MENDOCINO LAND TRUST

P.O. BOX 1094

March
MENDOCINO, CA 95460 2006
PHONE: 707 962-0470 The mission of the Mendocino Land Trust is to
conserve important natural resources of Mendocino
FAX: 707 962-0444 County including working farmlands and forests,
EMAIL: mlt@mcn.org wildlife habitat, open space, scenic vistas,
watersheds, and to facilitate public access.
www.mendocinolandtrust.org

Celebrating 30 Years of Land Conservation in Mendocino County, 1976-2006

The Land Trust Turns 30 Years Old, Looks to

Celebrate Accomplishments, and Toward the
Future of Land Conservation in Mendocino
Created around a kitchen table in the pursuit of
protecting the open space in the village of Mendocino
known as Heider Field, the Mendocino Land Trust was
incorporated March 17, 1976. The fact that the Land Trust
is 30 years old has been one of the best-kept secrets in
Mendocino County until now. The Land Trust is looking to
celebrate its accomplishments and the people who
contributed to them through a two-weekend series of events
in May (see anniversary schedule, page 3, and the Letter
from the Executive Director, page 4) and at its annual
meeting June 11th. Oak Woodlands at Feliz Creek Conservation Easement Property.
Photo provided by landowner.
A chronology of significant Land Trust dates and
accomplishments follows below:
Land Trust Accepts Donation of Conservation
Easement from Partners in Feliz Creek Watershed
1988: The Land Trust was instrumental in a land transfer
of Heider Field to State Parks and agreed to manage At the end of December 2005, the Land Trust completed
Heider Field for twenty years. work with five partners in land ownership of 314 acres in the
1992: The Land Trust accepted its first conservation Yorkville area of Mendocino County and accepted a donated
easement (40 acres in the Commisky Creek watershed). conservation easement that was recorded at year’s end.
Through 2006, the Land Trust has accepted and annually
stewards six additional conservation easements covering The conservation values of the property include significant
1,754 acres. oak woodland forest, including old-growth oak trees, mixed
1996: The Land Trust was the first non-profit hardwood forest, residual old-growth Douglas Fir, grassland,
organization in California to open an offer-to-dedicate riparian habitat, fish and wildlife habitat, vernal pools,
coastal access trail to the public at Mendocino Bay watershed resources, and Native American archaeological sites.
Viewpoint. In addition to the acreage, the conservation easement protects
1998: The Land Trust hired its first part-time staff and
approximately 1,320 feet of the Middle Fork of Feliz Creek, a
assisted in the protection of the eight-acre Westport
headlands* at the request the Westport Village Society. Class I stream that contains steelhead, and drains into the
1999: The Land Trust purchased Caspar Beach and Russian River.
associated uplands in South Caspar*, and has managed In a dedication letter addressed to the Land Trust and future
the area with the assistance of State Parks, local Caspar
residents and the cooperation of the adjacent Caspar RV
interpreters of their intent, the partners said in part that “we enter
Park and Campground. The Land Trust acquired the 55- into this agreement with every expectation that our land's
acres of Navarro Point* that offer splendid ocean views marvelous nature will be preserved in perpetuity as an organic
across coastal prairie. The Land Trust opened a second monument to five friends who made a small, but firm, stand
coastal access trail to the public at Cantus Cove in Caspar. against the rampant greed of our day.”
2000: The Land Trust, working with the Caspar
Community and the Trust for Public Land, acquired the “It was our pleasure to work with the partners to develop a
Caspar Headlands* and managed the property until it was conservation easement that allows them to live lightly on the
transferred to State Parks in May 2002. land and protect resources and habitat,” said James Bernard,
*Undertaken with California Coastal Conservancy support Executive Director of the Land Trust. “The partners are leaving
continued on page 4 a legacy through the Land Trust.”
 Board of Trustees The President’s Perspective by Dave Jensen
President Each of us have personal signs or rituals that mark the arrival of spring:
Dave Jensen
increased day length, daylight savings time, daffodils, pussy willows,
Vice President planting dates, the official start of spring, the official start of spring training.
Bill Lemos For me, it’s the return of the Osprey and the mating songs of the birds. So
Secretary this week when I heard the first cries of returning Ospreys in the forest,
Janice Gendreau mixed with song of the Hutton’s Vireo, I knew that the season of rebirth had
Treasurer arrived.
Chet Anderson
The Board of Trustees mark the beginning of Spring each year by holding a strategic planning
Trustees
Alan Falleri
retreat. Although the organization has been running forward at a hectic pace, James Bernard and
Jessie Van Sant the full Board of Trustees take time out to focus on the Land Trust’s vision (what we expect to
Win Bowen achieve), its mission (why the organization exists, who it serves, and the functions it performs
within the community), its values (the principles that guide the organization), as well as its goals
Staff and objectives for the next five years (the targets that we hope to achieve and the measures by
which we will measure our success).
Executive Director
James Bernard Together with the series of self-assessments that the Board and staff have been performing to
Conservation prepare for full accreditation, this exercise will help facilitate the development of effective, well-
Project Manager reasoned projects. With so many conservation opportunities being presented to the Land Trust,
Louisa Morris with so much natural value at stake, and with the limited staff and financial resources available,
Membership and the organization must have a clear sense of purpose and an efficient plan for realizing its goals.
Outreach Coordinator
Holly Newberger Although each Trustee is extremely busy, and some must travel from beyond Willits, they
gladly give up an entire Saturday to “recalibrate”- to take stock of who we are, where we’ve been,
Big River Program where we’re going, and how best to get there. Like spring cleaning your house, pruning your apple
Manager trees, or double-digging your garden beds, it’s hard work, but the results are well worth the effort.
Matt Gerhart Nevertheless, you can be sure that I’ll pick a seat where I can keep one eye on the sky.
Big River Stewards
Volunteer Coordinator A special note of thanks must be given to the good folks at the Stanford Inn in Mendocino, who
Matt Coleman host this annual event. Owners Jeff and Joan Stanford continue to be strong supporters of the
Land Trust and deserve special recognition for their contributions.

