The Legacy of Phyllis Faber

Forty three years ago, Phyllis and Ellen Straus — a botanist and dairy farmer — brought together local ranchers and conservationists to protect family farms from mounting development pressure. Their tenacity and foresight resulted in the birth of our organization — the first land trust in the nation focused specifically on protecting farm and ranchland.

Today, more than half of Marin County’s private agricultural lands has been protected through MALT agricultural conservation easements, voluntary agreements that permanently extinguish the threat of development and ensure the land remains in agricultural production. This growing network of protected land is a living testament honoring these visionary women.

On January 15, the local conservation community lost one of its most iconic members. Phyllis Faber, one of two visionary founders of the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT), died at the age of 95. Our thoughts remain with her family, friends, and the entire community grieving from this tremendous loss.

“Phyllis was a force who fell deeply in love with California’s vibrant ecosystem and dedicated her career to protect it through her environmental advocacy,” shared Tamara Hicks, Continued on page 7...