O U R | T O P | S T O R Y SRT Blue Oak Ranch nets SCE grant for infrastructure

ABOVE: The pond at SRT's Blue Oak Ranch Preserve near Springville supports an incredible range of wildlife including western pond turtles, herons, and mammals large and small–including these humans. Public opening of the preserve will arrive sooner thanks to a recently obtained SCE grant. BELOW: The pond at Blue Oak Ranch Preserve. (IMAGES: SRT)

SCE resouces move Blue Oak a Step closer to daily opening (Sprinville, CA) - SRT's Blue Oak Ranch Preserve is one step closer to daily public opening, thanks to a new grant from Southern California Edison (SCE). SRT's current staff capacity and infrastructure means that Blue Oak Ranch is open ... Read more sequoiariverlands.org

F R O M | T H E | E. D. The roots of our legacy

ABOVE: Logan Robertson Huecker, PhD, is the newly appointed SRT Executive Director, the SRT Board of Directors announced effective October 1. (IMAGE: SRT)

Dear Friends of SRT: A tree has roots in the soil yet reaches to the sky. It tells us that in order to aspire we need to be grounded and that no matter how high we go it is from our roots that we draw sustenance. It is a reminder to all of us who have had success that we cannot forget where we came from. -Dr. Wangari Maathai, Kenyan scientist and Nobel Peace Prize winner  In the two decades since SRT was formed, so many people have nurtured the core idea of inspiring love and lasting protection for the lands we call home, of preserving the agricultural and natural heritage of our region. Our organization is deeply rooted in the efforts of these dedicated individuals. Their work has grown into our preserves, which conserve unique landscapes and provide recreational opportunities for so many people. Their work has grown into our relationships with farmers and ranchers, who have been able to conserve their lands and livelihoods through easements with SRT. Their work has grown into robust education and volunteer programs, engaging the community and preparing the next generation to take on the responsibility for preserving this legacy into the future. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my own grandfather Harley Robertson, who emigrated to California from western Arkansas in the 1920s, drove tractors for more than four decades in the orange groves of Riverside, California, weathered the Great Depression, and raised four sons with my grandmother on the bounty of a backyard garden. His labor, and the labors of those who came before him, are part of the roots that connect me to the mission of Sequoia Riverlands Trust. I am grateful for all of those who have come before us: the native people within whose traditional homelands we work, and who continue to live on and share these lands; the adventurers and dreamers who have come to this place and put down roots; the farmers and ranchers who have fed a growing nation; the conservationists who have reminded us of the necessity of wild places; and the staff, Board members, and volunteers who have helped SRT become the vibrant accredited land trust that it is today. We have a devoted and expert staff, an engaged and experienced Board, and solid support from our stakeholders. We are poised to meet the unique needs of our region now, as well as to grow to meet the challenges of the coming decades. With a spirit of creativity and collaboration, I look forward to engaging with you on behalf of Sequoia Riverlands Trust to support and improve our region. With appreciation,

Logan Robertson Huecker, PhD Executive Director, Sequoia Riverlands Trust [Editor's Note: Dr. Robertson Huecker assumed SRT's Executive Director post effective October 1, 2021]

S R T | I N | T H E | P U B L I C | A R E N A SRT inks major deal with DDB, largest US ad agency

BELOW: A campaign to rename various SRT geographical features for Californians rolled out statewide in August. (IMAGE: DDB SF)

Naming rights largest such deal in SRT history (VISALIA, CA) - It's rare that a major ad agency like the legendary Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) calls seeking collaboration with a Tulare County-based nonprofit like Sequoia Riverlands Trust (SRT). Rare to almost never, that is. Worldwide DDB... Read more sequoiariverlands.org

S R T | A G | P A R T N E R S SRT easement partners endure fire season impacts

BELOW: Wildfire near California Hot Springs affected SRT easement holders in September. (IMAGE: David Swanson)

Buckeye Ranch team reacts to wildfire threat by pitching in (California Hot Springs, CA) - With a number of SRT easement properties nestled in the Sierra foothills, wildfire has been an annual and ever-present danger to our conservation lands. While conifer forests at higher elevations have borne the... Read more sequoiariverlands.org

S R T | P L A N N I N G | and | P O L I C Y Finding common ground on drought, water and farmland retirement

by Adam Livingston SRT Director of Planning and Policy

BELOW: California's dwindling water may result in land retirement for some Central Valley farms, but it can be done in a way to benefit conservation goals, says SRT. IMAGE: Don Graham

