There are many families who want to partner with the Rangeland Trust to ensure that California’s working lands are forever protected from conversion and degradation. Our only limitation is funding! This page has information about where your contributions can have the greatest impact right now.
Please contact Shannon Foucault at (916) 444-2096 or sfoucault@rangelandtrust.org to learn more about any of the funding priorities listed below, or to explore an opportunity that may not be included here.
Thank you for helping to protect what matters to you, to our communities, and to the land and wildlife of California.
There are many families who want to partner with the Rangeland Trust to ensure that California’s working lands are forever protected from conversion and degradation. Our only limitation is funding! This page has information about where your contributions can have the greatest impact right now.
Please contact Shannon Foucault at (916) 444-2096 or sfoucault@rangelandtrust.org to learn more about any of the funding priorities listed below, or to explore an opportunity that may not be included here.
Thank you for helping to protect what matters to you, to our communities, and to the land and wildlife of California.
Unrestricted support is applied where needed most, allowing the Rangeland Trust leadership to respond to timely conservation priorities as well as basic operating needs. Your dollars may support an immediate conservation need, help inspire more people to get involved (as donors, voters, and ambassadors), educate youth about careers and opportunities in agriculture, or ensure ranchers and the next generations have what they need to stay on the land and keep ranching. As you can see, every aspect of your general support gift ultimately makes more conservation possible, because it is the end-goal of everything we do.
Unrestricted support is applied where needed most, allowing the Rangeland Trust leadership to respond to timely conservation priorities as well as basic operating needs. Your dollars may support an immediate conservation need, help inspire more people to get involved (as donors, voters, and ambassadors), educate youth about careers and opportunities in agriculture, or ensure ranchers and the next generations have what they need to stay on the land and keep ranching. As you can see, every aspect of your general support gift ultimately makes more conservation possible, because it is the end-goal of everything we do.
As we work toward 100 conserved ranches, the Rangeland Trust has identified several projects that will only be successful with support from private donors like you:
Over the last 25 years, 85 families have partnered with the Rangeland Trust to conserve their ranches and maintain their way of life. Right now, there are another 80 families trying to save their rangelands. These are projects that have been approved by our Board and are ready for conservation.
Federal and State budgets have been reallocated, and bureaucracy has slowed delivery of existing funds. As a result, we are turning to individual, foundation and corporate funders who have the ability and commitment to conserve vital working lands.
We’re closing in on 100 conserved ranches, but we’re just getting started. With so many people now turning to the Rangeland Trust for partnership and solutions, it is more important than ever that we can fulfill our promise to every landowner that seeks conservation, and to every neighbor who is concerned about the future of our beautiful Golden State. It is more important than ever that we step up to fight for a better, more resilient future.
Education is a vital part of the Rangeland Trust’s efforts to promote understanding, appreciation, and advocacy for the conservation for working landscapes. Funding would create opportunities for targeted outreach to all-ages urban and rural audiences, engaging them virtually, in the communities where they live, and in-person on working ranches to see first-hand its immediate and longer-term value to the people living and working in California, as well as the vibrant habitat ranches provide for California’s wildlife.
The Rangeland Trust has identified several endowment goals to further strengthen the organization’s sustainability and service to the working lands community:
The Conservation Investment Fund provides gap funding to defray conservation expenses when a little extra help is needed to get over the finish line. Examples include assisting with assessment, legal, and other closing costs for donated and bargain-sale projects, closing the funding gap on projects within key landscape conservation initiatives, and supporting the due diligence on land that is donated or bequeathed to us. This Fund allows the Rangeland Trust to do what is needed, when it is needed, to protect important rangelands.
The Conservation Investment Fund is a temporary restricted endowment that provides gap funding to defray project closing expenses when a little extra help is needed to get over the finish line. Examples include assisting with transaction costs for donated and bargain-sale projects, closing the funding gap on projects within key landscape conservation initiatives, and supporting the due diligence on land that is donated or bequeathed to us. This Fund allows the Rangeland Trust to do what is needed, when it is needed, to protect important rangelands.
In honor of Nita Vail and her 20+ years of leadership at the Rangeland Trust, we are building a funding resource that future CEOs can draw upon to pursue initiatives that advance the sustainability and effectiveness of the organization. Contributions to the Vail Fund will be considered temporarily restricted for flexibility to act on cutting-edge and timely opportunities, and will be invested to encourage growth over time. The goal of the Vail Fund is to keep the Rangeland Trust at the forefront of land trusts while serving as a nimble and creative thought-leader, and to ensure the continued impact of its mission.
In honor of Nita Vail and her 20+ years of leadership at the Rangeland Trust, we are building a funding resource that future CEOs can draw upon to pursue initiatives that advance the sustainability and effectiveness of the organization. Contributions to the Vail Fund will be considered temporarily restricted for flexibility to act on cutting-edge and timely opportunities, and will be invested to encourage growth over time. The goal of the Vail Fund is to keep the Rangeland Trust at the forefront of land trusts while serving as a nimble and creative thought-leader, and to ensure the continued impact of its mission within California.
