California Rangeland Trust is the largest land trust in California. Our mission is to serve the land, people, and wildlife by conserving California’s working rangelands.
56 of the ranches conserved by the California Rangeland Trust – encompassing 306,781 acres – were included in the recent Ecosystem Service Study. Researchers discovered:
California is an incredible state, rich in beauty, history, and diversity. It’s a place that has captured the national imagination for centuries: The farthest edge of the American West, where the mountains meet the sea.
As one of only five regions in the world with a Mediterranean climate, our state feeds the world. California is home to 5.2 million cattle and calves—fourth in the nation for cattle, with livestock responsible for 27% of all agricultural revenues in the state.
This is a heritage that all Californians share. These natural resources are essential to our way of life. But it faces threats. The working landscapes that characterize the Golden State are at risk. 62% of California’s open space consists of rangeland. And that land is disappearing at an alarming rate.
62% of California’s undeveloped land is rangeland.
67% of endangered species spend part of their lives on private land.
85% of California’s fresh water runs over ranches.
The conservation of 100 ranches, a milestone years in the making, brought California’s ranching and conservation communities together to celebrate the growing impact of the California Rangeland Trust.
Born and raised in the bustling town of San Francisco, Terri Arington knows development when she sees it. “Once development occurs, these rangelands are gone forever. We need to conserve what we still have, or we’re going to lose it.”
More often than not, conversations about land focus on what it provides: clean air, fresh water, local food, wildlife habitat, and more. These benefits are visible, measurable, and essential to the health and resilience of communities—a large part of why land conservation exists. Yet when ranchers are asked why they protect their land, their answers often go beyond environmental benefits.
California Rangeland Trust is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax identification number 31-1631453) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
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