathaway Creek, a tributary to the Garcia River near Point Arena. Donations will be matched by funds from MLT’s new Redwood Protection and Restoration Endowment, up to $20,000, thus doubling donor impact.
Please consider making a gift today.
“I wince every time I see redwood forests cut down when I know their natural life cycle should reach more than 2,000 years. The giant, ancient trees growing in Mendocino County in the 1800s are largely gone, replaced by second-and third-growth younger forests. What if we allowed more of those trees to grow back to their full potential?”
– Forest owner, Point Arena
(Read how the owner acquired the forest here.)
A conservation easement on the forest will protect it forever from being commercially harvested. The conservation-enthusiast owner who bought the forest in 2021 to save it from commercial logging wants to donate the conservation easement to the Mendocino Land Trust. The last piece in the puzzle is the stewardship and legal defense fund that MLT needs to monitor and enforce the easement in perpetuity. Please join other supporters in this worthy project.
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Through the easement, MLT will protect Hathaway Creek and preserve the forest (including the Bishop Pine Forest Alliance Sensitive Natural Community, coast redwoods, and other trees), rare and sensitive plant species, and wildlife habitat on the property.
Community engagement at the property, with the landowner’s permission, may include interpretive hikes and/or environmental education opportunities, as well as scientific research or study.
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To complete this project, we need to raise $20,000 from our supporters which will be matched by MLT’s Redwood Protection and Restoration Endowment, a new endowment at MLT created with the generous support of an anonymous donor that seeks to conserve, protect and restore redwood forests.
All donations will be used solely to fund the creation and stewardship of the Hathaway Creek Forest Conservation Easement. The $40,000 raised will be for the monitoring and legal defense of the property’s conservation values. Any additional funds raised will be applied to the transaction costs needed to complete this conservation easement.
Click here to help the redwoods!
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Monarch Butterflies - A Comeback Story
by Michael Heine
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The western monarchs (Danaus plexippus plexippus) are currently dispersing inland, seeking out milkweed to lay eggs and complete another generation cycle on their endless migration.
While not genetically distinct from the monarchs that inhabit east of the Rocky Mountains (a natural if somewhat permeable population boundary), western monarchs are unique in that instead of overwintering in the upland forests of central Mexico, they do it right here in California. Each year, one generation of monarchs will hunker down in groves of trees within two miles of the ocean to wait out the worst of the winter until spring when they can set sail once again.
They prefer cypresses, pines, and even the invasive eucalyptus tree to shield them from the winds and rains, and the humid ocean air provides a buffer against freezing temperatures and desiccation. These congregations are amazing displays where it seems that the very leaves themselves are replaced by butterflies.
Once this cohort sets off, a three- to four-generational process begins anew. The monarchs fly inland seeking their only host plant, milkweed, to lay their eggs, and then they die. While the larvae only eat milkweeds, adults can feast on a variety of nectar plants to keep their strength up for the journey. This new generation will feed on the milkweed until it’s time for them to set off, repeating the cycle until the autumn generation goes back to the coast to find those groves once again.
In recent years, we have nearly lost this incredible species due to a combination of habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change. Where once the skies were clouded with millions of monarchs in the 1980s, a low of 2,000 adults were recorded in 2020. Fortunately, in 2022 they rebounded to over 300,000, a 22-year high!
The current total for 2024 stands at about 233,000, lower than the historic populations but cause for celebration and action to preserve these incredible butterflies for future generations.
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***
This is just one of Mike's recent stories in Wildlife Wednesdays, seen on MLT's social media and our website. To read more of these, click here.
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Lights! Camera! Redwoods!
Giants Rising: "A Tale of Awe, Wonder, and Connection
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Mendocino Land Trust is honored to sponsor the astonishing film, Giants Rising at the 2024 Mendocino Film Festival on June 1st and 2nd. Giants Rising “tells the epic tale of America’s most iconic forests, including the mission to help them rise up from the past –and help us ALL face the challenges of the future...”
Produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker, Lisa Landers, the film takes the audience on a stunning journey deep into the iconic forests of Northern California, Mendocino, Sonoma, and Humboldt, and highlights the natural history, cultural significance, science, and the vital importance of some of the oldest, and largest species on earth.
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MLT also is sponsoring a visit by Ms. Landers, who will join Executive Director Conrad Kramer for a discussion immediately after the Saturday screening in the Mendocino Festival tent.
