Inside -

• President’s Letter - Conservation

Easement Underway December
• Big River Projects Move Forward
• Outing Schedule for Mendocino 2009
County Trail Symposium
• Big River Fall Bird Survey Results

First Annual Mendocino County Trail

Symposium to be held in January
by Tamira Jones, Coastal Access Program Manager
The Mendocino Land Trust, on behalf of all our
partners, invites our members and friends to the first
ever Mendocino County Trails Symposium on January
9, 2010 in Fort Bragg. The event will celebrate existing
trail systems throughout the county and will create
momentum around new trail opportunities. The one day
event will include optional hikes, rides, and paddles in
the morning, followed by an open house and speakers in
the afternoon. We hope to hold similar events inland in
Willits and Ukiah following the Fort Bragg Symposium.
The Symposium is hosted by the Land Trust in
partnership with the City of Fort Bragg, City of Ukiah, A signed section of the California Coastal Trail on the Haul
Coastal Land Trust, California State Parks, Bored Road, north of Fort Bragg. Photo by Tamira Jones.
Feet Press, Mendocino County Planning & Building
Services, Ukiah Valley Trails Group, State Coastal Don’t Forget to Contribute to Our Annual
Conservancy, Visit Mendocino County, Redwood Coast
Land Conservancy, Moat Creek Managing Agency,
Appeal by December 31st!
Coastwalk, and the list of partners keeps growing! Many of you received our 2009 Annual Appeal this
The event begins with outings in the morning, which November. In these tough economic times, every dollar
are free of charge and open to the public. These outings that the Land Trust receives to support our essential
are designed to appeal to all user group and will allow land-saving work is more valuable than ever.
the public to experience trail opportunities that are The Land Trust wishes to thank those people who
accessible from Fort Bragg. An open house will take have already sent in their Annual Appeal contributions
place at Larsen Hall on the corner of Franklin and Fir and reminds those who have yet to do so to postmark
Streets from noon to 5:00 p.m. The open house will your donations before December 31, 2009, or donate
provide a chance for people to view local trail maps, online at www.mendocinolandtrust.org.
find out about regular hikes, equestrian and bike rides,
and water trails. Attendees will be able to meet local If you make a donation of $100 or more to the Land
and regional trail planners, land managers, trail related Trust before December 31, you may choose to receive
business owners, green recreation promoters, and trail a free Land Trust tote bag. If you wish to receive the
advocacy folks. tote bag, be sure to mark the appropriate box on your
Annual Appeal remit form or write “Please send me a
At 1:00 p.m., a speaker panel of local land managers tote bag” on the remit form enclosed with this newsletter.
and planners will share a multi-media presentation on Please note that if you accept the tote bag as a gift, your
existing hiking, biking, horse-back riding, and water tax-deductible donation amount will be $10 less than the
trails. A second panel of trail planning professionals will total amount of your donation, as specified by law.
share where new trails are planned and needed. Special
emphasis will be on creating connective trail segments We thank you for helping us to fulfill our vision of
between existing trail systems. being a countywide land conservation organization,
serving future generations through the conservation of
Continued on Page 3
the places we love.
 President’s Article by Win Bowen
I try to keep projects confidential until they are concluded. That
is frustrating, because I’d like to keep you well informed. However,
now that we’re closing out 2009, there is one conservation easement I
Board of Trustees thought you might like to hear about.
President One special landowner, Ann Maxwell, has allowed me to tell you
Win Bowen about her conservation easement, which will create the Gleason-
Prescott Wildlife Refuge on Ann’s 423 acre property near Willits. The
Vice President land is wonderful. A former sheep ranch, it is classic California Oak
David Jensen Woodlands, hilly and with a number of spectacular heirloom hardwood trees. There is also
a large area of what we call a mixed conifer forest, which refers to the presence of softwood
Secretary trees like fir and redwoods, but also contains hardwoods like tanoak and madrone. There are
Barbara Weiss
streams on the property and two beautiful year-round ponds.
Treasurer Ann’s property will honor her stepfather, Clark H. Gleason, who earned a Master’s Degree
Chet Anderson in Ecology from Oberlin College in the 1920s and worked for the U.S. Forest Service. She
remembers his discussions at the dinner table, where she was an eager listener. The Refuge also
Trustees honors her aunts Irene and Isabel Prescott, who left her much of the money used to buy the
Alan Falleri property and the advice, “Buy land.” Ann has set this land aside as a wildlife refuge in order to
Jeremy Isenberg
protect the bears, deer, mountain lions, birds, fish and other critters that make their homes on
Ron LeValley
the Refuge. The conservation easement will make sure the land and the habitat for wildlife it
provides will be protected in perpetuity.
We hope to record this easement in 2010. Without your financial support, we would not
have been able to help Ann create this Refuge. Please, if you have not already done so, help
MLT Staff
us by sending in your year-end gift. Your contributions will allow us to help other generous
Big River Program landowners like Ann Maxwell protect their lands for future generations.
Manager
Michael Miller Big River Projects Get the Green Light
by Michael Miller, Big River Program Manager
Big River Stewards
Volunteer The Big River Program was one of many programs throughout California that were
Coordinator affected by the state bond freeze, delaying previously approved projects. Now, some of
Matt Coleman those projects have been given the green light to get underway as funds are being released.

