The Northern California Regional Land Trust (The Land Trust) is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that assists landowners and public agencies in the voluntary protection and conservation of land and other natural resources. We recognize conservation of our working and wildland resources is essential to our region’s quality of life for generations to come.
The Land Trust’s program area includes Tehama, Glenn, and Butte counties, from the western slopes of the Sierra-Cascade Crest, across the Sacramento River Valley, to the eastern slopes of the North Coast Range. Within this approximately 6,000 square mile region, our priorities are the conservation of farms, ranches, and open space important to our region’s economic well-being, ecological health, and quality of life.
A large part of our job is pursuing and securing properties with high conservation value (e.g., cultural, ecological, agricultural and aesthetic), either with conservation easements or through fee title acquisition (i.e., we buy it). A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and The Land Trust which restricts the use of a particular property in order to protect its conservation values.
To learn more about the process of working with us, give us a call or get in touch with us here.
We also provide fee services that assist in the successful implementation of federal, state and local regulations. See our Statement of Qualifications for more information.
The Northern California Regional Land Trust (The Land Trust) was founded in 1990 under the former name of “Parks and Preserves Foundation” and functioned as a local, grass-roots land trust that promoted cooperative preservation and enhancement of scenic, open space and significant habitat resources in Butte County. In the year 2000, a long-range strategic planning program was initiated along with a new agricultural land conservation program and our education and outreach programs were enhanced to include aiding and promoting conservation awareness in the region. At this time, we changed our name to the Northern California Regional Land Trust in an effort to embrace land conservation in a broader context. Since 2000, the Northern California Regional Land Trust has protected over 25,000 acres of prime agricultural lands, rangelands, open spaces, and wildlife habitat.
Susan Price has worked in the field of community development throughout her career in federal and local government and the non-profit sector. Susan spent six years with the federal government as a U.S. Senate staff member for two United States Senators where she worked on a broad array of constituent, legislative, and special projects and programs. She spent eight and a half years in the housing and community development non-profit sector and twenty years in City and County government in both appointed and elected positions, including City Manager, Finance Director, and Director of Planning and Natural Resources, as well as eight years as an elected City Councilmember. Susan’s experience spans a wide range of grant and loan funded projects and programs in various areas of federal, state, and local funding, which has resulted in over $40 million in funding secured for implementation and administration of grants and loans and other public and private financing for projects and programs. These projects and programs are in the areas of water and wastewater, housing and housing rehabilitation, public works and infrastructure, community facilities, public services, economic development, natural resources, law enforcement, finance, and planning and feasibility studies. Susan graduated with a BA in Sociology from Georgetown University, Washington, DC and a Masters in Public Administration from California State University, Chico. Susan also holds a Certificate in Land Use and Environmental Planning from the University of California, Davis and has completed coursework in Economic Development Finance from the National Development Council in New York.
As Deputy Executive Director, Abigail supports community outreach, partnership development, conservation easement transactions, financial management, strategic planning, operations, and administration of the Land Trust. She works closely with the Board of Directors and other staff to serve communities across the Northern Sacramento Valley and Sierra Nevada foothills, and welcomes every opportunity to engage with community members and better understand their land stewardship values, concerns, and needs. Abigail joined NCRLT in 2020, building on over ten years of experience in finance and operations, agriculture, environmental consulting, conservation project management, research, and rural economic development. A native of Butte County, Abigail graduated from California State University, Chico with a B.S. in Applied Ecology and minor in Economics, and has worked in a variety of environments, from the rangelands of Tehama County to the riparian corridor of the Sacramento River to the dryland forests of southeastern Africa. She is passionate about open spaces and public lands, protecting the local food system, and improving access to wild nature and outdoor recreation in this region. When not at work, you might find her trail running, mountain biking, backpacking, snowboarding, or in the garden.
As Conservation Director of The Land Trust, John is excited to continue his partnership with landowners and conservation partners in conserving agricultural lands, open space, wildlife habitat and natural resources in Northern California. As the former Executive Director, John led conservation easement acquisitions on more than 9,300 acres, while expanding The Land Trust’s role as a community leader in conserving Northern California’s land and natural resources. John has lived in the North State for over 25 years, working as a natural resources professional and project manager for more than 20 years. During this time, John has worked with private landowners, agencies, and community organizations to conserve, manage, and enhance resources on farm, range, timber and wild lands throughout Northern California. Working with diverse partners, including farmers, ranchers, sportsmen/women, and agency personnel has given John a deep appreciation for the value of respect and communication in identifying common and complementary goals. To achieve these goals, John believes the most important resource we have is the human resource. Though John considers real world experience the most valuable part of his education, he is also a wildlife biologist and botanist with a Master’s Degree in Biology and certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). John loves to spend time with his boys, River and Jonah, taking every opportunity to educate them about the North State landscape and instilling a respect for the land and its resources.