The Rangeland Trust’s successful Ranch Tours program has shown us the value of maintaining a working ranch property where students, adults and families can take part in hands-on ranching experiences. The site will remain under active management as a cattle ranch. While we would intend to offer ongoing educational programs on site, parts of the ranch could also be used to test and evaluate programs for both ranchers and others who live in or work in California. We are seeking a land donation in fee, preferably with an operational endowment, that can be stewarded toward these purposes.
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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Five generations of the Moore Family have been stewarding this 5,000-acre ranch and ensuring its continued prosperity as a healthy, viable landscape in Northern California. Managed with livestock grazing, the Ranch is home to a collection of streams that support numerous populations of fish, and its oak woodlands provide critical habitat for a wide range of wildlife. However, it is also being squeezed in by dilapidated cannabis grow operations and abandoned property foreclosures, which put this land and its community at risk. Conserving means restoring solid footing and a more certain future.
At a time when land stewards are dwindling and new generations show a waning interest in ranching, the Moore Family provides an important opportunity—their children have been learning how to care for this unique land their entire lives, and their moment is nearly upon us. With permanent conservation, they can stay on the Lone Star Ranch and work the same land cultivated by five generations before them.
Surrounded by Sierra Nevada National Forest land, the Santoro Ranch was recently purchased by its current owners to sustainably manage the open space, mainly fuels reduction to minimize wildfire risks. The Santoro Ranch is a collaborative effort, aiming to contribute to the community needs of Madera County. The owners are working with land managers to establish a business on the property that connects consumers with their food through an investment in how their beef is raised. They are also working with the North Folk Rancheria of Mono Indians of California to implement restoration projects on the property. It isn’t a coincidence that this community focused approach to land management also benefits the health of the rangeland ecosystem, creating a synergy of services that supports people and wildlife.
The Santoro Ranch will protect open space from development and increase habitat connectivity with nearby public lands. The development pressure around public lands is high as the nearby Yosemite National Park attracts millions of visitors annually.
This woman-owned ranch has been in the family for 65 years. By maintaining a viable cattle operation, she hopes to keep this land intact as a wildlife corridor for generations to come. Located inland, the original ranch has already been heavily subdivided. The rolling hills, once a vast continuum, are now pockets of beauty and natural wildlife habitat that are still under threat. The landowner wishes to conserve the current acreage and prevent further subdivision of this sought-after landscape. The primary threat to the area is rural residential housing development. The ranch is particularly desirable due to its accessibility from a well-maintained road that cuts through the middle of the property. As the pressure to sell mounts, the family would rather continue to ranch than be forced to give up on what is left of the treasured oasis.
The Ranch is neighboring two other Rangeland Trust easements that have generated significant conservation interest in the area. We have secured a matching grant for the final funding needed to conserve the ranch, and we seek your support in meeting this challenge!
The owners of this small ranch near the Mendocino National Forest receive regular phone calls to sell their land – even though it’s not for sale. Next door, properties are already being split into 40-, 80-, and 160-acre parcels. This family doesn’t want to see that happen to this Ranch. Since 1971, they have built a strong reputation for producing high quality Hereford cattle, providing a critical supply that is sold locally, statewide, and nationally. They utilize the best current management practices to maintain and improve wildlife habitat, while stewarding resources along the Sacramento River watershed.
The Oak Knoll Ranch is adjacent to another active conservation project by the Rangeland Trust, further expanding a valuable landscape conservation opportunity near the Mendocino National Forest, and thereby enabling a wildlife haven in the face of growing nearby development. Financial pressures are building, and we need to be able to help conserve this ranch as soon as possible.
Named for the Coastal oak woodlands that dot the hills, Lone Oak Springs is a vast and striking landscape. The long-standing oak trees are not only pillars of beauty in an open grassland but are historic landmarks as oak trees symbolize ecological resilience. The owner hopes to protect the property’s ecosystem stewarded by sustainable land management. They also work with several conservation programs to improve water infrastructure, investing in the land whenever possible. Residential housing is a significant development pressure in the Santa Maria Valley. As the land surrounding the property continues to experience subdivision, Lone Oak Springs is increasingly threatened and the need to conserve grows.
We have secured 80% so far through government agencies and are looking to close the gap with private funds to conserve up to 3 years faster! We have just $420,000 remaining to conserve the ranch.
Parks Ranch creates a wildlife corridor that supports endangered species, specific to its region and habitat. Parks Ranch adjoins BLM land, and its conservation would establish a continuum of protected land. This habitat supports the western-most population of sage grouse in California. Sage Grouse are closely tied to the health of the ecosystem as they are dependent on the sweeping landscape of sagebrush in the northeast corner of California. Sagebrush is the primary source of food and shelter for this rare and distinct bird. Additionally, Parks Ranch has historically been critical mule deer habitat. For humans, it is an irreplaceable experience of peace- boasting a sea of green and a sweet aroma. It is a haven for wildlife and humans alike. Parks Ranch faces the threat of development and a major loss to ecological value and biodiversity if it is not protected.
There is fear that subdivision following the development of power lines will disrupt the habitat continuum. We have secured a matching grant that we need to match with $750,000 before it expires in 2025!
