Yolo Land Trust E-news

In this Issue:

Chris Sinclair

Walnut Manager- Woodside Electronics Corp. Chris began working for Woodside Electronics Corporation in the winter of 2001. Woodside Electronics is a manufacturer of electronic color sorters primarily dealing with blueberries, tomatoes, and walnuts. Chris manages the walnut division for Woodside Electronics. This division provides sorting equipment at the huller/dehydrating plants and also provides equipment to monitor moisture content in the drying of walnuts. Chris grew up in Davis, CA and graduated from UC Davis in the spring of 2000 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Crop Science and Management. Growing up in Davis allowed Chris to get involved in his grandparents’ farming operations which consisted of growing prunes and walnuts just north of the town of Winters. Chris is also a graduate from Class 36 of the California Agriculture Leadership Program. Chris and his wife, Casey, moved off the family farm in 2008 to Sacramento. They were pleased to announce the birth of the first child, Addison, on May 16, 2009. When not helping on the family farm, or busy with his daughter, you can find Chris on the ski slopes, especially on a weekday with 6” of new snow.

"Strawberry Fields Forever" Celebration a Success

The Yolo Land Trust celebrated spring, strawberries and success on Sunday, June 6 at its "Strawberry Fields Forever" fundraiser. The event, held at the Barger Farm, located just west of Davis in Yolo County, was marked with hayrides, music and strawbery treats.

Yolo Land Trust Board President, Mary Kimball, greeted the crowd, "We are here today to honor our success as an organization and a community, and the partnerships that brought us here." She noted that Yolo Land Trust has placed about 3,000 acres under permanent conservation between the cities of Davis and Woodland, nearly 1/3 of all the acreage the Yolo Land Trust currently holds. "We thank the Barger Farm not only for hosting us today, but also for their commitment to conservation by placing their farm in a permanent conservation easement."

Yolo County Supervisor Duane Chamerlain and Davis Open Space Coordinator Mitch Sears were on hand to join in the festivities. The easements were funded by a combination of public funding sources including the County of Yolo, The City of Davis, the State of California and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The crowd enjoyed music provided by the McDaniel Jazz Trio in the 100-year old barn on the Barger Farm. Monticello Bistro served strawberry shortcake topped with whipped cream and guests dipped fresh strawberries provided by Full Belly Farm, T&Y Strawberry Patch and FL Strawberries in a fountain of chocolate.

Wine was poured by Bogle Winery, Capay Valley Vineyards, Route 3 Winery and Simas Family Vineyard. Special strawberry ice cream created by The Davis Creamery kept everyone cool.

Monsanto donated over 100 strawberry plants for guests to take as a memento of the celebration.

"This is a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon," said Yolo County resident Dirk Brazil. "I appreciate what the Land Trust is doing and am glad to be a part of their celebration." Dirk enjoyed the day with family and friends.

YLT easements preserve Swainson’s Hawk habitat in the Putah Creek corridor south of Davis

Photo by LorrieJo Williams of one of our Yolo County Swainson’s Hawks

YLT worked with the Yolo Natural Heritage Program Joint Powers Agency and four landowners along Putah Creek, south of the City of Davis, to complete five conservation easements benefiting the Swainson’s Hawk through the preservation of agricultural lands that provide high value foraging habitat. Totaling 430 acres, these easements compliment existing conservation in the area and form a cornerstone of permanently protected foraging habitat benefiting Swainson’s Hawks and other raptors. The easements also protect the riparian vegetation for nesting habitat along Putah Creek.

Beth Gabor joins the YLT Board of Directors

Beth Gabor

Beth Gabor is a life-long resident of Yolo County, has held the position of Public Information Officer for the County of Yolo for the past four years. Prior to that, she served as Deputy to Yolo County Supervisor Helen M. Thomson. After graduating from the University of California at Davis with a Bachelor of Science in Human Development, Beth held a variety of positions with Calgene, a Monsanto biotechnology and research company. In the middle of her 14 year tenure with Calgene, Beth briefly moved to Monterey, California and worked as a Marketing Assistant for Sony Electronic Publishing Company. While at Calgene, Beth became involved with Explorit Science Center, ultimately serving on the Board of Trustees for seven years. Beth also served on the Board of the Yolo Transportation Management Association. Other community activities have included volunteering as a CPR and First Aid Instructor for the American Red Cross and a volunteer for the Leukemia Society of America’s Team-in-Training program. Beth was a 2004 Fellow in the Great Valley Center’s Institute for the Development of Emerging Area Leaders and holds a certificate in Graphic Design from the University of California, Davis Extension

Board Update

Lifelong Davis resident and Yolo Land Trust Board Member, Val Dolcini has a new job with the Obama administration as the California Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency. With his new responsibilities, he has stepped down from the YLT Board but will continue to support our land preservation efforts in his new position.