News and Blues from the Trails - Winter 2005-
2006 Condition Report: Very Wet Indeed
by Louisa Morris, Conservation Project Manager
This year’s winter weather in northern California has
caused sections of the Land Trust’s public access trails to be
muddy and wet. We are in the process of repairing muddy
sections of the trails we manage, but in the meantime we ask
that users please stay on designated trails. We recommend
ankle- or knee-high waterproof footwear (especially at Belinda
Point and Navarro Point).
At Belinda Point, the trail is located in a public access
easement. If you are not on the trail, you can easily trespass
on adjacent private property, so please stay on the trail. The
Navarro Point trails were designed and located to protect the
sensitive botanical resources on the property, so it is important
to stay on designated trails to protect unique ecological values.
If you would like to help with trail repair and bluff
restoration at Belinda Point, please contact Louisa Morris,
Coastal Access Program Manager at (707) 962-0470 or
lmorris@mendocinolandtrust.org.
Win Bowen Joins the Land Trust Board of
Trustees
The Land Trust Board of Trustees welcomed a new
member at their March 3rd meeting. Winston Bowen grew up
in Southern California and graduated from UCLA with a
degree in Political Science. He has additional graduate work
in journalism, business and personal financial planning. He
served two years in the Army and worked for Pacific Bell for
21 years in marketing.
Win’s nonprofit organization experience is extensive. He
served for 18 years on the board of Friends of the
Observatory, including five as president. During his tenure,
he chaired the master planning committee and later the
architectural selection and renovation steering committees
that oversaw Griffith Park Observatory's nearly complete $92
million renovation and expansion.
Win has long been interested in environmental issues.
He and his wife of 36 years, Becky, built their house in
Caspar in 2003. Win and Becky have been active as Big
River Stewards and with the Mendocino Coast Audubon
Society.