Ms. Landers will speak about her experience creating the film, and the ongoing work of redwoods preservation. Both screenings will be preceded by MLT’s two-minute Pelican Bluffs reel.
We hope you can join us in Mendocino on Saturday, or at the Coast Cinemas in Fort Bragg on Sunday, also at 1p.m.
“You do not need to know the science to be just floored by these trees. But awe can be inspired even more if you learn a bit more about them.” ~ Zane Moore, UC Davis
Showtimes:
Saturday June 1st, 1p.m., Festival Tent at Hill House, Mendocino Village, discussion to follow.
Sunday, June 2nd, 1p.m., at Coast Cinemas, Fort Bragg – film only, no discussion.
MFF Ticket info: https://mendofilm.org/box-office
Film link: https://www.giantsrising.com/
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Can You Spot Friends
On This List?
Be Sure To Thank Them!
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We depend on you to step up and support our day-to-day operations. Here's a list of those who have done just that. These donors have allowed us to use their names for a deserved recognition. Many others preferred to remain anonymous, but are at our side, too! We thank them all!
Key
"(M)" indicates a monthly donor, which is much appreciated!
Numbers in parenthesis indicate the total number of anon donors.
"(T)" indicates a Trail Keeper - to learn more, click here.
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Fort Bragg Area
Andarin Arvola
Ann Gallagher
Anonymous (2)
Barbara Mckey
Brent & Cynthia Rusert
Bruce & Deborah Bentz
Caryl Sherpa
Chuck Artigues & Betty Abramson
Conrad Kramer
Cynthia & James Plank
Diane Cerutti
Dick Van Alstyne
Edward Jones Investments
Eleanor Harvey
Elizabeth Pippin (M)
George Reinhardt
& Sharon Bowers
Harbor View Bistro & Bar (T)
Harvest Market
Howard & Sharon Lau
Inn at Newport Ranch
Jackie Wollenberg
James Griswold
& Trudy Jensen (M)
Jane & Bruce Person
Jeff Lieb
Jesusa Matson
Jim & Diane Larson
Jim Havlena & Mary Rogers
Joann & Jan Stickle
Joel & Christine Franks
John & Christina Rossum
John Swartley
& Debra Cohen (M)
Kathy & Joseph Averill
Kendall Smith
Kenneth D Karlstad
Lari Shea & Harvey Hoechstetter
Laura & David Welter
Liquid Fusion Kayaking
Lorrie Lagasse & Chris Williams
Marchelo Bresciani (M)
Mary Jean Makela
Mary Kate McKenna
Meg Courtney & Bob Bushansky
Mendo Litho
Mendocino Coast
Healthcare Foundation
Mendocino Cookie Company - Zappa's Coffee
Nancy Kleiber
Olivia Barrager
Paul & Judy Tichinin
Priscilla & Richard Comen
Re/Max First Equity Realty
Richard Jacobs & Linda Lawley
Richard Shoemaker
& Linda Ruffing
Robert & Marcia Popper
Robert Horvat
Safeway
Suzanne Tennyson (M)
Thanksgiving Coffee Co.
