News and Views

March 2010

Tri-Valley Conservancy

Preserving Land for Future Generations

Land - they aint making it anymore.

Will Rogers
At the Tri-Valley Conservancy our mission is a simple one: preservation of the agricultural land and the open space vistas that drew our forebears to California and to East Alameda County. As TVC begins its sixteenth year, we are taking some time to reflect on our past, our present, and our childrens future.
The approximately 418 square miles (267,520 acres) known as East County, was once a vast area with open panoramic views of productive fields and farms. The air was clear, the streams were pure and sparkling, and the quiet was broken only by bird calls. The Tri-Valley has a tremendous diversity of vistas and natural resources that give its residents a highly desirable quality of life. However, the areas resources and quality of life are under siege. Traffic congestion, loss of agricultural and range lands, polluted streams, and loss of habitat, are evidenced throughout the three Valleys of East Alameda County - all the result of too much growth and development.

Tri-Valley Conservancy
Priority Landscapes

Here in East County, the Tri-Valley Conservancy plays an important role in countering such problems. We help conserve agricultural lands and open space. The need to protect open space must be our concern because a land bereft of clean air and water, historic and scenic qualities, quiet havens and opportunities for outdoor recreation and education has lost value in every way. Preservation of open space provides a buffer against environmental degradation and a resulting loss in land values.
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Tri-Valley Conservancy

Preserving Land for Future Generations

Welcome to Our New Directors

This year on January 14th TVC welcomed four new Directors to the TVC board. We offer congratulations to the following new members: Jon Christensen, at-large Director, currently serves on the Land Conservation Committee. A resident and winegrower in the Tri-Valley since 2005 and of the Bay Area since 1981, he is active in the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association and has a keen interest in the preservation of the regions rural spaces. Jon received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 1986. He enjoys family activities and is an avid skier. Michael Fredrich, at-large Director, currently serves on the Finance Committee. Michael grew up in a small town in southeastern Wisconsin. He received his BS in Chemistry from University of Wisconsin - Eau claire, his PhD in X-Ray Crystallography from University of Nebraska and did post doctoral studies in protein structures at Texas A&M. He has lived in the Bay area since 1981. In the mid 1980s he began work in communication technologies and has worked as a software engineer for such companies as GE, 3COM and Cisco. Michael has lived with his wife Diana in Livermore since 2005. He is an avid photographer. Matt Ford, at-large Director, currently serves on the Resource Development Committee. Matt was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Nevada and law degree, cum laude, from the University of San Francisco, School of Law. After practicing law with two law firms in Palo Alto and San Ramon, California Matt opened Weston Properties in Livermore, which is a full service commercial, residential, and real estate development firm. Additionally, he maintains a law practice focusing on real estate and other business issues. Matt also serves as the general counsel to Livermores Crooked Vine Winery, Stony Ridge Winery and Del Arroyo Vineyards, one of the largest vineyard operators in Livermore. He also serves on the board of directors for the Joshua L. Anderson Memorial Scholarship Foundation. Matt resides in Livermore with his wife and two children and enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf and softball. Christopher Schlies, at-large Director, currently serves on the Land Conservation Committee. He has been practicing law for 30 years and currently practices law in Downtown Pleasanton. His focus is on small business consulting, estates, employee rights and real estate law. He also operates a family business with almond and citrus orchards as well as a sauvignon blanc vineyard and commercial rental properties. Mr. Schlies is a California native, graduated from Amador High School in Pleasanton and U.C. Santa Cruz before receiving his J.D. from U.C. Davis. He lives in Pleasanton with his wife Christine and their sons, Joseph and Dominic.

Thank You to Our Officers

Serving as an officer of the Tri-Valley Conservancy is an honor and a tremendous responsibility. We offer best wishes to the following Directors who were installed into office on January 14, 2010 - Rik Hansen, Chair, Jean King, Vice-Chair, Karl Wente, Treasurer, and Mary Roberts, Secretary. You may read all about them on our website www.trivalleyconservancy.org.