Clarksburg farmer, Greg Merwin has also recently stepped down from the board after many years of dedication to YLT but will continue to serve on the Land Conservation Committee of the board and help out with annual easement monitoring. A former engineer for Laugenour & Meikel and Woodland resident, Rich Jenness retired recently and concluded his time on the YLT board. He will also continue to serve on the Land Conservation Committee and help out with annual easement monitoring. We congratulate Rich for being recognized as the Woodland Chamber of Commerce Agri-Business Person of the Year at the recent Farm-City Banquet. Additionally, Suzanne Peabody Ashworth, owner of Del Rio Botanicals and Peabody Ranch in West Sacramento has also stepped down from the board to dedicate her time to farming, cooking, and teaching. Fortunate for us, she continues to prepare an amazing spread made from her own farm products for YLT events.

The area's agricultural splendor as seen through the eyes of local artists

“Farm House and Field” by Paige Decker was painted at the Clark Farm on Russell Road between Davis and Winters.

“For Yolo County farmers, art is an added perk to the daily routine. It is as ubiquitous as a landlocked sea of midsummer tomatoes, as poetic as dawn's diaphanous glow when it reaches its fingers into a sleepy orchard of almond blossoms. As quickly as one pastoral image paints itself in the farmer's mind, another scene arrives in flux; a forever-shifting portrait framed by the limits of memory and the bias of repetition.” Excerpt from an article published in the Sacramento Bee on Friday, Sep. 25, 2009

ArtFarm was attended by over 150 people and raised nearly $5,000 for YoloArts’ art education programs and YLT. The Art and Ag Project will start up again in January with a grant from the Irvine Foundation to YoloArts. Last year, over 50 local artists participated. For the artists, it is an opportunity to harness the aesthetic energy of privately-owned farmlands without having to trespass or compromise their safety from a side-of-the-road vantage point. For the farmers, it is a priceless snapshot of a single moment arrived at through a lifetime of hard work; and, an opportunity to see what has been seen thousands of times before through the creative lenses of painters, photographers and ceramists, each possessing his or her own unique interpretation of the land.

"I see how beautiful Yolo County is in the morning light and again in the evening every day at my own farm, and I wanted artists to be able to capture that.” says Annie Main, co-owner of Good Humus Produce in Capay and co-founder of the Art & Ag program.

"There's no greater validation of hard work than to see your land through a different pair of eyes." says Dani Thomas, Executive Director of Yolo County Arts Council.

Also part of the program are three master-artist-led mini-workshops. Artwork created from farm visits will are selected by September for exhibit in the ArtFarm event at the beginning of October. Two commissioned public art pieces are installed in public spaces such as libraries, other public buildings or farmers’ markets around the county. The need to preserve both pursuits - art and agriculture - are essential in recognizing their importance to humanity's overall well being.

To learn more about the Art & Ag Program, contact Janice Purnell, Art & Ag Project Manager, YoloArts artag@yoloarts.org 530-908-4321

A shady Day in the Country under the walnut grove at Elkhorn Basin Ranch

Rick Landon, retired Ag Commissioner and 2009 Thomson-Rominger Award recipient for land preservation

Held beneath a dense canopy of walnut trees at the newly-acquired Elkhorn Basin Ranch, over 500 supporters tasted local products that were prepared by over 50 of the regions best chefs, vintners, and olive oil makers, and one brewmaster (please see Our Supporters at yololandtrust.org for a complete list). Recently retired Yolo County Agriculture Commissioner Rick Landon was honored with the Thomson-Rominger Award for Land Preservation during this year’s event. Over the past 8 years Rick has taken a leadership role in mediating discussions on issues relating to both the agricultural and environmental interests in Yolo County. He has been a strong steward for the agricultural resources of Yolo County.