1970’s

A conservation movement begins

Prior to SLT’s founding in 1976, a series of events, including the Bodega Nuclear Power Plant Proposal, signaled a broader environmental awakening taking place in Sonoma County.

of 62,993 Acres
Conserved

1975

Articles of Incorporation filed

The Articles of Incorporation were written and signed by a core group of 10 Sonoma County land conservation advocates, alongside 28 advisors who were also listed on the founding document.

1976

Sonoma Land Trust officially founded

Marilyn Goode was a pioneering environmentalist u0026 visionary who played a key role in recruiting its first professional staff member.

Paul Jess (middle) was an attorney and vice mayor of Sonoma before co-founding Sonoma Land Trust to preserve Sonoma Valley’s open spaces.

Lu Williamson Benson was SLT’s first president who also served on the Sonoma Valley Community Advisory Committee. An advocate for conservation, Lu was a talented artist and the organization’s u0022history keeperu0022 who meticulously preserved its records.

Otto Teller co-founded the Sonoma Land Trust in 1976, and he and his wife Anne donated its first property, the 80-acre Secret Pasture Preserve.

Lucy and Bill Kortum were early leaders in Sonoma’s environmental movement, helped stop the Bodega Head nuclear plant, and have a coastal trail in their honor.

On March 30, 1976, California officially incorporated Sonoma Land Trust. Then, on August 24, 1976, they received federal tax-exempt non-profit 501(c)(3) status, making donations tax-deductible.

1977

Joan Vilms named “Land Counselor/ Acting Director”

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Joan Vilms holding plants with poppies nearby.

Joan Vilms was a founding architect of Sonoma Land Trust, hired as a consultant by two of the signers of the original articles of incorporation: Marilyn Goode and Otto Teller.

1978

First property protected, Secret Pasture

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80 Acres

Otto Teller co-founded the Sonoma Land Trust in 1976, and he and Anne donated its first property, the 80-acre Secret Pasture Preserve.

A remote forested property in the Sonoma Valley, Secret Pasture boasts a remarkable biodiversity of plants and animals.

80 Acres

1979

First steps toward permanent protection

1,108 Acres

Sue Smith’s Nefertierra (78 acres) became Sonoma Land Trust’s first conservation easement, under the new law which took effect in 1979.

Little Black Mountain (500 acres) donated by Bob Thieriot in 1979, became SLT’s first stewardship project.

In 1979, Watson Ranch (530 acres) became SLT’s first agricultural easement.

Following the donation of Secret Pasture in 1978, several key events laid the foundation for land and water conservation efforts in Sonoma County, adding new legal protections and momentum.

1,108 Acres

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