Make a ContributionIn continuing the critical work we do, we have developed three new fundraising campaigns focusing on preserving our agricultural heritage, conserving and protecting our regional groundwater resources, and conserving vitally important landscape connectivity. It is our hope that by creating these focused campaigns you can more easily identify and support your particular conservation priorities and help us make them a reality! Join hundreds of other NCRLT supporters by contributing at one of these levels using a secure PayPal account, or you can mail your contributions to: Northern California Regional Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
“Agricultural Heritage” Campaign Consider the following from the California Farm Bureau (2007):
Not only does this trend represent a permanent loss in farmland statewide, but more importantly, the permanent loss of an irreplaceable part of our American heritage – family-owned and operated farms and ranches. Family farmers and ranchers define the California landscape. They produce $32 billion of farm value annually and support more than 1.1 million jobs statewide. These stewards of the land also provide the finest quality and most affordable agricultural products in the world. Agricultural land protection through conservation easements is a relatively new concept in our region. Despite local press, many farmers and ranchers in Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties are unaware of the benefits of permanent land protection. NCRLT believes it critical that intensive landowner outreach and engagement continues. Twenty years of experience tells us this is one of the few approaches that provide the exposure and credibility necessary for long-term agricultural land protection in our tri-county region. “Tuscan Headwaters” Campaign On June 4, 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared California in a statewide drought. This declaration occurred after two years of below-average rainfall, low snowmelt runoff and the largest court-ordered restriction on water transfers in state history. As a result of the drought and water transfer restrictions in Southern California, many water advocates fear that water sales and transfers will increase in Northern California, resulting in the depletion of its surface and groundwater resources. One of these resources, the Tuscan Aquifer, lies beneath eastern Glenn County and Butte and Tehama counties. It is estimated to be one of the largest groundwater aquifers in the state, with a capacity of approximately 30 million acre-feet of water, more than 30 times the capacity of Folsom Lake. Within the Tuscan region, reliance on groundwater is rising with a growing population. In Butte County, groundwater already supplies approximately one-third of the water needed for agriculture, urban uses and wildlife habitat. The depletion of groundwater lowers surface-water flows and drains wetlands, damaging riparian habitat and adversely affecting water quality. Building public support for watershed protection and generating interest among landowners for permanent land protection using conservation easements will help protect the watersheds and recharge areas of the Tuscan Aquifer. Your investment in this campaign will lead to significant long-term benefits, including the permanent protection of expansive acreage in ten watersheds and the development of a strong group of watershed stakeholders in Battle Creek, Paynes Creek, Antelope Creek, Mill Creek, Deer Creek, Pine Creek, Big Chico Creek, Little Chico Creek, Butte Creek and Lower Feather/Honcut Creek. “Nature Connections” Campaign A major threat to the survival of many plant and animal species is the destruction or fragmentation of their natural habitats. The conservation of landscape connectivity—where animals, plants, and ecological processes can move freely from one habitat to another—is therefore an essential part of any conservation or environmental protection plan. In practice, however, creating, protecting, and maintaining connectivity in our increasingly dissected world is a daunting challenge. As the region’s local land trust, NCRLT takes this challenge very seriously. In our three-county, 5,000-square mile region, we have identified 21 connective landscapes that link grasslands and oak woodlands along the Valley floor and foothills to federally protected forestlands at the higher elevations. The Land Trust and its conservation partners need your continued support in engaging and fostering positive relationships with private landowners in these critical areas so that ecologically viable habitat connectivity and the continued existence of associated species can be accomplished.
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