Thank you for your cooperation, and we hope you enjoy Win will bring his expertise and practical savvy to the
your hike! Finance and Development Committees of the Land Trust.
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 30th Anniversary Events
Come Celebrate 30 Years of Land Conservation in Mendocino County with the
Mendocino Land Trust! Enjoyable activities for you and your family!
Celebration Events for the Weekend of May 6th and 7th, 2006
Saturday, May 6th, 2006
Big River Events
Canoe Tour of Big River
Matt Coleman, Big River Stewards Volunteer Coordinator,
will guide a group of boaters up Big River to experience the
beauty of the estuary. We have arranged for the use of Catch-
a-Canoe’s twelve-person canoe for 10:00 a.m., so call Matt
to save your spot and get more details (707) 962-0470, or
bring your own watercraft and launch from Big River Beach.
Bike Tour of the Big River Haul Road
Louisa Morris, Conservation Project Manager for the
Mendocino Land Trust, will lead a bike tour of the Haul
Road. Meet in the Big River Parking Lot at 10:00 a.m.
Ice Cream Social at Big River Beach
Join the Land Trust in celebrating our 30th
Anniversary by having an ice cream cone on Big
River Beach. Cowlick’s Ice Cream Company will
bring their cart down to the Beach to offer free
cones for all starting at 3:00 p.m.
The Final and Grand 30th Anniversary Celebration Events on Saturday, May 13th, 2006
Saturday, May 13th, 2006
Ridgewood Ranch Redwood Grove Tour
Ridgewood Ranch 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Join James Bernard and Roger Sternberg at 9:00 a.m. at the
Golden Rule Church Association Dining Hall for coffee
and cookies, then head out as a group to the Redwood
Groves, conserved last year by the Land Trust. We will
start by visiting the two acres of magnificent 800-year old
redwoods, then proceed to the 17 acres of mature second
growth redwoods.
Please RSVP for the Ridgewood or Bonterra events by
contacting Holly Newberger at (707) 962-0470. Further
information and directions will be provided.
Sunday, May 7th, 2006
Land Trust Coastal Properties Open House
Belinda Point 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Take this opportunity to walk the Belinda Point Coastal
Access Trail and experience this beautiful half-mile hike. A
Land Trust representative will be on hand to answer any
questions. Belinda Point is located on Ocean Drive in Fort
Bragg, .8 mile south of the junction with Highway One,
south of the Botanical Gardens.
Bay View Overlook 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Take a moment to check out the spectacular views of the
village of Mendocino and Big River Beach from the
blufftop overlook immediately south of Mendocino. A Land
Trust representative will be available to answer questions.
Located south of the Big River Bridge, turn west onto
Brewery Gulch Road.
Navarro Point 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Visit the newly constructed trail and parking lot at Navarro
Point and experience sweeping views of the Pacific coast.
Navarro Point is located two miles south of Albion on
Highway One. Peter Warner of State Parks and the
California Native Plant Society will lead a botanical walk
around the loop trail to have participants learn more about
the extraordinary resources at Navarro Point.
Saturday, May 13th, 2006
Celebration at Bonterra Vineyards
Bonterra Vineyards 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Join the Land Trust for an Open House at the beautiful
Bonterra Vineyards event barn and wine tasting room. A
$15.00 donation includes organic wine tasting, gourmet
appetizers, chamber music from local musicians Marion
Crombie and Abigail Summers, and a guided tour of the
inspirational bio-dynamic and organic vineyards. The Land
Trust holds a conservation easement on the Bonterra
property, located on McNab Road, approximately 10 miles
south of Ukiah.
3
 30th Anniversary: The
Land Trust Continues to
Evolve and Reconnect
with the Community
by James R. Bernard,
Executive Director
The 30-year lifespan of the Land Trust is a
continuing evolution from activist beginnings to a
maturing professional land conservation organization.
The Land Trust began its life as a “kitchen-table
organization” and stayed in that mode for its first 22
years. Homegrown kitchen table organizations are well-
connected to the community and the Board as a whole
does the business of the organization. There is success,
but it can be inconsistent and uneven.
Once the Land Trust hired professional staff in 1998,
the pace of land conservation has increased. The current
Land Trust is a medium-sized, membership-based
organization with work taking place on an annual cycle,
where there is regular success, and a track record of
credibility is being built. Staff is associated with
programs (Land Conservation, Stewardship, Coastal
Access, Development) and relevant committees do the
organization’s business with Board oversight.
The Land Trust is evolving into a land conservation
organization that works countywide at the watershed and
landscape scales. Evidence of this growth is that the
Land Trust has engaged in complex projects such as the
Big River estuary and Ridgewood Ranch and has
completed forward-looking documents such as the Big
River Preliminary Plan and the Mendocino County
Coastal Conservation Plan. The Land Trust undertakes
programs other than strictly land conservation (including
Big River and Coastal Cleanup coordination).
The challenge for the Land Trust is to build capacity
and sustain its organizational gains while doing
meaningful conservation work. The Land Trust seeks to
be a learning organization, applying lessons learned from
each completed project to future work. The Board and
staff are working to look over the horizon and share a
vision of the future.
In this anniversary year, the Land Trust is seeking to
celebrate its accomplishments and appreciate the people
who achieved them. The Land Trust wishes to reconnect
with the Mendocino County community and those who
love our beauty and derive renewal from our landscapes.
We invite you to celebrate with us in May and to support
our evolution with your contributions, memberships, and
volunteer spirit.
4
The Land Trust Turns 30 continued from page 1
2002: The Land Trust, with the support of 1,400 donors,
acquired 7,334 acres of the Big River Estuary* and conveyed
the property to California State Parks. Glass Beach, the only
accessible beach in the City of Fort Bragg, was purchased by
California State Parks in October 2002. The California Coastal
Conservancy, with the City of Fort Bragg and the Mendocino