Thompson Gas LLC
Timothy & Judy Hollingshead
Trevor Sharp
Ursula & Mary Gealey
Valerie Frey
Yolanda & Bruce Fletcher
Mendocino Area
Alarcon Insurance Agency
Alida Morzenti
Ann & Rudolph Sacks (M)
Anne Eaton Kemp
Anonymous (M) (2)
Anonymous (2)
Barbara & Ben Sochacki
Barbara Barkovich
& John Redding
Barbara Weiss
& Richard Melrose (M)
Blanche Darnell
Chet & Sherri Anderson
Debra Lennox
Emily Griffen & Sage Andersen
Eric & Elaine Wing Hillesland
Gayle Greene
& Robert Jourdain (M)
George Dreaper
Georgia & John Ratcliffe
Grant Miller & Barbara Rice
Helena Bell
Jeanette Boyer (M)
John Griffen (M)
Judith Chapman
Karen Hooper & Alan Bruce
Karin Uphoff
Ken Flannell
& Denise De Luise (M)
Leona Walden
Linda Brown & Tom Tillotson
Lorie Wardlaw (M)
Louise Mariana
Margaret Fox
Marilyn Lemos
Mary & Drew Jackson
Mary Campbell
Matthew & Elaine Miksak (M)
Megan Smithyman (M)
Mina Cohen & Jeffrey Berenson
Myra H. Beals
Noelle K & Jeffrey P Hasson
Pamela Hahn
Patricia Black
Paula & Mark Goodwin
Richard & Susan Strom (M)
Robert & Ann Jamgochian
Rod & Kathleen Cameron
Roger Sternberg & Diana Weir
Ron Campbell
& Lawrence Goldyn
Samuel Edwards
& Virginia Sharkey (M)
Sharon & Jan Peterson
Sharon Hunter
Stephanie & John Simonich
Susan Maeder
Susan Tubbesing & Sarah Nathe
Tom & Ann Birdsell
Wendell & Sammie Rickon
North Coast Area
Amanda Cruise
& Brian Knittel (M)
Anonymous (3)
Bill & Bobbie Knapp
Carl Moore
Caroline & Richard Tower
Chet Boddy
Comptche Land Conservancy
Don Cruser & Petra Schulte
Gayle & Barry Tyerman
Harriet Bye & Larry Sawyer
Jim & Marilyn Katzel
Joel Kies & Caroline Bonfield
John & Joan Rutherford
Judith & John Garratt
Judy & Jim Tarbell
Karen & Leonardo Bowers
Keith Middlesworth
Lee Tepper & Dorine Real
Lisa Gonzales-Kramer
Lynda Morgan
Lynne Mowry (M)
Marius Schilder
Mark & Deena Zarlin
Mary Brandhorst Curtis
Mary Flannery Kraut
Melody Merriman
& James Garretson
Nathan Anderson
Pat Dunbar
Patricia Scott
Peter Carlson
Steven & Deborah Wolfe
Sunshine Taylor
Susan Hofberg
Susan Juhl
Terrence Booth
Terry Surles
The Khosla Foundation
Winston & Becky Bowen
Zoe & Mike Berna
Anderson Valley Area
Nicolette Ausschnitt
& Steven Krieg
Robert & Barbara Goodell
Sheila Colombana
South Coast Area
Anonymous (M) 1
Anonymous
Barb Skoog & Emmett Dacey
Caryl Carr
Donald Hess
Douglas Forsell
Douglas Smith
James & Marcia Nybakken
Jeanne & Richard Jackson
Jeff Gyving & Lena Bullamore
Jim Elias
Leslie & Eric Dahlhoff
Lisa Joakimides
Mark Vanderwoude
Mary Heibel
Robin Applegarth
Roma Robbins
Susan Bernardo
Tom & Anny Reidenbach
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Willits Area
Janet & Tony Orth
Karen Gridley
& Wolfgang Ronnefeldt
SHN Consulting
Engineers & Geologists
Tom Herman
Laytonville/Leggett Area
Anonymous (1)
Mendocino Craft Farmers
Ukiah Valley Area
Al White & Victoria Golden
Amy Wolitzer
Anonymous (M) (1)
Bard & Marilyn Zensen
Bob Twelves
David & Charlotte Rapport
Edward & Mauri Fox
Elisabeth & Stephen Pasternak
Elizabeth Macfarland
Gail & Keith Leland
James & Arlene Moorehead
Jim Mastin & Mary Buckley
Jonathan Whipple
& Margaret Agnew
Keith & Gail Leland
Larry Falk & Margaret Arner
Leslie & Walter Cornell
Melbourne & Linda Lockey
Michael Lloyd
Nephele Barrett
Peggy Backup
Philip Gary
Richard & Colleen Henderson
Ron & Francine Selim
Sam Goldberg
Sandra Applegate & Dave Riemenschneider
Scott Claypool & Janna Hansen
Selzer Realty & Associates RE/MAX Gold
SunHawk Farms (T)
Susan Bearden Gates
Susan Rounds
Tom & Ilse Winters
Visit Mendocino (T)
Yoriko Kishimoto
Bay Area
Andrea & Melinda diSessa
Andrea Woodside
Angelo Figone & Laurence Brenner
Anonymous (M) (1)
Anonymous (2)
Brent & Debra Salmi
Bruce & Madeline Feingold
Charlotte Waggoner
Colin Davison
Daniel Sicular & Hana Levin
David Burke
& Victoria Burton Burke
Diane Barrett
