Author: Madison Goss

Nearly 15,000 Acres of Wind Wolves Preserve Permanently Protected

The California Rangeland Trust is proud to announce a permanent conservation agreement of 14,631 acres on the 93,000-acre Wind Wolves Preserve in Kern County. Completed in conjunction with The Wildlands Conservancy, a California-based nonprofit, which owns and manages the property, and the Trust for Public Lands, this is the first installment in a series of conservation agreements on the Preserve with the Rangeland Trust.

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Meet our Partners: Westervelt Ecological Services

The Westervelt Company is a century-old company dedicated to protecting the land’s resources for future generations. In 2006, the company formed Westervelt Ecological Services (WES) that owns and operates 30,000 acres of land across America to mitigate and plan for habitat for a variety of entities.

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Sardella Ranch: Fighting Fire with Fire

In the summer of 2013, a fire came through the Sardella Ranch. Where most would see devastation, Michael Sardella, owner of the Sardella Ranch in Tuolumne County, saw an opportunity.

Sardella has been a resident of the Sonora area his whole life. Since his family settled onto the ranch in 1957, he has witnessed firsthand the effects that population growth and development have on small towns in America.

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Kids gathered around sign with Raley's logo

Meet Our Partners: Raley’s

Raley’s is committed to nourishing our people, our communities and our planet through action. This mission is why Raley’s has been an essential partner of the California Rangeland Trust.

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Hye ya Nye Wall ye. Touch the Earth.

Throughout the years and between the birth of six children, numerous state elections, and the welcoming of 14 grandchildren, the Touch the Earth Ranch, located in the hills of Calaveras County, has served as a haven for John and Patricia Garamendi and their family. All who have encountered it have been undoubtedly touched by the ranch’s peaceful serenity and scenic beauty.

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East Sheridan Vernal Pool Preserve: Rainless Resilience

According to USDA’s Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin, the greater Sacramento area saw an average of roughly five inches of rainfall during the early winter and spring months this year, which is down 40% compared to other years. For ranchers like Bret Ellis, owner of the East Sheridan Vernal Pool Preserve, their management of the land relies heavily on the rain season.

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THE MARSHALL RANCH: SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL

Ranchers who spend their lives caring for rangeland are a resource as valuable as watersheds and viewsheds. Elizabeth Marshall calls it
“heritageshed”: the invisible but tangible sacrifice of generational ranchers who see stewardship as a calling beyond financial return.

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Every Day is Earth Day

Earth Day falls on April 22nd, but for the ranching community, every day is Earth Day.

This could not ring truer for Darrel and Karen Sweet, owners of the Sweet Ranch in Alameda County and proud California Rangeland Trust ranching partners. “As you enter our property, we have a sign that says, ‘Every day is Earth Day on our ranch,'” Darrel explained. The couple received the sign from friends and fellow California Rangeland Trust ranching partners, Tim and Melinda Koopmann from the Koopmann Ranch, many years ago. Today, the Sweets remain committed to carrying out this mantra both in their words and actions every day.

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