Vol.

13 #2

Summer 2006

Presidents Message

Second $500,000 grant approved for Rush Ranch Nature Center

The State Coastal Conservancy (SCC) has approved a $500,000 grant to the Solano Land Trust for construction of a nature center at Rush Ranch. This grant adds to the $500,000 awarded last year from the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). Proposition 50, a resources bond act approved by California voters in 2002, is the source for this SCC grant. Together, these two grants are sufficient to cover most of the costs of the nature center and adjoining caretaker residence, as well as lab, living quarters and office space for visiting NERR scientists. Solano Land Trust expects to break ground later this summer. Meanwhile, we are working with the architect to complete construction drawings, with the contractor to finalize the budget and subcontractors list, and with project manager Scott Sheldon to handle other preconstruction details. In April, Executive Director Marilyn Farley addressed the SCC board of directors in Ventura and, at the request of SLT President Bob Berman, personally thanked them for all their support over the years, including Rush Ranchs 1988 purchase and subsequent grants to improve

Executive Directors Perspective Breeding Bird Count Suisun Valley Farmers Jepson Prairie Season Suisun Marsh Rush Ranch Open House Activities and Events

Marilyn Farley, Executive Director

Young boy and falcon eye each other at the Rush Ranch Open House
Photo: Marilyn Farley

trails and historic ranch buildings. SCC Chairman Douglas Bosco thanked Farley for attending and joked, Youd be pretty disappointed if you got up at 4 a.m. to attend our meeting and we turned you down! Bosco and other board members quickly voted aye and thanked the Land Trust for its work to preserve Rush Ranch and create the nature center. Please visit www.solanolandtrust.org for information on the groundbreaking ceremony.

Presidents Message
Bob Berman, President

Birds do it!

Robin L. C. Leong, Solano County Breeding Bird Atlas Co-coordinator

In April, Executive Director Marilyn Farley and I attended the 2nd Annual Land Trust Conference sponsored by the California Council of Land Trusts (CCLT). The CCLT acts as a unified voice for more than 150 land trusts in California, working to build a strong, effective land trust community with the financial and policy resources needed to protect Californias landscapes. One of the topics discussed at the conference was the issue of communication and the media. Kirk Brown of the Resource Media Group and Robert Perez of Fenton Communications spoke about the effective ways to receive positive media coverage regarding the work that land trusts do. SLT has completed many exciting projects over the past several years, but we have not always been as effective as we could have been in letting Solano County residents know about our successes. Both Marilyn and I gained insight into how to better communicate with the public about what we are doing. As we do our work here in Solano County, we sometimes lose sight of the great work that other land trusts are accomplishing. We saw inspiring photos and heard great stories of land trusts protecting natural, agricultural and recreational lands throughout California. Land trusts are at the forefront of protecting important natural habitats, watersheds, working ranches, and lands available for public recreation in all regions of our state. Not only are land trusts permanently protecting important lands, but also implementing stewardship plans to protect and sustain these resources. Any conference of land trusts always seems to have a discussion of fundraisinghow do we raise the money needed for both acquisition and operation? Barbara Dye of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy told us how through the use of volunteers and special events they were able to raise five million dollars in five months! Barbaras success story gave Marilyn and me the assurance that with hard work and strong volunteer help our Rush Ranch fundraising project will be successful.