Diane Syrcle & Susan Leo
Don & Marcia Ehrlich
Erik Wyner
Faith & Kyle Yazel
Gary Grimm & Ann Holsberry
Greta Vollmer
& Miquel Salmeron
Holiday Phelan-Johnson
& Christopher Johnson
J Michael Hopper & Virginia Pier
James Frodsham
Jeanine Ceballos (M)
Jeremy & Christina Isenberg
Jerry & Linda Yarbrough
Joe & Alison Barta
Joel Perlstein
Joshua Koral
& Marilyn Zoller Koral
Karen & Michael Winn (M)
Karen Jefferson
Kathryn Coulter
Kathryn Dodds
Kelly DiMartini (M)
Ken & Martha Fischer
Kevin & Sheryl Braun
Kristen Williams
& Jimmy Schmidt
Lise Thomsen-Jones
& Robert Jones
Lyn Andersen
Lynne Clenfield
March Conservation Fund
Marietta Kelly
Miceala Marsden
Michael & Beth Litton (M)
Michael Hammes
Nancy & John Hoogendyk
Nancy Horner
Nathan Swartley
Nelson & Lia Lee
Patricia Lewis
Patrick Mooney
Philip Maloney
& Monica Steinisch
Regina Lackner
Richard Poley
Robert Jones & Catherine Rivlin
Seth & Vicki Kimball
Sky Stanfield
Sonoma Clean Power (T)
Steven Berger
& Paula Hughmanick
Thomas Amaroli
Thomas & Rebecca Riley
TrimTab Media (T)
Vera De Martini
Virginia Stearns
Warren & Janis Watkins
California
Andrew & Anne DeMar
Anonymous (2)
Anonymous Foundation (1)
Brooks Thorlaksson
Catriona Shafer & Gurdon Miller
Christina Rutkaus
David & Helen Troxel
David Lakes, M.D.
Harvey & Jacqueline Moranda
Holly Harris
& Charles Lamb (M)
JP Stoops
Karen Orso
Kathy Bloch (M)
Ken & Marian Brown
Marilyn Saegert
Monica & Fernando Azevedo
Nancy Evans
Peter Brown
Peter Keat
Robb & Karin Lightfoot
Stephanie Stolarz-Fantino
Susan & Eugene Lock
Wendy Hoyt
Out-of-State
AmazonSmile Foundation
Anonymous (M) (1)
Anonymous
Anthea Stratigos
& Gregory Chagaris
Bob & Margaret Archibald (M)
Bobby Zahn
Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation
Cain Murty
Carolyn Barden (M)
Constance Swartley
Donald Brian Miselis Foundation
Joan & Don Bishop
John Meyer (M)
Judith & Herb Gifford
Kaufman Family Foundation
Mary Withington
Paul Siegel & Betsy Martin
Ray Hargreaves
Robert Cole & Jean MacGregor
Robert Parvin
Season of Change Foundation
Susan Lindoo
& Michael Wolesky
The J.W. Couch Foundation
Trevor & Trish Orchard (M)
Virginia Canfield
Willard & Carolyn Jackson
Location Unspecified
Andrea Shepard
Anonymous (5)
Barbara Madsen
Brian Hershkowitz
James & Wendy Pollitz
Karen Traugh
Kay & Bruce Leaman
Lawrence Sullivan
Lisa Motz-Storey
Lynda Adams
Michael Hodgson
& Therese Iknoian
Randolph Bush
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Join a Great Team!
MLT Board Has Openings
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MLT is seeking to expand its Board of Trustees and encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds who can help our Board evolve to reflect the diversity of Mendocino County.
Click here for details.
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Call for Volunteers - Hare Creek Beach Stewards
5/11/2024 10 a.m. - Information available at this link.
Celebrate the Coast
5/18/2024 - Information available at this link.
Mendocino Film Festival
5/30-6/2/2024 - Information available at this link.
Shady Dell Hike
6/15/24 - 10 a.m. - Shuttle will be provided to the trail. RSVP required. Contact nhoutz@mendocinolandtrust.org. (Note: Trail slated to open Memorial Day weekend.)
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Be a 2024 Business Sponsor!
Join those businesses that see the many benefits of supporting MLT. Pro-rated memberships available for those coming on board after the first of the year.
Here's a shout-out link to recognize the many 2023 businesses who have found it helps the community, the environment, and their business by helping MLT.
Here's a rundown on the perks of being a partner.
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Interested? Contact us at info@mendocinolandtrust.org | | | | |
