Shasta Land Trust              Conserving the beauty, character and diversity of significant lands in far northern California 2012 Wildways Events Announced Shasta Land Trust is pleased to announce our 2012 series of Wildways events!  Wildways events take place throughout the year and range from hikes and mountain bike rides to wine tasting and dinner parties.  Check out the 22 events that Shasta Land Trust will be hosting throughout 2012 at this page.  Tickets for Wildways events go on sale at the Wildways Kickoff Party on February 25th.  After the Kickoff Party, and unsold Wildways tickets will be available for sale at the Shasta Land Trust office starting at 9am on Monday, February 27.  Shasta Land Trust members will receive a printed booklet with event descriptions in the mail approximately two weeks before the Kickoff Party. Friends Gather to Celebrate Latest SLT Success Over 130 friends and supporters of Shasta Land Trust gathered on October 8th to celebrate the permanent protection of the 5,000 acre Rickert Brothers Ranch.  The event, offered free to members of the land trust, featured delicious Prather Ranch hamburgers and the music of Wild Bill and the Mud Whompers.  Everyone had a great time under beautiful October skies, and we're all looking forward to celebrating the next great conservation success that our members make possible! The US Fish & Wildlife Service, a crucial partner on the conservation easement project for the Rickert Brothers Ranch, recently featured a write-up of our Dedication Celebration in their newsletter.  You can read that piece here . SLT Helps Complete Foothills Area Conservation Report Shasta Land Trust, a founding member of the Sierra Cascade Land Trust Council (SCLTC), helped complete a recently published study of the foothills on the east side of the Central Valley.  Encompassing areas east of Redding, this study sought to bring together many facets of data regarding land conservation issues in the region.  The report can be downloaded here. The "Foothills Area Conservation Report" covers such issues as current land use, parcel fragmentation, vegetation and other factors.  It presents, in map form, many important facts about how land in our region is used and the resources it contains. The Foothills Report is an important contribution to conservation in the foothills of California, and represents yet another example of the thoughtful results that can come about through the colloboration of the many partners involved in SCLTC.    Wildways Kickoff February 25th, 2012 Please make plans to join over a hundred of your friends and neighbors for the annual Shasta Land Trust Wildways Kickoff Party.  The Kickoff will be held on February 25th, 2012, at the Senior Citizens Hall in Redding.  The Kickoff is your first chance to buy tickets to other Wildways events throughout the year, and it's always a lot of fun for all! Great Sierra River Cleanup The 3rd annual Great Sierra River Cleanup, held annually in conjunction with Coastal Cleanup Day, took place on Saturday, September 17, 2011.  Shasta Land Trust hosted a local cleanup here in Redding, where approximately 55 volunteers removed trash from Olney Creek, the Sacramento River, and Clear Creek in the area of Cascade Park in south Redding.  In three hours of work, volunteers collected 1,019 pounds of trash and recyclables that have now been prevented from making their way into the aquatic habitats.   After a morning of hard work, volunteers were treated to a complimentary lunch courtesy of Trader Joes, Grilla Bites, and Holiday Quality Foods.  Thank you to everyone who participated!  Mark your calendars now for the 4th annual Great Sierra River Cleanup: September 15, 2012. Thank you to the local sponsors who supported SLT's 2011 Great Sierra River Cleanup!!    Family Day at Hathaway Ranch On Saturday, May 14, Shasta Land Trust held our second Family Day at Hathaway Ranch event, a day of outdoor fun and exploration for the whole family.  Forty-nine adults and children had the opportunity to spend a day exploring Hathaway Ranch and Oak Run Creek while geocaching, participating in nature walks, catching invertebrates in the creek, building rock sculptures, and much more.  For more photos and details and about this and future events, click here. Shasta Land Trust Awarded Accreditation In February 2011, Shasta Land Trust became one of the first 130 land trusts nationwide to successfully recieve accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.  This important achievement means that Shasta Land Trust meets national standards for excellence, upholds the public trust, and ensures that conservation efforts are permanent. Shasta Land Trust has always aspired to the highest standards of land trusts and non-profit organizations, and we appreciate the mark of distinction that the Accreditation Seal (above) will convey about our organization.  To read more about accreditation, our efforts to submit the application, and our achievement, please click here . Completed Project Protects 5,000 acres Shasta Land Trust is proud to announce the completion of our latest conservation easement project which will permanently conserve the 5,000 acre Rickert Brothers Ranch in Shasta County.  The project has been in the works for over four years and was made possible by the generous landowners, our partners The Trust for Public Land, and funding partners.  The Rickert Brothers Ranch is located east of Bella Vista on highway 299, and includes an impressive array of wildlife habitat.  Blue oak woodlands, three major creeks, important agricultural land, and hundreds of acres of vernal pools can be found on this diverse ranch. The Ranch will remain in private ownership, but Shasta Land Trust will hold the perpetual conservation easement.  We will monitor the property to ensure that the terms and conditions of the easement are upheld, but the landowers will continue to run the ranch and receive income from it. Funds to purchase this easement were derived from federal and state grant sources, as well as a private foundation.  The ranch will not have open public access as a result of this project, but Shasta Land Trust will hold events there in the near future.     Shasta Land Trust derives its support from our generous members, who make all of our work possible.  In the thirteen years of our existence, this local support and local leadership have allowed SLT to permanently protect over 20,000 acres in Shasta County! Read more about this exciting project here.                 Wildways 2011 Underway Wildways 2011 is underway!  For full descriptions of all of the events in the 2011 Wildways season, or to purchase tickets to an upcoming event, please click here.   The annual Wildways series of events in support of Shasta Land Trust got started on February 26th with our best-attended Kickoff Party ever!  Over 200 people joined us for a great evening of fun, great food, and friends.  Muletown provided great music as people took advantage of the first opportunity to buy tickets to all the other exiting events in this year's Wildways series.     This year, Wildways will feature exclusive tours of some scenic gems of the Northstate, as well as opportunities for hands-on exploration of our region's rich history and biology.  There's truly something for everyone, and -- of course -- all proceeds from Wildways go to support Shasta Land Trust in our mission to conserve important land in our area. Please click here for complete discriptions of all this year's Wildways events.  We are very grateful to the dozens of volunteers who donate time and resources to make Wildways a reality.  Thank You!     Shasta Land Trust Seeks Enthusiastic Volunteers As a small local non-profit organization, Shasta Land Trust depends on our volunteers to accomplish much of our work. There are many opportunities to volunteer with SLT, but we are currently seeking dedicated volunteers to serve on some of our planning committees.    At any one time, SLT has at least 8 volunteer committees that help shape and guide the organization's efforts.We are currently seeking dedicated individuals who can serve on our annual Wildways planning committee, and the committee that will plan the Wildways Kickoff event.  Please contact us if you are interested in serving on either of these, or any of our committees.