The Northern California Regional Land Trust (The Land Trust) is a non-profit organization that assists landowners and public agencies in the voluntary protection and conservation land and other natural resources. We recognize conservation of our working and wild land 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.
To learn more about the process of working with us, get in touch with us here.
We have four well-defined conservation programs including:
1. Farmland Protection Program
2. Rangeland Protection Program
3. Wildland Protection Program
4. Land Mitigation Program
We also provide fee services that assist in the successful implementation of federal, state and local regulations. The Land Trust provides these services through:
1. Presenting landowners with a variety of options for preserving their lands while retaining private ownership and control.
2. Holding conservation easements for mitigation projects and accepting stewardship contracts.
3. Providing a variety of professional and consulting services to developers and local municipalities and governments including open space planning, acquisition and management of open space properties, drafting, holding and monitoring of conservation easements, and management and monitoring of mitigation properties.
4. Providing professional stewardship and monitoring services for sensitive natural areas. Whether it is land held by others, or on land we hold in conservation easement, we can identify the critical ecological processes and components on a given site and implement adaptive management practices to meet protection goals.
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 2000, a long-range strategic planning program was initiated along with a new agricultural land preservation program and our education and outreach programs were enhanced to include aiding and promoting conservation awareness in the region. It was at this time that we changed our name to the Northern California Regional Land Trust in an effort to embrace land conservation in a broader context.
Paul Kirk, Interim Executive DirectorPaul has been part of senior staff at The Northern California Regional Land Trust (The Land Trust) for three years, playing an integral role in conserving over 9,000 acres of our region’s irreplaceable prime agricultural lands, rangelands, open spaces, and wildlife habitat. Paul has worked for over 14 years as a natural resources professional in Northern California and looks forward to continuing the essential work of The Land Trust in concert with our conservation partners. Paul studied Agriculture and Biological Sciences at CSU, Chico, and subsequently taught in public schools for 12 years. After completing a masters in Botany in 2003, he worked as a restoration biologist and environmental consultant conducting a wide range of natural resource field studies and assessments required for regulatory compliance. Paul seeks to promote and coordinate outreach and field trips that foster appreciation and understanding for the working and wild lands in the region.
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.
Joining the board in September ’09, Richard has been involved in environmental and land use issues since 1969, when he worked on his first research project regarding proposed oil drilling on the Canadian side of Lake Erie. Richard has practiced law in the Central Valley for over thirty years. His primary area of practice has been real property and business litigation, with an emphasis on environmental law, land use planning, water law, and appellate advocacy. Richard sincerely believes that it is not too late to make a difference in the Northern Sacramento Valley and that, if we act promptly and prudently, we can save large portions of agricultural land and open space in this region.
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, M.S., TreasurerGerald 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 The Northern California Regional Land Trust (The Land Trust) and its mission to protect land and natural resources. Jerry currently sits on the Executive, Finance and Board Development Committees for The Land Trust.
Bert Owens, SecretaryBert 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 The Land Trust’s diverse working lands conservation programs.
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.