Recent Press

Marin Agricultural Land Trust is pleased to offer media access to senior staff for interviews and conservation resources for background story material. To arrange an interview, please call (415) 663-1158 or email farmland@malt.org

Thornton Ranch Permanently Preserved After Nine-Year Effort
August 15, 2011
Nine-year effort protects sixth-generation Thornton Ranch. Purchase of $2.3 million easement keeps livestock ranch operational and completes 8,000-acre greenbelt of MALT-protected farmland near historic ranching town of Tomales.
(link to press release)
Lucasfilm Foundation Grants $2 Million to Marin Agricultural Land Trust
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Funds Used to Keep Historic Ranch in Production and Protect Novato Creek Watershed.
(link to press release)
Land trust has kept Marin’s farms in business for 30 years.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Marin Independent Journal.
(link to article)
Marin Agricultural Land Trust Awarded National Accreditation
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Marin Agricultural Land Trust has been awarded national accreditation by the Land Trust Alliance Committee.
(link to press release)
Mazzucchi Ranch in Valley Ford protected by Marin Agricultural Land Trust
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Marin Agricultural Land Trust has purchased an agricultural conservation easement on the 215-acre Mazzucchi Ranch in Valley Ford.
(link to press release)
Marin Voice: Every day is Earth Day in agriculture
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Marin is blessed with a magnificent coastline largely protected by federal and state parks, a spectacular agricultural landscape designed by nature and shaped by a 150-year tradition of family farming.
(link to article)
Coastal goat dairy protected by Marin Agricultural Land Trust
Monday, April 19, 2010
Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) has purchased an agricultural conservation easement on the 160-acre Toluma Farms in Tomales.
(link to press release)
Ranches & Rolling Hills Annual Landscape Art Show & Sale
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Annual sale of western Marin County landscape art to benefit Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT), will take place on Saturday, May15, and Sunday, May 16, 2010, at the Druid's Hall on the Village Square in Nicasio, California.
(link to press release)
Organic Farm & Garden Tour in England will help preserve Marin County farms
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Inverness, California resident Paul Coopersmith designs tours to these locales and others for his Coopersmith's "One-of-a-Kind Tours."
(link to press release)
Gail Seneca joins Marin Agricultural Land Trust Board
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) has added Inverness resident Gail Seneca to its board of directors. Ms. Seneca founded the San Francisco investment firms Seneca Capital in 1988 and Luminent Capital in 2005.
(link to press release)
$2.5 million deal by MALT preserves Petaluma dairy ranch
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Extensive pastures and a long-running dairy on the 772-acre Cypress Lane Ranch will be protected from development following a deal brokered between landowners, the Marin Agricultural Land Trust and state and federal agencies.
(link to article)
Prominent dairy protected by
Marin Agricultural Land Trust easement
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Prominently located on Point Reyes-Petaluma Road at its intersection with Novato Boulevard, the property becomes part of a greenbelt of protected historic farmland on the road leading to Petaluma. Seventy-five percent of the Spaletta property is grasslands, providing extensive pastures while silage is grown for feed on the southwestern part of the ranch.
(link to press release)
Marin "slow food" advocates say: Know your farmers, know your food
Monday, March 20, 2009
"Slow food" advocates hope that getting to know where their food comes from will also encourage Bay Area residents to preserve their farms.
(link to article)
Till Life
Friday, March 6, 2009
Marin History Museum's latest exhibit shows why our county ag industry hasn't, er...bought the farm.
(link to article)
Our Legacy of Farm-Friendly Presidents
Tuesday, February 16, 2009
At first glance, it would appear that the main qualification for being president of the United States is that a candidate be a lawyer. Surprisingly, the second most common profession after lawyer was farmer.