Can conservation help solve our biggest water problems? SRT inspires love and lasting protection for important lands. But in the San Joaquin Valley, land use is inseparable from water use, and many of the farmers and ranchers we work with are facing unprecedented cutbacks in water deliveries due to... Read more sequoiariverlands.org

S R T | M E D I A Former SRT staffer pens book on Valley ag issues

Valley land consolidation, corporate domination explored Former SRT staffer Dan O'Connell, PhD, through his newly-published book In the Struggle, brings together the stories of eight scholars, documenting their views on industrial-scale agribusiness in California. The book details their research that wa... Read more sequoiariverlands.org

I N | M E M O R I A M Marie Desma Wilcox (1933-2021)

Below: Marie Wilcox, pictured here attending Go Native at Kaweah Oaks Preserve in May 2021.

Last dialect speaker, SRT friend halted Wukchumni extinction No blessing is so poignant and urgent as one uttered by the last living speaker of a vanishing language. That truth was evident in 2014 when Marie Wilcox spoke her blessing in Wukchumni at a ceremony for SRT Kaweah Oaks Preserve's newly-added... Read more sequoiariverlands.org

S R T | and | W A T E R | P O L I C Y Valley water experts tour Kaweah Oaks, Kaweah dam

ABOVE: Valley water authorities tour Kaweah Dam in September, 2021, including speaker Aaron Fukuda, head of the Lindsay-Strathmore Irrigation District; Army Corps of Engineers officials; and SRT Board Member and General Manager of the Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District Mark Larsen (second from right). IMAGE: Scott Spear

FROM TOP: Ashley Boren, Executive Director of Sustainable Conservation and a James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award winner, tours Kaweah Oaks Preserve in September 2021. NEXT: Mark Larsen of the Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District speaks alongside the Friant-Kern Canal. in September, 2021.THIRD: SRT Land Steward Jonathan Vaughn speaks to tour attendees regarding Kaweah Oaks Preserve's storm water layout basin, created in conjunction with the Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District. LAST: SRT officials on the tour included newly appointed Executive Director Logan Robertson Huecker, PhD (pictured at right). ALL IMAGES: Scott Spear

S R T | T R A N S I T I O N S SRT welcomes staff to new leadership, stewardship roles

New Executive Director, Stewardship staff bring new energy (VISALIA, CA) - A few recent staff changes mark a new era for the Visalia-based land trust. New leadership and stewardship staff were recently welcomed. The Board of Directors announced the appointment of Logan Robertson Huecker, PhD, to the post ... Read more sequoiariverlands.org

O N | T H E | P R E S E R V E S 'Atmospheric river' enables Homer Ranch seasonal reopening Nov. 6

BELOW: Homer Ranch Preserve is among SRT's jewels. The preserve, located on Dry Creek Drive near Woodlake, will reopen weekends-only on Nov. 6 through June 1.

Reopening brings weekends-only visitation to the preserve (Lemon Cove, CA) - A so-called "atmospheric river" aiming at the California coast looks to provide some fire season relief that will enable SRT Homer Ranch Preserve's annual reopening. The seasonal opening will occur Nov. 6. Once open, Homer... Read more sequoiariverlands.org

S R T | T R A N S I T I O N S Interim Executive Director Spear bids farewell, and hello

BELOW: Recent SRT Interim Director Scott Spear may be leaving his temporary post, but he is expected to rejoin the SRT Board of Directors following his year of service as acting director. (PHOTO: Submitted)

Dear SRT Friends, Dear SRT Friends: With the SRT Board's recent appointment of Logan Huecker as SRT's new Executive Director, this is my final Currents message as SRT's [now former] Interim Executive Director. Please join me in congratulating Logan on her... Read more sequoiariverlands.org

L A N D + I M A G E Local painter takes on underappreciated KOP locations

ABOVE: Visalia painter Ernie Weerasignhe, a native of Sri Lanka, takes one of Kaweah Oaks Preserve's underappreciated corners and creates from it a fresh, lively interpretations of nature. For more info on the artist, visit: www.thedoorartgallery.com/artists/ernie-weerasinghe . IMAGE: Aaron Collins

S R T | A D V A N C E M E N T SRT leadership fosters Giving Tuesday to benefit regional nonprofits

ABOVE: SRT Advancement Officer Nadia Omar, pictured here during staff retreat at Camp Sequoia Lake. IMAGE: SRT

'Radical Genrosity" calendar offers bitesize ways to help In the belief that a "rising tide lifts all boats" SRT is partnering with other Central California nonprofit organizations including United Way of Tulare County to create a community giving campaign. Read more sequoiariverlands.org

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