California Land Trusts
There are dozens of conservancies and land trusts in California that work to preserve sensitive natural areas, farmlands and ranchlands, water sheds, and notable landmarks. Trusts use a number of strategies to provide this protection–from outright acquisition of property to the purchase of a conservation easement, which prevents development on the land.
Land trusts play an important, if unheralded, role in the state’s tourism industry by protecting sensitive lands that draw visitors to California. Land trusts manage watersheds for birding and wildlife viewing, ridge lands for hiking and biking, and heritage sites that draw cultural tourists.
The California Council of Land Trusts defines the work of these organizations as:
Ensuring Californians’ Quality of Life. Californians need clean water and air, places to play and rejuvenate, healthy and affordable food, scenic beauty, and natural areas to experience and learn. These lands are critical to the well being of Californians — to our quality of life, our children’s future and our love of California.
Working in Local Communities. Land trusts are rooted in local communities, and work to protect local places of value and importance. Land trust board members, staff and volunteers reside in the areas they work. They join with fellow community members to respond to local needs and protect local places.
What follows is a list of land trusts and conservancies in Northern California.
Local and Regional Land Trusts
American River Conservancy
348 Highway 49
PO Box 562, Coloma, CA 94536
Phone: 530.621.1224
Email: arc@arconservancy.org
Anderson Valley Land Trust
PO Box 141, Boonville, CA
Phone: (707) 895-3150
E‑mail: AVLT@mcn.org
Bay Area Barns and Trails
PO Box 2435, Mill Valley, CA 94942-2435
Phone: 415-383-6283
E‑mail: BABTT@earthlink.net
Bodega Land Trust
PO Box 254, Bodega, CA 94922-0254
Phone: 707-876-3093
E‑mail: bodegalandtrust@bodeganet.com
Brentwood Agricultural Land Trust
PO Box 2046
104 Oak Street, Brentwood, CA 94513-1335
Phone: 925-634-6738
E‑mail: brentwoodagtrust@sbcglobal.net
California Rangeland Trust
1221 H St, Sacramento, CA 95814-1910
Phone: (916) 444-2096
E‑mail: nvail@rangelandtrust.org
Central Valley Farmland Trust
2948 E. Woodbridge Road, Acampo, CA
Phone: 916-687-3178
E‑mail: bmartin@valleyfarmland.org
Agricultural Trust of Contra Costa County
965 Camino Verde Circle
Walnut Creek, CA 94597-2270
Phone: 415-713-5108
Eastern Sierra Land Trust
621 W. Line Street. Suite 203
P.O. Box 755, Bishop, CA 93515
Phone: 760-873-4554
Email: info@easternsierralandtrust.org
Elkhorn Slough Foundation
PO Box 267
1700 Elkhorn Rd., Moss Landing, CA 95039-0267
Phone: (831) 728-5939
Feather River Land Trust
75 Court Street
P.O. Box 1826, Quincy, CA 95971
Phone: 530.283.5758
Email: frlt@frlt.org
Lake County Land Trust
PO Box 711, Lower Lake, CA 95457-0711
Phone: 707-995-1398
E‑mail: susanne@jps.net
Lassen Land and Trails Trust
P.O. Box 1461, Susanville, CA 96130
Phone: (530) 257-3252
Email: lltt@psln.com
Marin Agricultural Land Trust
PO Box 809, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956-0809
Phone: (415) 663-1158
E‑mail: farmland@malt.org
Monterey County Agricultural and Historical Land Conservancy
P.O. Box 1731
Salinas, CA 93902-1731
Phone: (831) 422-5868
E‑mail: sdarington@redshift.com
Motherlode Land Trust
PO Box 1435, Jackson, CA 95642
Phone: 209.419.2861
Email: ellieroutt@sbcglobal.net
Mountain Meadows Conservancy
P.O. Box 40, Westwood, CA 96137
Phone: (530) 256-3982
Email: info@mtmeadows.org
Muir Heritage Land Trust
PO Box 2452, Martinez, CA 94553-7452
Phone: 925-228-5460
E‑mail: info@muirheritagelandtrust.org
Land Trust of Napa County
1040 Main St Ste 203, Napa, CA 94559-2605
Phone: (707) 252-3270
E‑mail: info@napalandtrust.org
Nevada County Land Trust
175 Joerschke Drive, Suite R
Grass Valley, California 95945
Phone: 530-272-5994
Email: info@nevadacountylandtrust.org
Northcoast Regional Land Trust
P.O. Box 398, 2182 Old Arcata Rd.
