L ANDSCAPES Peninsula Open Space Trust Spring 2016
A FUTURE IN FARMLAND Farms not only connect larger open spaces, they connect us to the land, to the season, to nature and to each other. They nourish us through the local food, ecology, verdant beauty and the trail connections they provide. All of which is why we’ve been talking a lot about farmland lately. In the past few weeks, we introduced you to 300-acre Potrero Nuevo Farm through an e-book (openspacetrust.org/ blog/potrero-nuevo-farm) and told the story of POST and Pie Ranch (openspace trust.org/blog/pie-ranch) in a short video. These wonderful farms are just two of the early successes in our new Farmland Futures Initiative (FFI), a 10-year, $25 million campaign to ensure agriculture on the San Mateo coast remains vibrant, permanently.
Protecting working lands has always been a part of our mission to protect open spaces on the Peninsula. Farmers are strong ecological stewards of the land, and thriving farmlands are vital to creating a healthy local landscape. In true Silicon Valley fashion, this initiative is ambitious, innovative, involves passionate partners and will make a lasting impact in our community. You can learn more about the Farmland Futures Initiative at farmland futures.org. We look forward to sharing more stories about the benefits of this work both in this issue of Landscapes, and in the coming months.
Walter T. Moore, POST President
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
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©John Green 2016 / right ©Paolo Vescia 2012 / cover ©William Matthias 2005
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Land Protection: Innovating Through Easements
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Potrero Nuevo Farm
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Pie Ranch
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POST Protected Farmlands
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Conserving Ag and Water in San Gregorio
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A Local Foodshed
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Tribute Gifts
15
Ways to Give
LAND PROTECTION
INNOVATING THROUGH EASEMENTS For over 30 years we have worked to protect working lands. At first we thought the primary values of conserved farmlands were the scenic views and their agricultural legacy. But what we’ve learned is that they allow for cleaner water and air, improved wildlife habitat and great opportunities for human recreation. All of this is on top of providing local, fresh, delicious food. As our thinking about farmland has evolved, the tools required to conserve that land have too. We are among the first land trusts in the country to use a new breed of easement called an affirmative agricultural easement. While offering the typical natural resource protections and limitations on development, affirmative agricultural easements require some or all of a property to remain in active production. Potrero Nuevo Farm and Pie Ranch are the first two properties on the San Mateo coast to be protected with this innovative tool. Through FFI, there will soon be many more. 4
POTRERO NUEVO FARM If you have stopped by the bright red biker’s hut along Tunitas Creek Road, you have witnessed the spirit and beauty of Potrero Nuevo Farm. In the fall of 2015, POST worked with owners Christine Pielenz and William Laven to protect this picturesque 300-acre farm with an affirmative agricultural easement. Over 40 organic crops are grown on the property, a majority of which feed local community members in need, in partnership with local charities. Remaining crops are available for public harvest through their U-Pick program. 250 acres of the grassy hillsides are also leased for grazing to LeftCoast GrassFed. In addition to limiting future development on the property, the easement requires that the property continue to be used for both row crop production and grazing. The easement also protects the natural resources of the property, which include 19-acres of prime wildlife habitat along Tunitas Creek. There are so many reasons to love this property that we created a digital book to showcase our top ten, which you can read at: openspacetrust.org/blog/potrero-nuevo-farm.
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©XXXXXX 20XX / top ©XXXXXXleft 20XX / bottom ©XXXXXX 20XX , top and bottom ©William Laven
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PIE RANCH Further down Highway 1 is Pie Ranch, a shining example of a farm nourishing the local community. Once part of the historic Steele Ranch, a dairy operation that covered the Aùo Nuevo Point area in the 1800’s, the property is now an educational farm teaching next generation farmers and local high school students how to be good stewards of the land through sustainable agriculture. Jered Lawson and Nancy Vail, co-founders of Pie Ranch, purchased the lower portion of the property from POST in 2010, subject to a conservation easement. In 2015, the easement was upgraded to an affirmative agricultural easement, which will ensure that the property will forever be used for organic agricultural production. And yes, they sell pies! Their farm stand on Highway 1 hosts up to 5,000 visitors annually. You can also enjoy their produce via their CSA program, which offers everything from herbs and flour, to peppers and leafy greens. Learn more about the story of POST and Pie Ranch at openspacetrust.org/blog/pie-ranch.
