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Fall
2004 Newsletter
As visitors often remark, West Marin’s
working landscape is something special indeed. From the Executive
Director of the Vermont Land Trust who stopped by our offices on
a recent cross-country trip, to a senior editor of Gourmet magazine
covering a story on artisan cheeses, everyone agrees that the fact
that productive farmland exists so close to the San Francisco metropolitan
area is astonishing. While the easements are permanent, land conservation is an evolving field. MALT has recently developed three new easement provisions, both to strengthen the effectiveness of our agreements in protecting agricultural land and to provide additional options for landowners who would voluntarily agree to incorporate these provisions into their easements. Creek Conservation
Areas House Size Restrictions Mandatory Agricultural
Use —Aimee Crawford Steve Quirt: The Johnny Appleseed of Diversification
The person she hired was Steve Quirt, a marketing professional, small farmer, and longtime resident of Tomales. As it turned out, the job has been indelibly colored and defined by Steve’s personality and enthusiasms: “I’m the only person I know who is a full-time ag busybody,” he says. Under Ellie’s supervision, Steve has spearheaded a series of diversification workshops on topics ranging from growing organic strawberries to direct marketing of farm products. This summer, he’s working with a group of young ranchers to host a day-long session on agricultural challenges and opportunities for the next generation of agriculturalists (see sidebar). Steve enjoys what he calls flying the flag of sustainable farming, but claims his job is as much relationship-building as anything. He’s touted the value of environmentally sound, locally grown, locally marketed produce to Pt. Reyes National Seashore administrators and to ranchers who lease land from the park, including Kevin Lunny and his family. They run a beef operation on 1,400 acres of certified organic pastureland on the Pt. Reyes Peninsula where they are testing the viability of certifying their herd as organic, and have recently planted a crop of organic artichokes. “He understands the people he’s working with,” says Kevin. “But Steve’s strong point is that he instills courage. He tells us, ‘You can do it! You’re farmers!’” Steve traces an interest in agriculture back to grandparents who homesteaded land in Montana and to the time he spent on an aunt’s farm as a boy. “I saw that in an agricultural community, your whole life is based on the harvest.” It was an important lesson, but when his father moved the family to Southern California, Steve acclimated quickly to the change of scene and lifestyle. “I pretty much abandoned farming for surfing,” he admits. Until, that is, he moved to Santa Cruz in 1970 where English gardener Alan Chadwick had introduced biodynamic/French intensive techniques to the UC Santa Cruz campus and had created a community of gardeners dedicated to sustainable practices. Steve absorbed Chadwick’s philosophy of viewing food production as a living entity that’s part of an interrelated system. He applied the lessons learned to a small plot of land he began to farm, raising vegetables, goats, and chickens. In 1973 he moved to Marin County and worked for Bill Straus on his Marshall dairy farm, fixing fences, cleaning the barn, and becoming rooted in the area that would become his home. In 1984 he joined the Blue Mountain Meditation Center in Tomales , taking over operation of the organic garden there while working in marketing and communication for the wine industry. In his new position, Steve sees himself as fulfilling the mission of Cooperative Extension in a forward-looking way. “My hat’s off to what Steve has brought to our industry,” says Kevin Lunny. MALT’s Executive Director Bob Berner puts it even more succinctly. “He’s the Johnny Appleseed of Diversification.”
Taking Charge of the Future, a one-day event for young farmers and ranchers, is scheduled for Saturday, October 9, at the Walker Creek Ranch in Marshall. The event brings together those interested in exploring the challenges and opportunities of agriculture. It offers a series of workshops for young people from ranching backgrounds who want to expand their interests and seek new adventures in agriculture, according to planners. Keynote speaker is Neil Koenig, author of You Can’t Fire me, I’m Your Father. For information, call Steve Quirt at 415-499-4204.
