Training

See also: Central Coast Rangeland Coalition, Sustainable Human Systems

Description

The use of mitigation easements on both private and public land has dramatically increased on rangeland sites throughout California.  The goal of this meeting will be to improve understanding of the opportunities and challenges that conservation easements provide in conserving working rangelands on California’s Central Coast rangelands -- from the perspectives of ranchers, agencies, and other rangeland owners.  We will consider current conservation threats, types of conservation easements, the effectiveness of easements across generations, landowner and rancher opportunities to participate in mitigation easements and easement monitoring and management. 

Goal

Improve the opportunity for mitigation conservation easements to support working rangeland sustainability on the Central Coast.

Objectives

●      Identify and understand the threats to sustaining working rangelands on the Central Coast and the conservation values associated with these lands.

●      Improve the understanding of the role of various types of conservation easements in sustaining working rangelands, with a focus on mitigation easements.

●      Provide information to ranchers, landowners, consultants and land trusts to work towards improved mitigation policy, creation of easements and planning for sustaining working rangelands.

●      Foster productive discussion of these topics. 

Meeting Format

This workshop will consist of indoor lectures and a panel discussion in the morning and an afternoon field excursion to sites featuring conservation easements. Participants will carpool between the morning session and the afternoon field site. There will also be small group discussions interspersed throughout the day to give participants an opportunity to share their expertise and learn from the diverse experiences of other meeting participants. 

Registration Information

Please note - your registration will not be final until we receive and acknowledge payment of $35. You can pay online at the link provided after you register, or you can mail a check made out to Elkhorn Slough Foundation addressed to Coastal Training Program, c/o ESF, 1700 Elkhorn Road, Watsonville, CA 95076.

Please register only yourself - no third party registration is allowed, as this frequently causes problems. Registration deadline is March 27, 2018, 5 p.m. If you cancel, we can refund payment minus $10 processing fee before that deadline, but cannot refund anything if you cancel after that date. We reserve the right to cancel this workshop before March 29, in which case we will provide full refund. If you sign up, please show up - repeated failure to provide timely notification of inability to attend can jeopardize future registration opportunities. If you choose to pay at the door instead of registering ahead, the cost is $50.