Volunteers with the Napa-Solano Audubon Society have been busy watching courting birds for a Breeding Bird Atlas of Solano County. Solano is the last county in the San Francisco Bay Area to do an atlas. A Napa County Atlas was published in 2004. How is the breeding bird count conducted? Solano County has been divided into 123 threeby-three mile blocks. Over a five-year period (started in 2005), volunteer birders go into each block to determine what species breed based on behavior criteria developed by the North American Ornithological Committee for Breeding Birds. Activities sighted that confirm breeding include birds carrying nesting materials, Robin with nesting material displaying distraction tactics (such as feigned injury), and adults carrying food to the their young. Several birders have been taking to the hills in Lynch Canyon and the Sky Valley Cordelia Hills Open Space. Robbie Fischer and Joe Morlan are in Lynch Canyon, where Joe found a new tricolor-blackbird nesting colony. Bob Martin has King Ranch and the northern part of the City of Santa Claras property (adjacent to Sky Valley), and Richard Peck has the south end of the City of Santa Claras property. Jean Epstein covers Hiddenbrooke, Vallejo Swett, Eastern Swett and McIntyre Ranch. In 2005, she confirmed the following breeding birds: Mallards, wild turkeys, California quails, pied-billed grebes, turkey vultures, common moorhens, American coots, mourning doves, Annas hummingbirds, downy woodpeckers, black phoebes, Western kingbirds, Western scrubjays, common ravens, horned larks, tree, cliff and barn swallows, blue-gray gnatcatchers, American robins, European starlings, dark-eyed juncos, redwinged blackbirds, and Brewers blackbirds. Other observed birds include redshouldered hawks, red-tailed hawks, Allens hummingbirds, brown-headed cowbirds, and lesser goldfinches. Napa-Solano Audubon needs your help. If you have access to a Solano County property where we can observe breeding birds, or if you find breeding species on your property, we would like to know what you saw, when you saw it and what made you think it was breeding. Also, we still need a few more atlasers. Contact Robin Leong at (707) 643-1287 or robin_leong@ netzero.net.

Executive Directors Perspective

Marilyn Farley, Executive Director

What If
What if your favorite childhood haunt was no longer a place but only a memory? Thats what happened to the pond Peter Forbes loved as a child. The place where he carved his initials. The place where he played with his friends. Forbes, founder of the Center for Land and People, urged attendees at the annual Bay Area Open Space Council conference to make sure children have places where they can form memories. What special place resides in your mind (and, I hope, is still real)? The child shown on our cover photo has Rush Ranch. At this years open house, he had the rare opportunity to view a falcon at close rangesurely a memory to last a lifetime. You can make sure Rush Ranch is preserved as a premier memory for todays children. Between now and October 1, SLT has just three months to raise $200,000 to meet our anonymous donors Rush Ranch challenge! This donor has given us a generous $250,000 and will add $200,000 more provided we can raise $200,000 from other sources. If you have the capacity and a love for Rush Ranch, now is the time to consider a generous gift. SLT has developed recognition opportunities for Rush Ranch trails, historic buildings and new nature center. Donations made in memory of our Rush Ranch volunteer blacksmith Rob Schonholtz will result in a plaque in his honor at the historic blacksmith shop. Your name or that of a loved one can be on other buildings or on a trail sign, with a donation ranging from $10,000 to $1 million. Your gift will help the Land Trust create a permanent endowment to care for the land, trails and nature center. Your gifts will benefit Rush Ranch and qualify you for potentially significant tax savings. Besides checks, we can accept stock gifts, which gives you a double benefit (no capital gains taxes plus a potential income tax deduction equal to the full value of the stock). Charitable remainder trusts (which pay you interest now and guarantee that we receive a stated amount in the future) can also be set up. SLT board members and a fundraising leadership team will help us raise the crucial $200,000. Team members, including Gary Archer (Archer & Ficklin Real Estate), Mike Muir (Access Adventure), Sandy Person (Solano Economic Development Corporation), Joel Mooney (Rush Ranch Educational Council) and Scott Sheldon (Premier Commercial), are busy contacting friends and business associates to make our case for support. Please contact me, a board member, or a member of the leadership team for more information. If you can help, now is the time to let us know!

Make a generous donation to the Rush Ranch $450,000 challenge campaign now!

Thanks to Funders
Two major funders were omitted in the Spring 2006 edition of Vistas. Solano Land Trust is very thankful for their support: The California Farmland Conservancy Program (CFCP) helped us fund six conservation easements throughout Solano County, including Suisun Valley, near Winters and between Dixon and Davis. This program is sponsored by the States Department of Conservation. The law that created this program recognizes the substantial contribution agriculture makes to the state, national, and world food supply. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (part of the U.S.D.A.) also funds agricultural conservation easements. Similar to CFCP, this program aims to protect working farmland from being converted to non-agricultural uses.
3

