Stewardship - Gabe Miller, FRLT Stewardship Coordinator, and his team of hard-working volunteers have been busy with several projects on both FRLT properties. One of the most substantial projects that he has taken on is the rebuilding of the Maddalena corral in Sierra Valley, a project that involved the input and skills of a number of key Sierra Valley residents. Taking the lead on the corral construction was Jace Ryan, a local Portola resident and former rodeo veteran who works with a variety of ranchers around Sierra Valley. As you'll see later in this newsletter, the corral and the adjacent interpretive trail are already being used by local birding enthusiasts and canoers. The funding for the rebuilding was provided by the Sierra Business Council.

The Heart K Ranch main house has also seen some drastic improvements over the past month. Gabe and a team of about 10 volunteers were responsible for tending burn piles, hauling away scrap metal, trim work, deep cleaning, and basic carpentry repairs in and around the ranch house. Repairs and general maintenance on the house allow the land trust to lease the house and grounds for weddings, conferences, workshops, and other community events, all of which create income for FRLT and get people out into beautiful Genesee Valley!

As most of our members know, the final acquisition of the Heart K Ranch in Genesee Valley is still very much a focus of our work this summer. In addition to searching for private, state, and federal grant funds to support this project, FRLT will be launching our official (and final) campaign in order to build momentum for the Heart K auction in September and our final shot at fundraising in December. To help keep everyone posted, here's an update on what we've been working on:

FRLT staff recently submitted a request to a Native American tribe in Minnesota that makes large contributions to other tribes and projects of significance to native peoples around the country. Because the Heart K includes a number of cultural sites and has historically been used by native communities for a variety of purposes, we looked into the possibility of Native American funding sources and found them to be promising. With the support of the Maidu Summit Consortium and several other Native American organizations, a proposal was submitted in May and should be reviewed sometime this month.

Federal and state support for the acquisition, while somewhat promising, may take longer to obtain. FRLT staff have met with a number of organizations over the last several weeks to tour the Heart K and discuss the probability of funding. We will be pursuing those options further in the summer and fall.

Lastly, make sure to keep an eye open for the local campaign announcement that will be coming to you soon in the mail. As part of our efforts to raise the remaining $1,051,000, we hope to garner local support from July to December that will leverage funds already raised. We are calling this local campaign the Keep the Dream Alive Campaign and are excited to see it off the ground. 

After having a number of FRLT members approach us asking about monthly giving options, we decided to find a way to make it extra easy for donors. By August 1, 2009, members will be able to have a monthly donation automatically withdrawn from their checking account, or credit card, depending on your preferences. For many of our members, small monthly donations are much more feasible than larger annual donations. By using our new Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) option, a larger percentage of each donation goes to FRLT instead of to bank fees. The perk of monthly giving for FRLT is that it helps us maintain a steady month-to-month cash flow, a critical factor in paying salaries, rent, utilities, and other daily operational expenses.

 

At present, the Land Trust has eight donors who make monthly gifts through checks or credit cards. If you are interested in learning more about monthly giving and setting up an EFT account, please give us a call at the office. All automatic monthly donors will receive two digital photographs of lands conserved by FRLT for your desktop or screen saver. Sign-up now so you can begin your monthly giving in August.

Please join John & Marty Shower and FRLT staff at the Round Valley Run/Walk on Saturday, August 1. Participants can run, walk, or just buy raffle tickets while enjoying the beauty of the Round Valley Reservoir. The raffle prizes are always abundant, so you're bound to win something! Proceeds of the race benefit the Feather River Land Trust and proceeds from the raffle benefit both FRLT and the Indian Valley Recreation & Parks District in Greenville. Please visit www.roundvalleyrun.com for more information.

We truly appreciate the involvement of our members! If there is something in particular you would like to know about the land trust's current activities, please let us know and maybe we'll write about it in our upcoming e-newsletters. Thanks for your interest!