2010s
Conservation in a Changing Climate
The 2010s were marked by increasing challenges caused by climate change, including worsening wildfires and drought impacting communities throughout the county. With a focus on the future and emerging challenges, Sonoma Land Trust wrote its first long-spanning strategic plan.
SLT’s first strategic plan lay the groundwork for the next five years.
program launched
Following the tradition set by member hikes in the 1980s, and as part of its new strategic plan, SLT officially launched “On the Land,” public programming to connect the community with nature.
SLT joined co-chairs Linda Proulx and Thea Hensel in their campaign to acquire nearly 47 acres of former Caltrans right-of-way in Southeast Santa Rosa and convert it to a park.
After an extensive review process, Sonoma Land Trust earned the prestigious accreditation from the Land Trust Alliance’s Accreditation Commission.
The tallest point along Sonoma County’s coast, Pole Mountain Preserve stands above a blanket of ridges and presents unobstructed 360-degree crystal-clear views.
After fundraising and with the help of community partners, SLT successfully removed three fish barriers and improved the streambed in 2014, restoring the pathways for steelhead trout to return to the waterway.
The Sears Point Tidal Restoration Project reached an apex in October 2015 with a levee breach that returned nearly 1,000 acres of diked farmland to tidal marsh. This effort expanded wetland habitat in the San Pablo Bay, providing a physical buffer for rising waters due to climate change.
The devastating 2017 Wine Country fires took 25 lives, destroyed homes, and forever changed our relationship with fire. In response, SLT helped found the Sonoma Valley Wildlands Collaborative to prepare for future wildfires.
SLT added new educational offerings for all ages by launching several new programs designed to connect people of all ages with nature through hands-on learning, recreation, and exploration.
SLT received an unexpected gift of largely untouched wild land donated by Dick and Gretchen Grant, in memory of the late Mary Hafner of Healdsburg, former SLT board member and longtime supporter.
SDC closed in 2018 after 100+ years of service, leaving its 900-acre property shuttered. SLT was invited by local officials to help plan for a community-focused future for the site, with attention on a narrow section that is essential to the wildlife corridor.
Reports from the Land Trust Alliance and the California Council of Land Trusts confirmed a growing awareness that there was a disconnect between land trusts and the communities they served, and DEI strategies were developed.
When three 180-year-old oaks were illegally moved across protected Drake property in violation of a forever wild conservation easement, killing those and 12 other trees in the process, SLT took the protection case to court—and won after a 6 year battle.
SLT was nationally recognized for its conservation work, land protection and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, standing out from 1,300 land trusts across the country.
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