SLT discusses farmland preservation with landowners in Suisun Valley

Rob Goldstein, Mitigation Coordinator

Suisun Valley in summer

Photo: Jos Diaz, Diaz Communications

Just outside the city limits of Fairfield, a two-lane road enters a picturesque valley where vineyards, orchards and fields of green face an uncertain future. Fertile soils in the Suisun Valley allow farmers to grow high-value crops such as grapes and almonds. But farmers feel the pressure to subdivide their lands for development due to a growing number of homebuyers seeking a rural lifestyle and a recent downturn in the local agricultural economy. Recently, SLT met with Suisun Valley landowners to discuss the future of farming in the area. SLT consultant and citrus farmer Greg Kirkpatrick presented farmers with a way to earn money from the increase in Suisun Valley land value while still preserving their land in agriculture. Conser vation easements are a land preservation tool in which farmers are paid market value for surrendering the right to develop their property. The landowner can

continue to use the property for farming, but the land can never be developed, even if the property is sold. Greg Kirkpatrick explained that farmers often use the proceeds from conservation easements to pay off debt or to invest in operations. Conservation easements can also improve the outlook for farming in an area by reducing the price of land to agricultural value, says Kirkpatrick. This makes it affordable for those interested in starting or expanding farming operations to purchase new land. Conser vation easements complement other efforts to support farming in the area. For example, the Suisun Valley Fund, which sponsored the presentation, is promoting agricultural tourism, a strategy that has bolstered equally scenic areas in Napa County. After the meeting, several farmers expressed interest to SLT staff about selling conservation easements on their properties. SLT has conservation easements on over 5,000 acres in Solano County, including several in the Suisun Valley. SLT hopes to continue this success next year by doing more easements with farmers in the Suisun Valley.

Suisun Valley grapes

Dispatches from the Prairie: Jepson docents recall highlights from spring tours
After three weeks of splendid weather followed by unusually persistent rains in March and early April, the Jepson Prairie Preserve all-volunteer docent program completed another great season of tours on Mothers Day. These reports showcase just a few of the memorable highlights from the season.

Jim Steinert:undergraduate ecology class an

Braving wind and rain, oon. While on a mid-March aftern UC Berkeley came out from bing barn, te pasture north of the lam lking through my favori wa vernal pool and the effects of grazing on we paused to talk about uld thought that grazing wo communities. The students grassland ential, I about why grazing is ess trimental. In my response be de tory of our ovided a little family his ntioned the name and pr me from the group rrows Hamilton. A voice grazing leaseholder, Bu ilton, again? Burrows Ham hat is the ranchers name said, W uncle; his a proud smile, Thats my lied. The student said with I rep en on their ranch dfather! I have never be brother Neil is my gran ide an experience t Jepson Prairie can prov land! It goes to show tha cents, we cant predict. for our visitors that as do

Mima mound in the north barn pasture

Photo: Jim Steinert

[On April 2] we found an endangered alkali milk vetch next to the trail on the north shore of Olcott Lak every tiny, very precious. A peregrine falcon then flew over Olc ott Lake. While discussing a couple of large scats at the entrance of a large holetoo large for a gopher or ground squirrel and too sma ll for a badgerwe decided to leave the area quickly because of a pen etrating fragrance coming from the holean unmistakable and irrefutable confirmation of the scat identification: Eau de Skunk!

Celia Zavatsky:

If seeing kids excited about vernal pool inve rtebrates is exciting (and it is) seeing seniors thrilled is almost better. In April we gave the first of three special tours to docents from the California Academy of Sciences who wanted to see, in person, the vernal pools featured in a current exhibit at the Academy mus eum. Least Downingia, goldfields, meadowfoam and yellow carp et were abundant, and the docents tiptoed to try to avoid crushing the blossoms. And then the real thrills: Tadpole shrimp! Fat tiger salamander larvae! Clam shrimps! Even tiny, darting copepods. Sha ring wonder is a great experience at every age.

Kate Mawdsley:

Join us next year on a tour or as a docent!

