A Spotlight on Our Community

When our organization was founded in 1980, few believed it would go on to protect more than half of the privately held agricultural land within Marin County. Much of this success can be attributed to our community’s shared vision and the key individuals who stepped up to make that dream a reality.

This spring, we honored two of these visionary leaders, Bob Berner and Ralph Grossi, with emeritus positions. We’re deeply grateful for their years of steadfast leadership and unwavering commitment to the success of our mission. We look forward to their continued guidance and support in these new capacities.

Bob Berner, Executive Director Emeritus

As MALT’s first executive director, Bob helped translate our founders’ vision of a farmland trust, for which there was no precedent, into a national model. Bob retired in 2012 after 28 years of dutiful service, leaving a legacy of 68 family farms and ranches and more than 40,000 acres of Marin County’s agricultural landscape protected forever.

Ralph Grossi, Board Emeritus

A third-generation Marin County rancher and one of the nation’s most prominent advocates of farmland preservation, Ralph has been instrumental in conservation efforts both locally and nationwide. As the first chair of MALT’s board of directors and later as the president of the American Farmland Trust, Ralph brings invaluable expertise in the complexities of both local farmland conservation as well as public policy.

Duncan Ranch (Continued)

Funding for the $2.7 million easement on the Duncan Ranch came from two sources: half from private donations to MALT and half granted from Marin County’s Farmland Preservation Program, funded by Measure A, a quarter-cent sales tax devoted to preserving the county’s parks, open spaces, and agricultural land.

Our protection of the Duncan Ranch would not be possible without the ability to match our private donations with this public funding. Since its passage in 2012, Measure A has allowed Marin County to invest $16.4 million in farmland preservation, enabling MALT to protect 13 farms and ranches totaling 7,953 acres through the acquisition of agricultural conservation easements. And our team is thrilled to have eight more land protection projects in the works totaling more than 5,200 acres.

Safeguarding critical biodiversity, a regional food economy, and the iconic backdrop for millions of Bay Area residents is possible because of you. We’re tremendously grateful for your dedication and continued support. Please stay tuned for more good news about our land protection work in the coming months.

Did You Know?

Landscape Connectivity Is Essential for Climate Resilience

From acorn woodpeckers, bobcats, California tiger salamander and more, each species plays a unique role in sustaining our local ecosystem. It’s easy to play favorites, but each plant and animal contributes in their unique way — a synergy of disparate players exchanging nutrients, genes, and energy between different parts of the landscape.

Landscape connectivity refers to the extent to which natural areas are connected across a landscape, enabling the movement of plants and animals. We often measure the success of our conservation efforts on our ability to preserve this connectivity. It’s about the preservation of earth’s pathways for life.

As our climate continues to change, maintaining and enhancing our landscape’s connectivity will become increasingly important as species are forced to migrate to find suitable climates, food sources, or mates. To bolster the resilience of our local ecosystems, it’s time to double down on local land conservation.