Conservation Conversations:
Rails and Redwoods

Thursday, February 25
7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. via Zoom
Did you know that MLT's Lawrence Turner (our Senior Land Acquisition Project Manager) is a railroad history buff? We hope you will join us from the comfort of your own home for our first in a series of "Conservation Conversations". Our goal is to offer a series of conversations via Zoom. They will be FREE, fun, pandemic-safe, and open to anyone interested in learning about conservation in Mendocino County. Please feel free to forward this email to others who may be interested.
On Thursday February 25, Larry Turner, a sixth-generation Fort Bragg resident and avid train enthusiast will provide a photo-filled presentation along the theme of Rails and Redwoods: A brief history of local railroads and their influence on conservation in Mendocino County. This is an opportunity to learn about conservation on lands that were once dominated by railroads and the logging industry. Larry will touch on the history of the Caspar Southfork and Eastern Railroad and its path along and impact on Hare Creek and Bunker Gulch. Larry will also explore the history of Crowley, a stop along the Skunk Line that was once a logging camp and is now surrounded by conserved land held by the Mendocino Land Trust.
 
Larry is an entertaining dinner party guest, so we encourage you to bring your dinner - participants will be on mute until a Q&A after the presentation. If you don't turn on your video no one will see you chewing! Type your questions in the chat at any time, and we'll save them up for Larry to answer after the featured presentation.
New Bench at Pelican Bluffs
Dedicated to Conservation Hero Steve Miller
The secret is out... a BRAND NEW BENCH was recently installed at Pelican Bluffs Preserve.
 
This bench is dedicated to Steve Miller, a longtime supporter of the Mendocino Land Trust and a conservation hero. Steve Miller has been a thinker and a doer in the conservation world for many years. He is an advocate for environmentally sound forest management and the potential of forests to help combat climate change.

Visit MLT's website to learn more about Steve Miller and find out where the new bench is located.
Find out more on MLT's website.
New MLT Board Member
Tom Herman brings years of experience to MLT Board of Trustees
The Mendocino Land Trust is thrilled to welcome Tom Herman to our Board of Trustees. His experience and intimate knowledge of the wild places of Mendocino County make him an amazing asset to our team.

Tom has written a brief biography to introduce himself to our supporters. Visit our website using the link below to "meet" Tom!

Meet Tom on MLT's website
Good NEWS for Noyo River Fish!
Trout Unlimited Coho Project Celebrates Successes on MLT lands
Coho Salmon Spawning. Photo by Oregon Department of Forestry.
Imagine you are a salmon. After nearly three years of ocean life, you begin to feel a change. Every instinct in your body is telling you it is time to leave the salty waters that you have come to know and return to the ancestral fresh waters of your birth. You make it to the mouth of the Noyo River and head upstream. Sometimes the going is easy, sometimes there are obstacles, but you keep trying… until you reach the berm of an old rail crossing. The culverts that were installed years ago to allow water to move under the crossing are collapsing, and there is nowhere to go. This was the situation until very recently...

Continue reading on MLT's website
Nature Appreciation
Making Tracks
The cold storm in late January blanketed many of Mendocino County's inland mountains and hills with snow. The fresh canvas of snow reminded us that our open spaces are full of more wildlife than we humans get to see. This is why many dogs have their noses to the ground as they walk the trails - they can smell what we can't see.... until it snows.

Can you guess which animals made the tracks in the photos below?
Tracks 1 - long line of small oval tracks in 2 - 1 - 1 pattern
Tracks 1
tracks 2 - look kind of like baby feet
Tracks 2
Tracks 3 - upside down T shape - looks like large bird
Tracks 3
The links below the photos will take us to our best guesses on our Facebook Page. Don't hesitate to contact us if you disagree with our answers or if the links don't work for you. (You should be able to view without a Facebook account.)