Land Trust worked for over four years to assemble funding for
the purchase of the 38-acre property.
2003: The Land Trust began the volunteer Big River
Stewards. The Mendocino County Coastal Conservation Plan*
was completed to prioritize coastal land conservation
opportunities. The Land Trust began to annually coordinate
Coastal Cleanup Day for Mendocino County.
2004: The Land Trust became the leading nonprofit manager
of coastal access easements in California by opening the
Belinda Point Trail.*
2005: The Land Trust conserved 2 acres of old growth
redwoods and 17 acres of mature second growth in 2005 on
Ridgewood Ranch in Willits. A Big River Preliminary Plan*
for management of the Big River property was completed.
The Navarro Point Preserve and Scenic Trail* was officially
opened with parking to facilitate public access. The Land
Trust acquired 15 coastal access easements and received
funding to open them from the California Coastal
Conservancy.
*Undertaken with California Coastal Conservancy support.
Land Trust Launches New Website
We extend a special thanks to a wonderful volunteer,
Jim Kirkpatrick, who helped the Land Trust by creating
our original website in 2002 and has now helped us
design a framework by which the staff can revitalize the
website and see all the updated information. The new
website includes a clickable map that allows you to
explore the land trust’s conservation sites throughout
Mendocino County. Check out our new look at
www.mendocinolandtrust.org.
The Land Trust Thanks the First American Title
Company of Mendocino County
When it comes to undertaking donative conservation
easements, we really appreciate having the expertise of the
First American Title Company of Mendocino County to record
the easements at no cost to the Land Trust. In particular, John
Baron, Assistant Vice President and Chief Title Officer in
Ukiah, and Marilyn “Pixie” Canclini, Branch Manager in Fort
Bragg, have provided timely and generous service and
counsel. We think they enjoy their role in conservation work
and we recognize their essential assistance. Thanks!
 The Big River Program of the Mendocino Land Trust
Fritz Wonder Plot at Big River Photo: Matt Gerhart
Big River Program Wraps-up Fritz Wonder
Plot Research
by Matt Gerhart, Big River Program Manager
The Big River Program spent the winter both in the
archives and the field continuing research at the Fritz Wonder
Plot, the one-acre grove of 148-year old second growth
redwood set aside over 80 years ago for permanent study.
Preliminary results from the re-measurement show a shift
in the plot’s overall growth trends. Previous decades were
marked by steadily-increasing volume of wood at the plot
despite a natural decline in numbers of trees. By 1995, the 112
trees left held 340,000 board feet of timber – the equivalent of
60 average-size houses. But in 1998 a major storm event hit,
blowing down many trees in a section of the plot. By 2005,
the plot’s complement of trees had dropped by nearly half,
erasing nearly 40 years worth of growth.
While this blowdown partially resulted from the recent
harvest of the surrounding forest, it is also a natural process for
gap formation in older redwood forest and presented an
opportunity to study the forest’s response to disturbance.
Additional field work focused on measuring and mapping new
redwood trees sprouting in the plot, allowing for future
monitoring to better document the growth patterns of
regenerating redwoods.
Another set of measurements became more timely after the
New Year floods, when the Wonder Plot flooded to over five
feet deep and a new layer of sediment was deposited in the
understory. Measurements of the heights of tree tags in the
plot (originally set at four and a half feet high in 1923) show
that there has been nearly three feet of sedimentation in the
plot over the past 80 years – another new and unique measure
of floodplain dynamics in the redwood forest.
Final data analysis and archival work is underway and
reports on the 2005 measurement are anticipated for release
later in the spring.
2005 Bird Survey Report Completed
Big River Stewards is proud to release the results of
the surveys, which are available in hard-copy by
request and will be posted on the Land Trust website in
March. The report details the spring and fall 2005
surveys, breaking out the species detected by location
(West Haul Road, East Haul Road, or Laguna) and
analyzing differences in distributions between
locations.
This year brought the overall number of bird
species detected during official survey periods at Big
River to 86, with a total of 68 in the spring and 52 in
the fall. A maximum diversity of 28 species was
recorded at one station. New species recorded for the
property this year were Bonaparte’s Gull, Peregrine
Falcon, and Bullock’s Oriole, with seven previously-
reported species formally recorded for the first time in
the surveys.
In addition, the report evaluates the commonality of
species by year, revealing the Chestnut-backed
Chickadee, Northern Flicker, Pacific Slope Flycatcher,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Song Sparrow, Steller's Jay,
Swainson's Thrush, and Wilson's Warbler as the species
most commonly detected during 2005.
Big River Stewards is looking forward to a third
year of surveys, with the spring breeding bird surveys
scheduled to begin in May and run through mid-June.
Training sessions will be offered again with experts
from Mad River Biologists during the last weekend in
April. For more information or to sign up for this
year’s surveys, please contact Matt Coleman at
mcoleman@mendocinolandtrust.org.
Big River Lecture Series: Environmental
Indicators
The second Big River Lecture was given on February
2nd with 35 people in attendance to hear Land Trust
Executive Director James Bernard speak on Assessing the
Health of the Big River Watershed Through the Use of
Environmental Indicators. Bernard, formerly a consultant
with over 10 years of experience with environmental
indicators work, explained the workings of an indicators
system, discussed models that have worked throughout the
country, and illustrated ways scientific measurement could
lead to improved watershed health at Big River. The next
Big River Lecture is being planned for May, during the 30th
Anniversary celebration.
5
 Quarterly Calendar of Land Trust Events
March 28, 2006. Belinda Point Trail Public Meeting from
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Coast Botanical Garden meeting
room. Come discuss concerns and provide feedback on the trail
managed by the Land Trust at Belinda Point, located south of Fort
Bragg on Ocean Drive.

