Author: Alyssa Rolen

Your Voice, Everyone’s Future​

Every year, the Rangeland Trust Staff and Board visit various parts of the state to engage with conservation partners, landowners, peers, supporters, and community leaders to understand what’s important and relevant in the places where we work.

Since it’s hard for our team to set foot in all 58 counties of this beautiful state, we also aim to open channels for you to reach out to us and let us know what’s on your mind. Sometimes this is encouraged through surveys, donation forms, or often just through our website. The point is, we love to hear from you!

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SILACCI RANCH: KEEPING BEEF ON THE PLATE​

In the Salinas Valley of California, known as the “Salad Bowl of the World”, a local ranching family is helping to ensure that there will always be protein on the plate.

For over 140 years, the Silacci family has called the Valley home – beginning when patriarch Bautista Silacci immigrated to Monterey County. After living in Moss Landing in the early 1880s, he decided to move inland to Salinas to work at a local dairy. In 1887, seizing an opportunity to establish roots on the land and in the industry, he purchased the dairy. Together, he and his family raised dairy cattle and cultivated various crops, contributing to the Valley’s notorious bounty.

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Empty Saddles

These past few months, we have lost many friends of the organization to the rangelands in the sky. We remember them here and forever in the lands they fought to protect.

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3 Great Ways to Give from Your IRA

Robin Flournoy chose to help further the California Rangeland Trust’s mission by listing the Rangeland Trust as a beneficiary of her retirement account. Many other donors have also made charitable gifts through their IRAs as a way to reduce tax liability on their heirs. Here are some ways that you can use your own IRA to help a cause you care about, while also reducing the tax bill for you and your next generation.

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Share in the Experience of Conserving Lone Star Ranch

A century ago, the purchase of the Lone Star Ranch was sealed with a transaction of five gold coins. For five generations, the family stewarding this ranch has learned so much from the land and enhanced their care to align with the unique ecosystems here. Now, ranch owners, Mark and Dina Moore, are seeking the next step: permanent conservation of the Lone Star Ranch.

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Photo of Robin Flournoy performing a sliding stop on her horse.

Opening the Gate to Giving Back: Robin Flournoy’s Story

“As long as you could get on and off your horse and open a gate, you were working!”

Robin Flournoy cherishes memories of growing up in beautiful Portola Valley, where she became rooted in the traditions of ranching and its Western heritage. “I knew I wanted to be involved with this for the rest of my life.”

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Landscape photo of the Hanson Ranch showing mountains and range.

Hanson Ranch: Planning for the Future​

The question of succession weighs heavily on the mind of nearly every rancher: “Who will take over my ranch once I am gone?” According to the USDA, within the next two decades, approximately 70 percent of U.S. farming and ranching operations will confront this issue. While the next generation often assumes responsibility, this isn’t always the case, necessitating careful planning and arrangements to safeguard the operation into the future. For the late Louise Hanson, the original proprietor of the Hanson Ranch, a conservation easement emerged as a cornerstone of her estate planning.

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Reunir 2024: Reuniting with our friends on the Central Coast​

On February 8th, nearly 150 guests came together at The Maker’s Son in Los Alamos, Santa Barbara County, for the annual Reunir with the Rangeland Trust. For the last five years, this event has served to connect new and old friends over the appreciation of the western lifestyle and preserving it in the region. The many hugs and share conversations that were had truly captured the spirit of this beloved gathering!

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