(link to article)
Ranches and Rolling Hills—Art of West Marin
October–December, 2008
A review of Ranches & Rolling Hills: Art of West Marin—A Land in Trust published in Bay Nature Magazine. (link to article)
Trust Preserves Scenic Marin Mountain Ranch
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
One of Marin's most scenic mountain ranches will remain undeveloped following a deal involving landowners, the Marin Agricultural Land Trust and the state. The 810-acre Panfiglio Ranch is perched in an isolated area on Three Peaks, a 1,160-foot mountain formation visible from Inverness and the Point Reyes National Seashore. (link to article)
Preservationists, Ranchers, Artists Produce 'Ranches & Rolling Hills'
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
On one special weekend every spring, people line up outside the Druid's Hall on the picturesque Village Square in Nicasio to be first in line for an annual show of West Marin landscape paintings called "Ranches & Rolling Hills." (link to article)
Art Show, Book Capture Beauty of West Marin
Sunday, March 30, 2008
The beauty of the rural landscapes and ranchlands of western Marin County elegantly unfold in a lovely new art book, Ranches & Rolling Hills: Art of West Marin—A Land in Trust (Windgate Press, $50). (link to article)
Recalling Stegner—and Worrying about Ecology
Monday, March 10, 2008
The ghost of Wallace Stegner hung over the rolling hills of West Marin this weekend, and judging by those gathered to honor his eloquent prose and essays about the American West, the ghost was not a happy one. (link to article)
Festival Celebrates Wallace Stegner's West
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Point Reyes Station, that oddly blended enclave of businesses, farms and artists in rural West Marin, is about to be invaded by hundreds of fans of the modern American West's foremost man of letters: Wallace Stegner. (link to article)
MALT's Impressive Work is Adding Up
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
The nature of agriculture in West Marin is undergoing a transformation, with the families running ranches and dairies seeking out new ways to remain profitable and stay on their land. (link to article)
Deal Bars Development at 2 West Marin Ranches
January 3, 2008
Two Tomales ranches will not be developed for housing after owners cut deals with the Marin Agricultural Land Trust for development rights. (link to article)
$1 Million Deal Prevents Development at Ranch
October 20, 2007
The 291-acre Crayne Ranch on Dillon Beach Road in Tomales is the latest parcel to sell its development rights to the Marin Agricultural Land Trust. (link to article)
MALT's $4 Million Boost from a Friend
May 6, 2007
The Marin Agricultural Land Trust certainly knows the value of real estate, especially when it comes to location. (link to article)
Bequests: Ag Land Trust gets $4 Million Estate in Marin
May 7, 2007
The Marin Agricultural Land Trust received a bequest worth an estimated $4 million, the largest gift in the nonprofit's 27-year history. (link to article)
$4 million Bequest to Protect Family Farms
May 1, 2007
The Marin Agricultural Land Trust, which protects West Marin farmland from development, has received its biggest donation ever: a Mill Valley estate valued at some $4 million. (link to article)
Ranches and Rolling Hills
May 25, 2007
In 1980, a group of ranchers and environmentalists found the beauty of West Marin so inspiring they formed the Marin Agricultural Land Trust to work toward preserving the area's farmlands for agricultural use. Now artists draw inspiration from the pastoral landscape, with more than 250 of their images for sale at the Ranches and Rolling Hills art show. (link to article)
Marin Ranchers Fear Countywide Plan Would Invite Trespassers
March 14, 2007
Marin farmers are angry about proposed new regulations that would limit the size of the homes they could build and allow the county to list their property as the site of future hiking trails. (link to article)
Cheese Producers Hailed as Model for West Marin Development
January 17, 2007
A Marshall couple has won approval for a sheep pasture and cheese processing facility on a former cattle ranch. To property owners Marcia Barinaga and Corey Goodman, the new ranch is the fulfillment of a dream and the opportunity to join the growing number of artisan cheese producers in Marin County. (link to article)
Keeping Farms in Business is Tricky
January 10, 2007
MARIN is working hard to find ways to preserve the vitality of the agricultural property. Making that task more difficult is the fact those farms and ranches often are attractive to wealthy folks who love the rural flavor but may not be worried about generating the same farm-related income. (link to article)
Marin Ranchers Struggle to Pass Legacy to Next Generation
January 6, 2007
It's nearly the end of school vacation week, and Brigid Lunny's two brothers are skiing in Lake Tahoe. Lunny, however, is managing the little retail store at her family's cattle ranch and oyster farm in Inverness. (link to article)
