Latest News

The City of Carpinteria has completed its acquisition of the Rincon Gateway Bluffs from the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, marking the next chapter for this 2.48-acre stretch of protected coastal open space. The Land Trust acquired Rincon Gateway in early 2025 with generous support from the La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation, permanently protecting the property from development and helping expand …

Riverside County, California — June 2026 — One of the Coachella Valley’s most important desert wetlands is the focus of a scientific study initiated by the Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM) after CNLM staff documented declining water levels and recurring drying events at Simone Pond within its Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve. Because Simone Pond provides important habitat for the federally and …

Former Walt Ranch renamed to honor vital wildlife corridor; public opening targeted for spring 2027The Land Trust of Napa County today announced the official renaming of Walt Ranch to the Osos Ridge Preserve. The new name celebrates the 2,300-acre property’s critical role as a contiguous wildlife corridor and its consistent use by black bears. Acquired three years ago, the preserve …

PALO ALTO— Beachgoers along the San Mateo County coast will soon enjoy expanded access at San Gregorio State Beach following the recent acquisition by Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) of 238-acre San Gregorio Ranch, which sits at Highway 1 and Highway 84. While POST plans to donate this $10-million property to California State Parks (State Parks) later this year, visitors will be able to access …

A Practitioners’ Guide, Designed to Support Land- & Seascape Collaboratives  NEW open-source toolkit with resources and guidance for every phase of a collaborative’s life cycle—from inception to sunsetting. Land- and seascape stewardship collaboratives may take the form of regional stewardship networks, coalitions, joint ventures, or other partnership structures. Although working in this way isn’t new, the scale and complexity, as …

MONTEREY COUNTY, CA – On April 27th, Big Sur Land Trust was named a recipient of the prestigious Change Maker Award at the Monterey County Business Council’s 30th Annual Gala, recognizing nearly five decades of transformative leadership in land conservation, community connection, and environmental stewardship across Monterey County. Jeannette Tuitele-Lewis, President and Chief Executive Officer at Big Sur Land Trust, accepted the award on behalf of …

FORESTHILL, Calif. – CAL FIRE, the Placer Land Trust and the Colfax-Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe celebrated a 308-acre forest conservation and Tribal land back initiative in rural Placer County. The Owl Creek Project was primarily supported by $1.36 million in grant funding through CAL FIRE’s Forest Legacy Program. This is the first Tribal land back project initiative that CAL FIRE has …

FRESNO —Governor Gavin Newsom today announced State Parks Forward, setting California on a path to rapidly expand the nation’s largest and most diverse State Park System through a streamlined acquisition and planning process. Building on unprecedented progress of key administration priorities like Outdoors for All and 30×30, State Parks Forward establishes three new state parks near underserved communities in the Central Valley and lays the groundwork …

March 18, 2026 | Thank you to everyone that submitted videos to the Film Fest! You can find the winning videos on CCLT’s social media platforms as well as on our YouTube Channel. Congratulations to the winners! Most Popular Video winner: American River Conservancy Most Inspirational Video winner: Peninsula Open Space Trust Most Entertaining Video winner: Placer Land Trust For more information about …

Most Prop 4–funded programs have been on hold due to compliance requirements under the Administrative Procedures Act (APA). CCLT has been working with the Legislature to advance legislation that would exempt Prop 4 from the APA, allowing these programs to move forward.  AB 107, an early action budget bill, was signed by the Governor on February 19 and takes effect immediately. The bill exempts programs …

The Tudesko Ranch Preserve is the latest working lands project of the Sacramento Valley Conservancy (SVC), which aims to protect 885 acres of blue oak woodland, savannah, and riparian habitat on the eastern edge of Sacramento County’s urban area. The preserve includes sections of Deer and Carson Creeks, along with extensive associated riparian habitat, in an area threatened by development, …

The IRS published revised Form 8283 dated December 2025. Donors should use this version of the Form 8283. Using an old form may trigger an IRS challenge. The instructions to Form 8283 have not been revised and no substantive changes to the actual form were made. 

The Department of Conservation’s (DOC) Regional Forest and Fire Capacity (RFFC) Program is receiving $185,000,000 from the 2024 California Climate Bond. DOC is conducting a survey intended for California’s broad-based wildfire and landscape resilience network to hear what wildfire resilience activities are most important in your region and what ongoing capacity needs exist. The survey should take a few minutes to complete, and responses will inform DOC’s program development.    Take the Survey >> 

The CPAD/CCED data team has released the 2025b updated fee and easement data, which cover submissions and improvements from June to December 2025. CPAD Update CCED Update Overlap Reporting Ready to submit GAP codes for land your group manages?  Still struggling to assign GAP codes? 

We are delighted to welcome Jessica Matthews to the California Council of Land Trusts (CCLT) Team as the new Grants Program Manager! Jessica brings deep expertise at the intersection of natural and working lands, conservation finance, and grant strategy, with a proven track record supporting land protection and stewardship across Northern California. She joins CCLT from the Siskiyou Land Trust, …

Attract and Retain the Best Employees for your Organization in 2026 and Beyond  California’s nonprofit sector, which employs around 10% of the state’s workforce and provides vital services to communities throughout the state, is impacted by continuing inflation, uncertainty around funding sources, concern about softening economic conditions, and shifting federal government policies. In this environment, the 2026 survey report will provide information not available anywhere else …

Professional Development for Directors and Managers  While the Land Trust Alliance has several leadership development opportunities available for land trust executive directors, we recognize the need for “leading from within,” as well. This new program has been designed to meet the needs of land trust staff working in other management roles. This training is aimed at mid-career professionals who oversee …

The Elkhorn Slough Foundation announced that Mark Silberstein will be transitioning from his role as Executive Director after four decades of dedicated leadership. Mr. Silberstein will continue as an advisor focused on special projects associated with the recently completed Elkhorn Forever campaign.  Read the full announcement >>

The California Coastal Conservancy awarded a $800,750 grant to Sanctuary Forest, Inc. to acquire the Ta’che—Nóó-nih Yaash Property in Whitethorn (Humboldt County) and transfer it to the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council, a nonprofit organization of 10 local tribes.  Read the full press release >>

The Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) approved a $5.5 million grant to the Wášiw-šiw Land Trust to support the purchase of 10,274 acres at Loyalton Ranch. The Loyalton Ranch acquisition is the culmination of a four-year collaboration between the Tribe, the Northern Sierra Partnership, and the Feather River Land Trust.  Read more >>

The California Council of Land Trusts’ Carbon Working Group meets quarterly for 1/2 hour to share resources, identify conservation and educational opportunities in the carbon realm, and address various issues at the intersection of carbon and conservation easements.   These quarterly calls are slated for 11 AM on the second Wednesdays of February, May, August, and November.   If your land trust is dealing …

Recent public rumblings from the current federal administration have caused the Land Trust Alliance to increase risk monitoring regarding the potential for IRS audits of tax-exempt organizations. The administration has repeatedly stated that it will be applying additional scrutiny to tax-exempt organizations for compliance with all details of federal law and regulations. While the concern about an audit may be …

The new Vulnerable Communities Platform is designed to help community organizations, local governments, state agencies, researchers, and concerned residents understand where different climate hazards will be most severe, which communities are most vulnerable, and what makes them vulnerable so they can make informed adaptation planning, policy, and investment decisions. Supporting vulnerable communities and addressing climate mitigation and resilience are core …