April 22, 2006. Earth Day Celebration at Big River Beach;

Photo: Matt Gehart
Big River Stewards Remove Invasives, Monitors
Watercourse Crossings
The Big River Stewards have been active over the winter
pulling invasive plants and monitoring Big River’s
watercourses. Since the New Year’s floods, Stewards Art Morley,
Chris Clutton, and Russell Fieber have traveled Big River
addressing road problems. Restoration volunteers have met
monthly since November to pull invasive weeds such as non-
native broom, cotoneaster, jubata grass and bush lupine at the
Laguna, Haul Road, and Big River beach and parking
area. Twenty “Weed Warriors” have put in over 115 hours of time
since November, removing up to 10,000 plants in a day. For more
information on how to get involved at Big River, contact Matt
Coleman at mcoleman@mendocinolandtrust.org.
Beach Cleanup and Invasive Plant Removal; 9:00 a.m. to 11:00
a.m. Meet at the Big River Parking Lot. At 11:15 a.m. Peter
Warner will guide a plant hike along the Mendocino Headlands.
Meet at the Ford House. Canoe tour begins at 1:00 p.m. at Catch-
a-Canoe. We will be taking out the twelve-person canoe, if the
winds and tides permit. Plein Air Artists of Mendocino will be
painting on the Mendocino Headlands throughout the day.
April 29 & 30, 2006. Spring Bird Survey Trainings. Mad River
Biologist and expert birder David Fix will give classroom and
field sessions on bird identification at Big River. Locations and
times TBA. Contact Matt Coleman at (707) 962-0470 or
mcoleman@mendocinolandtrust.org for more info.
May 20, 2006. Big River Stewards Invasive Plant Removal Day
at Big River; meet at Big River Haul Road Parking Lot; 9:00 a.m.
to 1:00 p.m.
June 11, 2006. Land Trust Annual Meeting will take place at
1:00 p.m. at the Caspar Community Center.

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