Coastal Access The Big River Program recently received notice to proceed on two watershed related
Program Manager projects funded by the California Department of Water Resources and Pacific Coast Joint
Tamira Jones Venture totaling $282,343.

Development The funds received from Pacific Joint Venture ($7,000 not affected by the bond freeze)
Coordinator are to assist in funding the Watershed Coordinator position with the Big River Watershed
Jenny Hall Coalition. The Big River Watershed Coalition was initiated in April of this year. Monthly
meetings provide a collaborative forum for stakeholders focused on the restoration
and recovery of Big River and its watershed. These monies will be used to fund the
coordination of monthly stakeholder meetings, outreach to landowners, and to pursue
grant funding opportunities for restoration within the Big River watershed.
The Mendocino The Big River Program also received $275,343 from the State of California Resources
Land Trust is a Agency’s River Parkways Program, which had been affected by the bond freeze. This
member of the project, scheduled for the summer of 2010, will upgrade the Main Haul Road by
Land Trust Alliance addressing erosion issues along approximately 1.5 miles of the road, with the elimination
and the California of inboard ditches, outsloping of the road, and through the creation of rolling dips for
Council of Land water diversion.
Trusts
Additionally, eight interpretive signs are planned along the road to educate visitors
on the flora and fauna of the Redwood Forest, the Big River Estuary, and the
interconnections that are part of the ecology of the North Coast Region.
2
Sixth Year of Fall Bird Surveys Concludes
by Matt Coleman, Big River Stewards Coordinator
The sixth year of Fall Big River Bird Surveys
ended on November 13 with the second pass on the
western-most route on the Big River Haul Road. This
year’s surveys added one new species, the Western
Meadowlark, to the 87 species of birds that have been
noted during the six years volunteers have monitored
Big River’s avifauna during the Fall season.
A number of birds call Big River their home only
during the winter months, most notably the Ruby-
crowned Kinglet, which was seen more frequently this
year than the ubiquitous Steller’s Jay, an event which has
only occurred once before during the 2005 Fall surveys.
Another winter resident is the Varied Thrush. Unlike
the Ruby-crowned Kinglets, which were common on all
three routes, Varied Thrush were entirely absent from
surveys on the West Haul Road and were relatively
scarce on the East Haul Road. In fact, Varied Thrush
were only common at Laguna Marsh, where they
occurred in more than 60% of the surveys.
Yellow-rumped Warblers are another wintering
species at Big River, but judging by this year’s data, they
seem to be a late arrival. Occurrence of “butter butts”
ranged from 10% during the initial survey to 36% during
the final counts. Winter birds of Big River that were
infrequently observed include Townsend’s Warblers,
Western Grebes, and Buffleheads.
Many year-round resident birds of the Mendocino
Coast make scant use of lower-elevation habitats at Big
River until colder weather sets in. For example, Black
Phoebe occur in less than one percent of the Spring
Bird Surveys, yet becomes one of the most frequently
observed bird species in the Fall. Similarly, Hermit
Thrush become much more frequent during Fall as
does the American Robin, which is typically noted at
an average of 30% during the Spring surveys, but was
observed during 49% of all Fall surveys this year.
Other notable observations this year included Red-
shouldered Hawks on the West Haul Road and Laguna
Marsh, as well as a single Northern Pygmy Owl on the
East Haul Road (photo on page 4). The Virginia Rail,
a secretive marsh bird, was noted more frequently than
any year since surveys began in 2003.
Overall, 28 volunteers donated a total of 196 hours
