Fall Newsletter 2012 Volume 19, Number 3
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Ojai In The Context Of The National Land Trust Movement accepted its first donation of land. Dr. Ilvento donated the 80-acres which is now the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s Ilvento Preserve located adjacent to the Thacher School. R5 Decides to hold second In 1999, just as national National Consultation private land conservation on Land Conservation, began to explode, the land but with a more exciting protection work of the Ojai name: Rally. Valley Land Conservancy began to take off. In R5 Launches first-ever national survey to assess 1999 a $200,000 gift from the quantity, uses and Taormina resident Ruth practices relating to both Matthews and a $250,000 privately and publicly bequest from Meiners held conservation Photo above: This 36 acre conservation easement was do- Oaks resident Pekka Merikallio, nated in 2009. It provides land protection within easements.permanent Findings and the City limits of Ojai. From a monetary perspective this was were pivotal, giving the OVLC the recommendations later the largest gift to OVLC in the organization’s history. momentum it necessary to raise Rally ’��. (See of concerned presented peopleat formed the Ojai Valley the rest of the $1.2 million needed Graph �) Land Conservancy. These early instigators, for Trust continued on page 2... whom we are grateful, were early founders and board members Ellen Hall, Richard Handley, Ojai Valley Land Conservancy Barbara Martin, P.O. Box 1092 • Ojai, CA 93024 370 W. Baldwin Rd. A-4 Graph 1. Private Land Conservation by State and Local Land Trusts Alasdair Coyne, Tel. 805.649.6852 • Fax 649.8913 James Lashly, info@ovlc.org • www.ovlc.org Alan Hooker, Nina Shelley, Board of Directors Essick, President Total Acres Protected Greg McMillian, Roger Don Reed, Vice President Acres Under Easement Zelma Wilson, Stefanie Coeler, Secretary Acres Owned and the late Cari Guerrero, Treasurer Carla Bard. Mary Bergen Sandy Buechley Margot Griswold Brian Holly Look at the Allan Jacobs Ann Oppenheimer graph from the Cricket Twichell Nathan Wallace Deborah Whorf Land Trust Alli- Barbara Washburn ance to the left Staff and notice that Greg Gamble, Executive Director Rick Bisaccia, Preserve Manager land conserva- Todd Bertola, Restoration Technician tion started tak- Darcy Gamble, Marketing & Membership ing off around Brad Meiners, Restoration Technician 1997, which Marti Reid, Office Manager YEAR Rosecrance, Watershed Planner was the same Ann Ron Singer, Nursery Manager year that the Brian Stark, Conservation Director For state and local land trusts, acres protected by conservation easements account for Ojai Valley Land Lorraine Walter, Watershed Coordinator 55% of all land conserved, while 13% of total land saved is owned by land trusts. C o n s e r v a n c y Lauren Ward, Restoration Technician ACRES PROTECTED (MILLIONS OF ACRES)
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries a handful of land trusts existed, and by 1950 there were an estimated 53 land trusts in 26 states. The majority of these were located in the northeast. By 1980, more than 400 local and regional land trusts existed, still mostly located in the northeast. Three quarters of these had no paid staff and more than half had budgets under $5,000. The majority of land was protected by fee ownership, but the use of conservation easements was growing. In 1987 a small group
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THE LAND TRUST ALLIANCE JOURNEY