After looking at cr itters dipped from Olcott Lake, my gr Vacaville third-gra oup of ders was returning to the picnic area when a commotion overhe we heard ad. Two ravens were attacking a great ho With feathers flyin rned owl. g, the owl tried to de fend itself with radi maneuvers. I told th cal aerial e kids that the rave ns dont like the ow they steal the raven ls because s nests. In the air, the rave ns were more agile and getting the best owl. The owl dove an of the d did a hard landin g on a eucalyptus stu 50 feet away. He fa mp just ced the ravens all pu ffed up, armed with a sharp beak. The talons and ravens squawked bu t did not dare get to finally gave up the o close and fight and left. These third graders though was the coolest thin t that it g they had ever seen . They witnessed a re death struggle betw al life and een two enemies in the wild.


Earl Swene rton:

Suisun Marsh springs to life in summer

Sarah Davies, Education Coordinator, San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

In late spring, a group of twenty people (15 of them new visitors) gathered near the hundred-year old barn at Rush Ranch. Each skipped their regular Sunday morning routines in favor of a walk along the marshs edge in hopes of discovering a sign of wildlife, a rare plant, or a few moments of peace. Early in our walk, we found a white-tailed kite sitting on a nearby branch just long enough for everyone to see it. Then it flew into the sky searching for prey, which it swooped on as we watched. There were more subtle discoveries too, like the usually non-descript saltgrass topped with clusters of small purple flowers next to bright green shoots of wild celery. Peaceful moments were plentiful on that late spring morning. In the next few weeks the grasses will turn a brittle gold, but the plants in the marsh will offer an oasis of green throughout the summer. Wildlife will stay in the marsh, too. Red-winged black birds will flash their epaulets and sing from their cattail perches and white pelicans are often seen soaring over the Suisun Marsh in summer. If you are very lucky (and stealthy) you might even see a young clapper rail sliding silently through the tall reeds A late spring walk at Rush Ranch Photo: Jan Rapisarda behind its parents. Even better than the wildlife sightings is the cool wind on a hot day. Breezes blow in from the Suisun Bay and across the marsh, providing a touch of natural air conditioning. As summer races in, the Suisun Marsh at Rush Ranch is coming to life. Go visit! (See back page for location and hours.)

Howling at a Full Moon

Celebrate Julys full moon on Friday July 7 by grabbing your camera and taking a night photography workshop at Rush Ranch with professional photographer Tim Baskerville. Learn how to evaluate and supplement lighting situations and to paint with light. The workshop begins in daylight hours with a docent-led walk and goes into the wee hours of the full-moon morn. A Mare Island resident, Baskerville leads night photography workshops with The Nocturnes, and teaches at UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley extension programs and College of Marin. The cost of the workshop is $100 and pre-registration is required. Sign-up at www.thenocturnes.com or call (707) 645.9860.
Windmill by Moonlight, Photo: Siamack Sioshansi

High-steppin at the Rush Ranch Open House

Dense fog hid the sun while early morning set-up crews prepared for the 16th Annual Rush Ranch Open House on April 29, but by noon the sunshine managed to seize the day. Starting with a flag raising ceremony by Girl Scout troop 577 at 10 a.m., visitors didnt lack for something to see or do all day. In one pasture, Bill Honeycutts sheepdogs herded Burrows Hamiltons sheep. In another, Steve Vasconcello gave falconry demonstrations. Near the barn, the Rush Ranch Educational Council demonstrated the cultural ways of the Patwin Native Americans while Gary Wyatt helped kids make arrowheads. The West Valley Chorale sang in the morning, where later in the day the Spinning Wheel Volunteer Ann Breznok hitched up her Percheron-cross beauties Photo: Tim Baskerville bluegrass band spun down-home songs. That wasnt all. Tim Wellman shod horses, Doug Hampton and Phil Harris demonstrated the art of blacksmithing, and Virgil Sellers demonstrated windmill water pumps. Also popular was wheatweaving, woodcarving, wool-spinning by Sheila Grant, and the swirling skirts and artful calls of the Twin City Steppers square dancers. To kick-off the annual opening of Access Adventure, Michael Muir showed off his two brand-new wheelchair Wanted accessible carriages, and many of his friends brought out A high-quality, heavy-duty brush their horses to help celebrate. chipper for property Husky and huge Percheron maintenance horses pulled visitors in spiffy carriages through the A good quality used grassy farmland trails and or new 4-wheel demonstrated soil tilling by drive horse-led plow. Twin City Steppers stepping out The open house also A heavy-duty ridePhoto: Tim Baskerville hosted an art sale and poetry on lawn mower reading inspired by Rush Ranch and Solanos open spaces. Thirty works of art and fifteen poems were displayed. To cap off the day, local poets read to an intimate audience on the back porch of the Kit Call Ken Poerner at (707) 580-6277. House. Thanks to volunteer coordinator Mary Takeuchi, the Rush Ranch Educational Council, and all others who volunteered to make this yet another successful open house. Proceeds from the day benefit the educational and outreach programs at the ranch.