to the Fall surveys this year. If you weren’t able to
participate, don’t despair: in addition to the annual
Spring Breeding Bird surveys next year, a goal for this
winter is to continue monitoring a subset of the Haul
Road stations. As vehicle access is problematic during
the wet season, we’ll be initiating a new effort: “Bike and
Bird.” Contact Matt Coleman for details.
Trail Symposium (Continued from Page 1)
The key-note speaker of the event will be local
resident Marlene Padilla, who will share her thru-hike
experience hiking the California Coastal Trail (CCT)
from Oregon to Mexico. Marlene has led trail building
crews throughout the state, as well as in Mendocino
County, and completed her 1,300 mile hike of the CCT
this September. She will share her photos, stories,
observations, and insight as a culmination to this
exciting event.
Following the open house, a social time is planned
for those folks interested in meeting other people in
the non-motorized transportation and recreation
planning field. Guests are invited to gather at the
North Coast Brewery for a time of celebration of the
tasks accomplished and mutual encouragement for the
challenges and opportunities ahead.
An event agenda with more information is posted
on the MLT web site under the Coastal Trail page. If
you would like more information or would like to help
with this event, please contact Tamira Jones, at
707-962-0470 or tjones@mendocinolandtrust.org.
January 9th Trail Symposium Outings
Please RSVP with the Outing Leaders as soon as
possible to reserve your spot!
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Equestrian Trail Ride in the Ten Mile Watershed with
Lari Shea. Contact Lari Shea at 964-9669.
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Coastal Trail walk on the former GP Mill site with the
City of Fort Bragg. Contact Marie Jones, City of Fort
Bragg, at 961-2827.
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Guided Noyo River Water Trail with Liquid Fusion.
Contact Liquid Fusion Kayaking at 962-1623.
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Group bike ride through Fort Bragg from Pomo Bluffs
to Pudding Creek Trestle. Contact Dan Gjerde at
dgjerde@fortbragg.com.
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Otis Johnson Park Hike & Workday. Contact Terri Jo
Barber at 961-2828.
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Historic Fort Bragg Walking Tour hosted by the
Native Daughters of the Golden West. Contact Ruth
Sparks at 961-1881.
3

During the Fall 2009 Bird Surveys at Big River, a Northern
Pygmy Owl was spotted along the East Haul Road. See Page
3 for related article. Photo by Matt Coleman.
Quarterly Calendar of Land Trust Events
December 24-25, 2009. The Land Trust office will be
closed for the holiday.
December 31, 2009. Make sure to have your annual
contribution postmarked by December 31st in order for
your donation to be tax-deductible for 2009!
January 1, 2009. The Land Trust office will be closed for
the holiday.
January 9, 2009. First Annual Mendocino County
Trail Symposium. Outings in the morning, followed
by an open house at Larsen Hall in Fort Bragg from
noon to 5:00 p.m. See article on page 1 for details.
For more information, contact Tamira at tjones@
mendocinolandtrust.org.
For additional information on any Land Trust events,
please call the Land Trust Office at 707-962-0470 or
contact us at info@mendocinolandtrust.org.

The Board and Staff of the

Food Donations Sought for Trail Symposium
Mendocino Land Trust wish you a
The Land Trust is looking for donations of food for
Happy Holiday Season! the Mendocino County Trail Symposium open house on
January 9th (see article on front page). Contact Tamira
Jones at 707-962-0470.

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FAX: 707 962-0444
Email: info@mendocinolandtrust.org
www.mendocinolandtrust.org

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