Bayside, CA 95524-0398
Phone: (707) 822-2242
E‑mail: info@ncrlt.org
Northern California Regional Land Trust
167 East Third Avenue, Chico CA 95926
Phone: 30.894.7738
Email: ncrlt@landconservation.org
Peninsula Open Space Trust
222 High Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Phone: (650) 854-7696
E‑mail: post@openspacetrust.org
Placer Land Trust
11521 Blocker Drive, Auburn CA 95603
Phone: (530) 887-9222
Email: info@placerlandtrust.org
Redwood Coast Land Conservancy
PO Box 1511, Gualala, CA 95445-1511
Phone: (707) 785-3327
E‑mail: rclc@mcn.org
Sacramento Valley Conservancy
PO Box 163351, Sacramento, CA 95816-9351
Phone: 916-731-8798
E‑mail: Bond13mac@aol.com
San Joaquin Valley Conservancy
PO Box 732, Merced, CA 95341-0732
Phone: 209-723-9283
E‑mail: sjvc@bigvalley.net
Land Trust of Santa Cruz County
PO Box 1287, 617 Water Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95061-1287
Phone: (831) 429-6116
E‑mail: landtrust@ltscc.org
Save Mount Diablo
1196 Boulevard Way, Suite 10
Walnut Creek, CA 94595-1167
Phone: (925) 947-3535
E‑mail: smdinfo@savemountdiablo.org
Sempervirens Fund
Drawer BE
Los Altos, CA 94023-4054
Phone: 650-968-4509
Sequoia Riverlands Trust
4278 So. Garden St., Visalia, CA 93277
Phone: 559-738-0211
Email: info@sequoiariverlands.org
Shasta Land Trust
P.O. Box 992026, Redding, CA 96099-2026
Phone: (530) 241-7886
Email: info@shastalandtrust.org
Sierra Foothill Conservancy
PO Box 529, Prather, CA 93651-0529
Phone: 559-855-3473
E‑mail: sfc@psnw.com
Sierra Valley Resource Conservation District
PO Box 50, Vinton, CA 96135
Phone: (530) 993-4580
Email: sierravalleyrcd@netzero.net
Solano Land Trust
1001 Texas Street, Fairfield, CA 94533-0011
Phone: (707) 432-0150
E‑mail: admin@solanolandtrust.org
Sonoma Land Trust
966 Sonoma Ave, Santa Rosa, CA
Phone: (707) 526-6930
E‑mail: lois@sonomalandtrust.org
Tri-Valley Conservancy
1736 Holmes Street, Livermore, CA
Phone: 925-449-8706
E‑mail: conservancy@pacbell.net
Truckee Donner Land Trust
P.O. Box 8816, Truckee, CA 96162
Phone: (530) 582-4711
Email: info@tdlandtrust.org
Tuolumne County Land Trust
PO Box 5362, Sonora, CA 95370
phone: 209.532.6937
email: mgpowell@sbcglobal.net
Western Shasta Resource Conservation District
6270 Parallel Rd, Anderson, CA 96007
Phone: (530) 365-7332
Yolo Land Trust
PO Box 1196, Woodland, CA 95776-1196
Phone: (530) 795-3110
E‑mail: judy@yololandtrust.org
Statewide and Councils of Land Trusts
American Land Conservancy
250 Montgomery St Ste 210
San Francisco, CA 94104
Phone: 415-912-3660
E‑mail: mail@alcnet.org
California Council of Land Trusts
1107 9th Street, Suite 1050, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 497-0272
mail@calandtrusts.org
California Rangeland Trust
1221 H St, Sacramento, CA 95814-1910
Phone: (916) 444-2096
Email: nvail@rangelandtrust.org
The Nature Conservancy
201 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: (415) 777-0487
E‑mail: msweeney@tnc.org
Pacific Forest Trust
416 Aviation Blvd, Santa Rosa, CA 95403-1032
Phone: (707) 578-9950
E‑mail: jodonnell@pacificforest.org
Sierra-Cascade Land Trust Council
Trust for Public Land, California
116 New Montgomery St., San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: (415) 495-4014
Email: info@tpl.org
Wilderness Land Trust
PO Box 163, Carmel Valley, CA 93924
Phone: 415-606-5895
E‑mail: nikki@wildernesslandtrust.org