Still

BOard memBers
Bob Berman,

Rush Ranch Open Space

Rush Ranch is open to the public Tuesday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Suisun Hill Trail (across the road from Rush Ranch) is open seven days a week, dawn to dusk. For additional information visit www.rushranch.org.

President
Ian Anderson,

Vice President
Jane Hicks,

Secretary
Frank Morris,

Jepson Prairie Reserve

Take a self-guided tour in the Docent Triangle any day of the week during daylight hours. Docent-led wildflower tours will resume next spring. For more information contact SLT (707) 432-0150 ext 202 or kirsti@solanolandtrust.org.

Treasurer
Sean Quinn, Immediate Past

Access Adventures: Challenging the Limits of Disability

Michael Muir leads a recreational horse-drawn carriage program for people with disabilities (open to wheelchair users or anyone with mobility challenges). For more information go to www.access-adventure.org, or contact Mike at mmuir@access-adventure.org or (707) 426-3990.

Pres.
Frank J. Andrews, Jr. Jack Batson Jeff Dittmer John Isaacson Russell Lester

Lynch Canyon Open Space

Currently Lynch Canyon is open to the public during staffor docent-led activities only.

Blacksmith Shop Demonstrations

Third Saturday of the month: Aug. 19, Sep. 1. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free Watch or participate in the art of blacksmithing with local blacksmiths.

staFF
Marilyn Farley,

Scenic Hikes
Docent led hikes will resume in the fall. Stay tuned for news regarding an agreement with Solano County to open Lynch Canyon to the public.

Executive Director
Terry Chappell,

Field Steward
Rob Goldstein,

Mitigation Coordinator
Wendy Low,

Volunteer Trail Care Days

Second Saturday of the month: Jul. , Aug. 12, Sep. 9. 9 a.m. Free Assist Land Steward Ken Poerner with trail care. Snacks are provided. For information call Ken at (707) 580-6277.

California Coastal Cleanup Day

Saturday, Sep, 1, 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Free Join us for clean-up, refreshments and prizes. Wear sturdy shoes, dress for the weather, and bring gloves. For information call Ken at (707) 580-6277

Land Transaction Specialist

Kirsti Muskat, Bookkeeper Tina Nixon, Finance Officer Ken Poerner, Land Steward Ben Wallace, Conservation

Volunteer Workdays

Project Manager

Sue Wickham, Resource

Management Plan Coordinator

Aleta George,

Night Photography Workshop

Friday, July  - $100
Join professional photographer Tim Baskerville to learn how to capture a moonlit ranch under night skies. To register contact Tim Baskerville at basket@thenocturnes.com or (707) 645-9860.

First Saturday of the month: Jul. 1, Aug. , Sep. 2. 9 a.m. until finished Free Get some fresh air while helping with ranch and trail maintenance. No experience or tools necessary. Lunch is provided for participants.

Editor, SLT Vistas

Sky Valley Cordelia Hills Open Space

The newly acquired King and Swett Ranches are part of the Sky Valley Cordelia Hills Open Space and are currently open to the public during staff- or docent-led activities only.

Scenic Hikes
Docent led hikes will resume in the fall. Check the September newsletter for hikes scheduled in 2006/2007.

Solano Land Trust 1001 Texas Street, Suite C Fairfield, CA 94533 (707) 432-0150

NonProfit Organization US Postage Paid Fairfield, CA 94533 Permit # 00234

Preserving Farmlands and OPen sPace thrOughOut sOlanO cOunty