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CONSERVATION EASEMENT 101 A conservation easement is a legal agreement between
A land trust + landowners
It protects conservation values on the property such as wildlife habitat, public access for recreation, or agricultural activity.
It also limits or restricts development. CONSERVATION EASEMENTs... are uniquely written to protect the natural resources of a specific property.
reduce the property's market value which may lead to tax benefits for the property owner.
are permanent and stay with the property even if ownership changes.
When POST holds an easement, we are responsible for monitoring the property annually to ensure the terms of the easement are fully met. top
ŠWilliam Laven / left and bottom ŠTeddy Miller 2016
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CABRILLO FARMS
PACIFICA
1
EL GR A NA DA
JOHNSTON RANCH
HALF MOON BAY
Learn more at farmlandfutures.org.
While future land transactions are confidential, a few of the 13 farms POST has already protected are featured on this map.
From just south of Pacifica, west of Skyline ridge and down to the Santa Cruz County line, POST will work to triple the number of protected farmland acres and protected farms.
SA N M ATEO
BELMON T
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Since the 1980’s the San Mateo coast has lost more than 35% of its farmland.
PERCENT
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POST PROTECTED FARMLANDS
FARMLAND FUTURES FOCUS AREA
SA N CA RLOS
FOSTER CIT Y
OTHER PROTECTED LAND
POST-PROTECTED LAND
COUNTY LINE
MAJOR ROADS
FEATURED FARMS
FOCUS AREA
S A V E L O C A L FA R M S F O R U S A L L
PACIFIC OCE A N
BUTANO FARMS
ROOT DOWN FARM
PESCA DERO
MUZZI SAN GREGORIO
SA N GR EGOR IO
POTRERO NUEVO FARM
PIE RANCH
SA N TA CRUZ COUN T Y
SA N MATEO COUN T Y
LOM A MAR
C O N S E R V I N G A G A N D WAT E R I N
SAN GREGORIO The scenic views, abundant wildlife habitat, healthy soils and water resources of 74-acre former N.D. Muzzi Ranch led POST to purchase the property in 2015. Farmed since around the 1940’s, the land has most recently been used to grow Brussels sprouts, strawberries, beans, peas and pumpkins. POST will ensure that the 58 farmland acres of the property remain available for production and that necessary restoration and enhancements are made. Of particular focus will be the habitat along its 3,000 feet of San Gregorio Creek– a critical coastal watershed and prime candidate for the reintroduction of Coho salmon.
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CONSERVED FARMLAND PROTECTS CRITICAL HABITAT FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE WHILE ALSO PROTECTING WATER RESOURCES
left and top
©Teddy Miller 2016 / bottom ©Noelle Thurlow 2015
POST is negotiating a long-term lease on the property with Blue House Farm, a certified organic operation known for strawberries, tomatoes, leafy greens and peppers. Owner, Ryan Casey will begin by growing organic
©Paolo Vescia 2015
produce on 15 acres here. He will also have an option to purchase the property, subject to an affirmative agricultural easement. Ryan began his farming career ten years ago on POST-owned Cloverdale Ranch and shares our vision for the San Gregorio property. His philosophy is to operate a farm that recognizes and nourishes the connection between good
“
I made a legacy donation
POST because of the WHILE toinvaluable ALSO PROTECTING stewardship WATER RESOURCES they provide for our
food and the natural world.
precious open spaces.
It is our plan going forward to continue both
POST-protected lands
using protective easements as well as leasing or selling land to local farmers so that the
allow us to “get away
people, the land and the environment are
from it all” and are vital
well taken care of.
to the beauty and health of our natural ecosystem.