Tri-Valley Conservancy

Preserving Land for Future Generations

With Gratitude to Our Retiring Directors

As we welcome new directors to our board, we also wish to recognize those who are retiring from the TVC board, having served as directors for the past eight years. Their leadership helped to direct the destiny of this land trust and our best wishes go with them. They leave the TVC in excellent shape and positioned to achieve new heights in the future.
My involvement with the Tri Valley Conservancy is one of the best experiences of my life. It has been a pleasure to be involved with TVC for over 12 years, including 10 years as a Board member. When I was first joined this organization, it was called the South Livermore Valley Agricultural Land Trust; or SLVALT. During the early days the organization acquired and was monitoring approximately 16 conservation easements (approximately 2,300 acres) with a staff that consisted of an Executive Director and a part time office person, with annual easement visits being performed by Board members and a hand full of volunteers. From my view point, some of the good decisions that we made during this time included hiring our current Executive Director, and developing a strong and viable financial plan to preserve the existing easements and to acquire others. Since that time, the Board decided to change the name of SLVALT to the Tri Valley Conservancy, as well as developing numerous committees / programs to facilitate the awareness and viability of TVC and to continue its mission. The organization now monitors 57 easements (approximately 4,200 acres), and has tackled and effectively resolved tumultuous / complex issues that threatened the easements. We have also decided to expand our universe to include protecting lands beyond South Livermore, and to increase the number of Board members. So for me, and seemingly the organization, its been an exciting and transformative decade; I am pleased to have been surrounded by quality people to have experienced the beginning of the new millennium. As we start the new decade with some new Board members, new issues, and the like, its time for me to turn over another page of the calendar and pursue other interests in the next decade. I feel blessed that I have had the opportunity to work with staff and Board members, and I have leaned a great deal from each of you. I will never forget you or my experiences with TVC, and I look forward to continuing working with the organization. I hope the new Board members have the same positive, enriching experiences that I had in being involved with TVC. Wish you the best, Michael Princevalle It has become somewhat of a tradition for retiring board members to write a goodbye letter. After almost 10 years as a proud board member of the Tri Valley Conservancy, I sat down to write mine. Looking back, I marveled at the accomplishments our organization has been able to achieve during my tenure as a board member. I cherish the new friends I have made, the new relationships that have been established and the tremendous work we have done to help preserve our land for future generations. To the extent my involvement as a board member helped further the goals of the organization, I must thank an incredibly professional and supportive staff, patient and understanding board members and, most importantly, my mentor and friend Lee Burnham for his unselfish sharing of guidance and wisdom through the years. My term as a board member has come to an end. But say goodbye? I dont think so! I will join former board members on committee assignments, and I will continue to contribute in any way I can to help our organization to succeed. I must leave the important work of the board to its new members who will bring new insight, passion and energy to the organization. Although my role may change, I will remain involved in pursuing the goals we all share that can and will result in future generations enjoying the beauty and splendor we all enjoy today. With these thoughts in mind, I have decided to not write a goodbye letter and instead offer this see you soon letter. Bill Thomson

As Dr. Seuss said Dont cry because its over. Smile because it happened.
All of us at Tri-Valley Conservancy are smiling. We are honored to have worked with these two gentlemen for the past eight years.

Land - they aint making it anymore.

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Board of Directors
Rik Hansen, Chair Jean King, Vice-Chair Mary Roberts, Secretary Karl Wente, Treasurer Jon Christensen Mark Eaton Kathy Farrell Matt Ford Michael Fredrich Miriam Miller Jim Perry Christopher Schlies

All of us love the Tri-Valley with its ranch lands, vineyards, olive orchards, rolling hills, parks and lakes. We must make sure that it stays that way. We must work on behalf of future Tri-Valley residents to protect our quality of life and preserve our natural places forever. In the end our children and our childrens children will measure our success by the amount of natural open space left for them to enjoy. Before Prohibition, there were 5,000 acres in grapes in the South Livermore Valley. In 1990, there were 1,300. In the early part of that decade, the founders of the Conservancy set out to help restore the viticulture that had made ours the original California Wine Valley. Since 1994, the Conservancy has protected over 4100 acres of land in the South Livermore Valley. 3800 acres is planted in vineyards. Our mission was clear then and it is clear now save as much land as possible and save it as fast as possible because time is running out. I believe that every person can make a difference in the fight to save open space. Dont leave this work up to Government and national organizations. Join us, your neighbors, in this fight by becoming a member of the Tri-Valley Conservancy. Help us make a difference and continue our mission to protect land in the Tri-Valley.

Staff
Sharon Burnham Executive Director Laura Mercier Associate Director Monica DePalmo Stewardship Barbara Graham Office Manager

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