Malia Forbert joined the Northern California Regional Land Trust as part of the field team and over the last year has grown into being our Stewardship Coordinator. As Stewardship Coordinator, Malia maintains communications and relationships between landowners, agencies, and community partners, and coordinates conservation easement monitoring and reports for 33+ conservation easement properties across Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties. Malia comes from a family cattle operation on the Big Island of Hawaii, although she has lived in Northern California for the majority of her life. She has a very interdisciplinary background and holds a degree in Environmental Science and Conservation from Sonoma State University. In her free time, she loves to go flyfishing, snowboarding, and explore the outdoors.
Tod grew up on a family farm in Durham, California and attended and graduated from the Durham school system. After attending two years at Butte College, he finished his college studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, earning a degree in Agricultural Business Management. In 1982, Tod began working for Farm Credit in Livermore, California and has been with the company ever since. He and his wife relocated to Chico in 1985. Currently, he is a Regional Vice President in charge of public relations and business development. Farm Credit is a nationwide agricultural lending institution, which lends money to agricultural producers and agri- businesses. Tod is past president of the Chico Chamber of Commerce and past president of the Butte County Farm Bureau and helped lead those two organizations during the past several years. Tod lives in Durham with his wife Sherri and two sons.
Susan Price has worked in the field of community development throughout her career in federal and local government and the non-profit sector. Susan spent six years with the federal government as a U.S. Senate staff member for two United States Senators where she worked on a broad array of constituent, legislative, and special projects and programs. She spent eight and a half years in the housing and community development non-profit sector and twenty years in City and County government in both appointed and elected positions, including City Manager, Finance Director, and Director of Planning and Natural Resources, as well as eight years as an elected City Councilmember. Susan’s experience spans a wide range of grant and loan funded projects and programs in various areas of federal, state, and local funding, which has resulted in over $40 million in funding secured for implementation and administration of grants and loans and other public and private financing for projects and programs. These projects and programs are in the areas of water and wastewater, housing and housing rehabilitation, public works and infrastructure, community facilities, public services, economic development, natural resources, law enforcement, finance, and planning and feasibility studies. Susan graduated with a BA in Sociology from Georgetown University, Washington, DC and a Masters in Public Administration from California State University, Chico. Susan also holds a Certificate in Land Use and Environmental Planning from the University of California, Davis and has completed coursework in Economic Development Finance from the National Development Council in New York.
Gerald Armour is co-owner and CFO of the Western Nut Company, a California almond and walnut marketing firm based in Chico, California. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Almond Board of California and has been involved with the almond industry for nearly 30 years. Jerry studied horticulture at UC Davis and received his master’s degree in 1975. He has an active interest in native plant communities and is a member of the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens and Hoyt Arboretum in Portland, Oregon. Jerry lives with his wife, Jane on a five-acre parcel in Paradise, California. He has been personally involved with restoration of native species on this property for more than 15 years. His background in horticulture and passion for native ecosystems fit well into his involvement with NCRLT and its mission to protect land and natural resources. Jerry currently sits on the Executive, Finance and Board Development Committees for The Northern California Regional Land Trust.
Bert is a 4th generation cattle producer, real estate broker , and co-founder of AG-Land Investment Brokers. With over 35 years experience in agricultural business, finance, ranch management, cattle production, crop insurance and real estate in Tehama, Lassen, Shasta, and Modoc counties, Bert brings a wealth of practical knowledge, insight, and community relationships to the Land Trust’s diverse working lands conservation programs.
Ross grew up in Tehama County and graduated from Corning High School before going on to Shasta College and California State University, Chico. As a young man, he was active in Boy Scouts, FFA, 4H, and California Young Farmers, and continued to cultivate a passion for the outdoors and agricultural careers in local youth through decades of involvement in the Tehama County Fair’s Junior Livestock Sale, the Corning Junior Rodeo, and as a long-time BSA Troop Leader. Ross served his community as the Corning City Mayor and sat on the City Council, as well as spending three terms in office on the Tehama County Board of Supervisors. His civic engagement through numerous volunteer efforts are a source of pride for this North State native, including extensive work with the Tehama County Farm Bureau, Tehama County Vector Control District, Corning Rural Volunteer Fire Department, Corning Hospital Advisory Board, Corning Healthcare District Board, Corning Rotary Club, Corning Exchange Club, and Corning Chamber of Commerce. While deeply invested in public administration and volunteerism, Ross still finds time to manage and work his family’s olive operation. He loves proselytizing for locally grown olive oil, and served on the Board of Directors of the California Olive Committee for 16 years.