Taste of Marin
The undisputed queen of local, organic, seasonal cuisine, Alice will talk about her passion for how food is grown, cooked, served, and eaten—and how that has shaped her outlook on life. “Once you start eating this way, you begin to see farming in a different way, you see nature in a different way, you see culture in a different way—and then you begin to see how they’re all connected,” says Waters. As you savor one of Diane Matthew’s raspberries, or taste how Warren Weber’s super fresh arugula bites you back, or cut through one of David Little’s potatoes as if through warm butter, turn to the person seated next to you and ask him or her if they grew it. They may have. Because in addition to celebrating Marin’s bountiful harvest, we will also be honoring its farmers, ranchers, and processors who brought us this food which is some of the best in the world. And make sure to wear your dancing shoes. After dinner, International Bluegrass Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year, Laurie Lewis, one of the best breakdown fiddlers around, will knock your socks off with her musical talent. So please join us for this very special evening. We’re sure you won’t soon forget it. For reservations, call the MALT office at 415-663-1158. Tickets are $95/person for MALT and Marin Organic members and $125/person for non-members. —Wendy McLaughlin, Marin Organic
MALT Part of Funding Partnership
Marin
Food Systems Project Recognized as “Public Health Hero” In recognition of National Nutrition Month., the Marin Food Systems Project (MFSP) was honored this spring with a “Public Health Hero” award by the Marin County Board of Supervisors and Marin County Health and Human Services. A project of the Environmental Education Council of Marin, MFSP has grown in its ability to shape our community’s relationship with local farms and healthy food since it began three years ago. The project now promotes agricultural literacy and nutrition education efforts in over 30 Marin County schools, working with the Marin Agriculture and Education Alliance to connect educators with resources such as the Summer Agricultural Institute for Teachers, the Marin Farm Field Studies Program, and the new Ag in the Classroom display currently under development. MALT has been a strong partner in these efforts since their inception, recognizing the connection between agriculture and public health and striving to provide access to farms to teachers, children, and policy makers throughout the County through our Outreach and Education departments. “Marin farmers grow high quality food that can be consumed fresh by local residents,” notes FSP Coordinator Leah Smith. “When community members support local farms, they are also supporting farming methods that promote human and environmental health. How wonderful for local farms and locally grown food to be considered part of a public health solution!” The 2002 Farm Bill encouraged the purchase of locally grown foods for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. And a nationwide campaign to encourage healthier eating by connecting schools with nearby farms is underway, according to the National Farm to School Program of the Center for Food and Justice at Occidental College. Further, fresh fruits and vegetables are one of the pillars of the 5-a-day campaign of the California Nutrition Network (CNN). Locally, a CNN Community Food Security grant to the Marin Food Systems Project will enable four more Marin County schools to get a better understanding about the benefits of healthy eating from local farms. In addition, Marin schools are getting into growing food themselves, with the support of UC Marin Master Gardeners, Slide Ranch, and Marin Conservation Corps. While the Marin Food Systems Project has been promoting healthy fresh food, connecting students and teachers with local farms, and providing nutrition education in the garden, school communities have become increasingly interested in the links between cognitive development and nutrition, notes Smith, who feels this is all for the greater good of agriculture. “I believe that an agriculturally literate population that supports local producers by eating their products will help sustain the long term viability of agriculture in Marin.”
Panel
Discusses Grass-fed Beef, then Dines on It
The panel featured author Michael Pollan (Botany of Desire), journalist Mark Dowie, and rancher David Evans, whose grass-fed beef was served in numerous ways over three courses. During the discussion that preceded the dinner, Pollan said, “People involved in land conservation should understand that the health of the land can be improved by using it, if done well. We need to put an economic footing under conservation. The fact that MALT has recognized this is wonderful.”
