Blog

In June, the Rangeland Trust brought together urban and rural communities at A Western Affair 2019 at Wente Vineyards in Livermore, California to celebrate our Western heritage and mutual love of land, legacy, and all things country.

From Tim Koopmann’s ranch in Alameda County, he has watched the city grow. A shadow encroaching on the green hills, urban expansion has scratched at his horizon as long as he can remember. His small stretch of land is 50 miles from San Francisco, between Livermore and Fremont, right smack in the middle of one of the state’s most rapidly-developing regions. He’s been fighting for these open spaces all his life, battling pressure from developers, declining cattle prices, drought, enormous tax penalties triggered by the deaths of his father and grandfather, and negative public opinions against grazing.

Conservation easements on the 2,502 acre Keegan Ranch and 1,547 acre Epperson Ranch add 4,049 acres to the existing 16,130 acre wildlife corridor in the valley – the already conserved Bear Valley and Payne Ranches. In collaboration with CRT, WCB and NRCS matched funds to conserve the two ranches.

Bruce and Rick Rominger are fifth-generation farmers and ranchers. Their business, Rominger Brothers Farms, became a model of environmental sustainability through their commitment to growing crops and managing rangeland using sustainable practices. Partnering with California Rangeland Trust to forever protect their land allowed them to maintain numerous habitat-improvement efforts.

Purposefully hosted at the Santa Barbara Club—formed in 1892 to serve as a meeting place for area businessmen, especially the widespread ranching community— the event welcomed guests from both historic and contemporary ranching families to celebrate California’s strong vaquero heritage, the community’s deep connection to open space, and the California Rangeland Trust’s role in keeping our working landscapes just as they are, forever.

In 20 years of conserving rangeland, this year has topped them all for many reasons. California Rangeland Trust’s extensive impact has reached critical mass and Californian’s are getting the message — conserving rangeland is more important than ever for our quality of life. It’s an exciting and critical time, for all of us.

Join us as we share highlights from this monumental 20th year.

California Rangeland Trust gives back to the community through an impactful partnership with Raley’s Giving and AT&T Aspire. The Where Your Food Grows and Grazes program connects urban youth to agriculture, conservation, nutrition, and healthy lifestyles by offering an educational Farm- to- Fork experience.

In honor of World Soil Day on December 5th, we asked visionary ranching couple and California Rangeland Trust partners Scott and Karen Stone of Yolo Land & Cattle Company about their working approach to soil health and sustainability. New research is highlighting how vital soil health is to the future of our planet, but in the lives of ranchers like Scott and Karen, it’s a daily consideration.

Through the truck window, the rolling hills of California’s central coast are still covered with plentiful grass that stretches as far as the eye can see. The land is owned by philanthropist and real estate entrepreneur B. Wayne Hughes, Jr. who raises all-natural beef and hosts a veteran’s program on the 20,000-acre SkyRose Ranch. SkyRose Ranch was once the Deer Valley Ranch, graciously donated to California Rangeland Trust in 2010 and subsequently sold to Mr. Hughes and protected forever through a conservation easement.

“The wonderful thing about the Rangeland Trust is they are ranchers and farmers,” Jim says. “They know ranching. I never feel like I have to look over my shoulder. They’re not there to run the ranch. They share the mindset we have—a love of the land.”

Not all ranchers fit the John Wayne stereotype. Some look like Katie Isaacson Hames.

A young blue-eyed mother making a life on the Gaviota coast, Katie has a degree in biology with a minor in creative writing. She worked at a local school for eight years and met her husband Will at a farmer’s market. She is also a third-generation rancher.

The California Rangeland Trust is thrilled to announce the release of a new short film, celebrating 20 years of protecting California’s open range. After 20 years of conserving life on the range, we were reminded that the stories of our partners in ranching conservation are our greatest capital. They’re stories about hope, healing, a better future, and a cleaner planet. They’re stories about stewardship and heritage.

Last month, our team was on site for an incredible film shoot with director Chris Malloy and his production company, Farm League. For all involved, this experience was an amazing time of learning from the ranchers and conservationists we profiled. We are so excited to share this short film with you soon!

Last month, our team was on site for an incredible film shoot with director Chris Malloy and his production company, Farm League. For all involved, this experience was an amazing time of learning from the ranchers and conservationists we profiled. We are so excited to share this short film with you soon!

A granite slab beside Memorial Rock honors the Sagehorns, who purchased this Mendocino County ranch in 1948. The boulder has long served as a sacred landmark—for the First People of the land, Native Americans who inscribed its face with markings of lost meaning, and later the Sagehorns, who chose this spot as their final resting place.