”
— Jeri Stalford
Open Space Legacy Society 11
A L O C A L F O O D S H E D T H AT N O U R I S H E S T H E C O M M U N I T Y, T H E E N V I R O N M E N T
AND OUR BODIES Have you ever heard the term ‘foodshed’? It means a particular geographic region that produces food for a specific population. Our local foodshed is the envy of locavores worldwide. We benefit from local access to more than 50 types of vegetables, 30 varieties of fruits and nuts, a variety of seafood and a wide selection of locally raised livestock. Just by visiting a local farmer’s market, subscribing to a CSA program or taking a trip to a local grocery store, you can source an entire, well balanced meal from ingredients grown right here by members of our own community. Not all communities are as lucky as we are to live in a place where urban and rural thrive side by side.
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©Paolo Vescia 2012
A few of the reasons to celebrate our local foodshed: IT GIVES US ROOTS
IT’S MORE NUTRITIOUS
Eating food grown in local soil, by local farmers
There is science to prove it: crops grown in
is one of the most powerful ways to connect
healthier soil with shorter time to market and
with where we live, with the people who grow
grown with organic or sustainable methods
our food and with the broader community.
pack more nutrients than those that are not.
IT’S MORE DELICIOUS
A SMALLER CARBON FOOTPRINT
Locally grown crops, picked at the peak of
Short, local routes to market means less
flavor and delivered directly to your local
transportation required to get food from farm
market taste better than products grown
to table, resulting in lower carbon emissions.
four states (or continents!) away.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR LOCAL PRODUCTS AND WHERE TO GET THEM Join us on April 30th for Taste of the Coast with POST to celebrate the diversity of flavors and benefits our local landscape provides. See back cover for event details. Download POST’s digital local food and produce guide at openspacestrust.org/localfoodguide to find a CSA, local shop or farmers market where you can purchase food from POST-protected farms.
POST is working to ensure that the healthy soils and open spaces that provide us with such enviable abundance remain productive in perpetuity.
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GIFTS RECEIVED OCTOBER 1 - DECEMBER 31, 2015
TRIBUTE GIFTS IN MEMORY OF
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Alton & Silvia Allen Christy Armstrong Gary Baldwin Harriet Baldwin Kitti Barth Dr. Arthur Basham Mary Jane Bateman Josie Belle Jobst Brandt Wayne & Helen Britton Dorothy Burmeister Scott Burrows Glen Casner Jason Chahal Jim Chambers Kirstin Elizabeth Chiasson Bill & Jean Clark Bruce Clark Charles Clark James L. Clarke Dwight & Betsy Crowder David Daniels Maryann Danielson Dennis Daul Loring A. & Francine DeMartini Dr. Richard Derby Martin Donald Jeff Donnelly Donald Drake Batia Eshel Bev Fernandez Michael Foote George Gardner
IN HONOR OF Marilyn Gimbal Kenneth Gobrecht Jack Goodman Diane Halprin James K. Hess Robert R. Hillebrecht Elizabeth Hines Elizabeth Horn George Joki Lisabeth Kaplan Audrey Kass Will Kauffman Patrick Kelly Hugh David Kennedy Muriel J. King Austin Krider Niels Lagallet Kaitlyn Sierra Langstaff Pat Lannoy Jeannie Lauer John Lazar, Sr. Leonard Fred Lippi Frank Lockfeld Medardo Lopez Tom Lyons Tom MacAvoy Doug MacConnell Julia Maser George R. Miller Connie Morgan Godfrey Muehle Chris Nicholson