This fall MALT will once again offer a variety of tours and events, some of them especially designed for families. Educating the next generation about the value and wonder of local agriculture is important because MALT preserves farmland in perpetuity. MALT and Marin farmers will need the support of an engaged community for generations to come. So bring your children and your friends, and plan on learning a lot while having a good time. Agriculture will survive and thrive with your help. Click here for a full list of this fall's Hikes & Tours. Complete Listing
Fred and Micky Graeser Bequest of $277,500 Fred and Micky Graeser founded the weekly Montclarion newspaper in Oakland in 1945 and published it until their retirement in 1977 to a home on Tomales Bay in Inverness. As West Marin residents, they became early supporters of MALT, so it was only natural some years ago that we would ask their professional advice about a brochure we were creating to explain our Partners for Preservation, those who include MALT in their estate plans. Fred told us he “didn’t have any serious fault with the copy or the layout” of the brochure which explained how a bequest can help provide for the continuation of MALT’s work but that, by the way, he and Micky had been thinking along those lines themselves. Over the years, the Graesers frequently participated in MALT activities. “They added life and vitality to public events,” remembers Executive Director Bob Berner, “especially our annual fall barbeque for major donors.” After Fred’s death in 2000, Micky continued to be a cheerleader for MALT, keeping in touch by mail even after her health deteriorated and she moved to Santa Fe to be near her family there. When Micky passed away in December, 2003, we were notified that she and Fred had provided generously for MALT, leaving a bequest of $277,500, the largest such contribution in our history. Like all bequests and memorials, the Graeser gift will be placed in our endowment fund, ensuring our long-term ability to hold, monitor, and enforce our conservation easements. The Graesers lived modestly and did not wish their gift to be recognized publicly during their lifetimes. But after their deaths, their son Laird agreed to our expressing gratitude for their support in this newsletter. “If public acknowledgment of their gift now can help MALT's mission, then both Micky and Fred would have said ‘Go for it!’,” he said in an e-mail. The sadness we feel at the deaths of Fred and Micky is tempered by the fondness we have always felt for them and the knowledge that their foresight will enable us to continue to protect the productive farmland that they so appreciated. If you are interested in learning about how you can provide for MALT’s future by becoming one of our Partners for Preservation, please contact Robb Ollett at 415-663-1158, ext. 6, or rollett@malt.org.
Directors’ Barbecue Set for October 2, 2004
The event usually takes place on a ranch in West Marin. Landowners who have welcomed participants to the festivities in the past include Nan McEvoy, Sally and Mike Gale, Mike and Jean Casey, Warren Weber, Crawford and Jess Cooley, Bruce and Liz Daniels, the Straus family, and Amy and Warren Weber. In 2003, the event was held at Stafford Lake, overlooking two of MALT’s easement projects. Invitations will be mailed in late summer for the October 2 event to all of our members who contribute at the Sponsor level and above. For further information, contact Director of Development Robb Ollett at rollett@malt.org or 415-663-1158. Archived
Newsletters Acrobat Reader is required in order to view PDF
documents. Year in Review
|
From a small office in Novato, Ellie Rilla dispenses University
of California research on agriculture and natural resources. As
Director of the UC Cooperative Extension’s Marin office and
an academic, Ellie has done some of that research herself, but she
is equally interested in practical applications.
MALT
and Marin Organic invite you to experience the connection between
food and farming at Taste of Marin, our annual celebration of Marin’s
productive farmland, on Thursday, September 23,from 5:30–8:30
P.M. at the Marin Art and Garden Center in Ross. The evening brings
together farmers, ranchers, cheesemakers, bakers, and vintners from
all over the County. And in addition to the delicious food and great
company you’ve become accustomed to over the last four years,
this fall we have a special treat in store for you—noted chef
and author Alice Waters will be our guest of honor..
Marin
Agricultural Land Trust has tackled the increasing challenge of
raising funds to protect threatened farmland by participating in
a private-public partnership to co-fund the purchase of easement
acquisitions. Chuck Tyson (pictured), head of the Department of
Conservation’s California Farmland Conservation Program (CFCP),
and Sam Schuchat of the California State Coastal Conservancy (SCC)
were among the officials who attended a press event at the James
Grossi ranch late this spring to acknowledge that partnership. It
was the first time these public funders have visited Marin together
to publicly acknowledge MALT’s work and demonstrate how recent
bond issues have benefited Marin County farmland protection. Over
the past 18 months, CFCP and SCC have provided a total of $3 million
in conservation funding to MALT. 
Acme
Chophouse in San Francisco invited the public to taste the difference
in grass-fed beef at a benefit and panel discussion held on July
13. Famous for its food, the restaurant also takes the cake for
its commitment to serving sustainably produced, local farm products
and supporting organizations like MALT that help keep agriculture
alive by protecting farmland development.
The
men and women on our Board of Directors guide projects and programs
throughout the year. Each fall, they host a fabulous barbecue to
thank our major donors and Partners for Preservation (those who
have remembered MALT in their estate planning) for their generous
support. They look forward to meeting you and having a chance to
discuss MALT’s future farmland conservation work. 