Tomales Land to Remain Open Space
December 30, 2006
A 178-acre portion of the Tomales Farm and Dairy property known as the Cerini Ranch will never be available for large-scale residential development after a $1 million deal struck last week. (link to article)
$1 Million Land Buy Saves Ex-Dairy Farm
December 29, 2006
A conservation easement has saved a 178-acre former dairy farm from possible development near Tomales in northwestern Marin County, allowing the owners to create a sustainable, organic creamery and produce artisan cheeses. (link to article)
Marin Dishes Out its Best at Taste
September 12, 2006
Scores of organic tidbits, Cuban music, a talk by best-selling author and environmentalist Paul Hawken and a farmers market are all part of this year's seventh annual Taste of Marin. The huge event, a fund-raiser for Marin Organic, will take place Sundayfrom 4 to 9 p.m. at St. Vincent's School for Boys in San Rafael off Highway 101's Marinwood exit. (link to article)
The Roots of West Marin
March 24, 2006
Julie Evans of Point Reyes said family farms have a bright future in the county, but she wants to make sure the tradition stays strong. "There always is the 'what if' factor," said Evans, who runs Point Reyes Preserves, a line of pickled vegetables and jams from her family's ranch. "We want the support of the county and community and continue the farming tradition in West Marin. That support increases our motivation." marinij.com
On the Road
August, 2005
The foods of Market Hall offer a daily invitation to tour faraway places like Spain, Italy, France, and Thailand, but in fact, most products for sale at Market Hall come from California. This is no surprise when one considers the hospitable agricultural environment and plethora of culinary innovators here in the Golden State. www.rockridgemarkethall.com
Stewards of the land. Conservation easements keep farm and ranchlands, vacation hideaways in the hands of families and away from the paving contractor
Sunday, February 6, 2005
It's a story you've probably heard: A family owned a cherished vacation retreat, where the kids spent summers and traditions were born. www.sfgate.com
Opinion: Malt—a Role Model in Preservation
Monday, January 30, 2005
THE Marin Agricultural Land Trust is a local success story, a terrific example of how environmental preservation and a strong local economy don't have to be mutually exclusive.(link to article)
MALT buys 714-acre West Marin dairy
Friday, January 21, 2005
The development rights of the 714-acre Robert Giacomini Dairy in Point Reyes Station have been purchased for $1.8 million by the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, protecting the property permanently for agricultural use and as open space. (link to article)
Taking Note of State Bonds' Contribution to Open Space
Point Reyes Light, May 27, 2004
The heads of California's Coastal Conservancy and Farmland Conservancy, along with others from Marin Agricultural Land Trust and West Marin ranchers held an event for the press at James Grossi Ranch near Stafford Lake highlighting the use of voter-approved bond money to preserve agricultural land in Marin County. www.ptreyeslight.com
State Bond Funds Keep Open Spaces Open
Marin Independent Journal, May 26, 2004
State voters' approval of bonds to preserve open space is beginning to have a local impact, and the Grossi ranch near Novato - where ranchers and officials gathered yesterday - is a prime example. Last December, the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) bought the property's development rights for $1.8 million, essentially keeping it from being developed.(link to article)
Land Trusts Offer Solutions to Save Farm Acreage
Capital Press, Agriculture Weekly, April 23, 2004
Every second, two acres of America's farmland is paved, and land trusts are fighting to stop this trend, said a trust representative this week. "It's not accidental that we have so much open space in Marin County," Constance Washburn, education director for the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, told a small crowd at the San Francisco's Ferry Building Farmers Market April 13. "We are the foremost organization in the country leading the fight to protect farmland and its easements." www.capitalpress.info
Back on the Ranch
Marin Independent Journal, April 13, 2004
THE FIRST-GRADER is missing two front teeth, but his sense of smell is working just fine. "Ewww stinky," he exclaims, adding, moments later, "Did I just step in a stink bomb?"A few feet away, Mimi Luebbermann, surrounded by a gaggle of other first-graders on a field trip from Mary E. Silveira School, is smiling. She wants the kids to smell a bit of what she calls "real life." (link to article)
MALT Uses Big Names to Help Save Farmland
San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, June 7, 2002
Saving the Bay Area's remaining acres of farmland is as patriotic as baseball and apple pie. That's the subtle message of a new advertising campaign that features, in part, an abstract image of an American flag. www.sfgate.com