Donald Oaks Pari & Paravaneh Boyd Paulson Harry Peterson Michelle Philips Adele Preskienis Edwin C. “Bud” Purtell Mary Rice Paul Roberts Joan Safajek Betty Salveter Joel Schreck Michelle Schwalm Sirius Robin Winslow Smith Ray Spangler Neilda Sussman Doug Tompkins Tom Trier Traer Van Allen Hendrika Vermeulen K. Christie Vogel Erna Wagner & Therese Gabler Matt Walters Kim Weden Edwin A. Wells Beverly Wheat John Wilson Honey Wohlstadter Betty P. Wood William Wunderlich Peter John Zarate Dr. David A. Zlotnick
Nabeel Al-Shamma Linda & Mark Allen Paul & Jacque Baclace Erika Bailey & Philip Bailey Anne & David Bernstein Susan Blake Elliott Brenner Doris Jean Brown Robert & Barbara Buce Shirley Bunger Jim Callinan Louise Cameron Stuart & Babbie Cameron John Carlson Betty Carreon Erin Casey Lana Chao, Future Explorer Robert & Susan Christiansen The union of Gordon & Nichole Clark Dan Corrales Fran Cummings The Dagget Family Carlton & Margaret Daiss Dennis DeBroeck Rob & Suzanne Decker Sanaa Fawzy Herb, Norma, Paul, Carol & Eileen Grench Joaquin Tobar Marc Guastavino Adele Hayutin
Claire Heller Joan Hinshaw Don & Linda Hirst Jeff & Gayle Hoch Kate Stevens & John Hoffman Ashley Holt Davis Horeff Cal Huntzinger Ruth Ann Ingraham Joel Jensen Diane Kauffman Dan Levin & Naomi Andrews Max & Eileen Listgarten The Lund Family Charles Magnuson Kent Manske Robert Manson & Katherine McDonnel-Manson Mimi Meffert Walter Moore John & Tashia Morgridge Julie’s Nick Matt Noel Ward Paine Geraldine Peeters Marilyn Proffitt John & Erica Randolph Lillian Rutherford Kathryn Scheib Sam & Angela Schillace
Schleimer/Sherman/ Schwartz Trust Justine & Lisa Schmidt Neal P. Sharma Vicki Wahl & Chuck Shuey Rana Sircar David Sleeth & Inga Dorosz Robert Strafford Dianne J. Stauffer Sandi Thompson Noelle Thurlow Tommy, Holly & Anton Jospeh Ted & Nancy Vian Barb Voester Heather Wakelee Ellie, Liam & Ander Walsh Marilyn Walter Herb Weber Laura Winick Michael & Devera Witkin Zulu
POST WELCOMES
NICOLE HELLER
S AV E O P E N S PA C E
WAYS TO GIVE
Director, Conservation Science RECEI V E I N V I TAT I O N S
JOIN OUR OPEN SPACE
TO WA LK S & TA LK S
LEGACY SOCIETY
Every fall and spring, POST organizes a series
To join our society, or learn about gifts
of special outings for donors who make an
through your will or IRA, please contact
annual gift of $500 or more—and we want
Jeanine Crider, Director, Planned Giving:
you to join us!
jcrider@openspacetrust.org
Learn more:
(650) 854-7696 x312
openspacetrust.org/get-involved
POST’S TAX ID NUMBER IS 94-2392007
Landscapes is printed on 30% post-consumer paper with soy inks. Published by: Peninsula Open Space Trust
222 High Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301 (650) 854-7696 openspacetrust.org
Design: The Point Collective, Inc. Editor: Blair Friedeman We make every effort to accurately list the names of POST tribute gifts and apologize for any errors or omissions. Please call our office at (650) 854-7696 to notify us of any errors. POST is a public benefit California corporation and is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to POST are tax-deductible.
©Stacy H.Geiken 2016
“
I was ecstatic when I learned POST wanted to bring a scientist on board to help define conservation and stewardship priorities, consider the impacts of climate change and other stresses, communicate broadly about conservation science and ensure that land conservation is benefiting as many people as possible. I am eager to continue POST’s legacy of land conservation that is a model for many around the world.
”
— Nicole Heller 15
POST Director, Conservation Science
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