Marin Conservation League

Parks and Open Space Committee

3:00 – 5:00 pm
In-person/Zoom hybrid

Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pcOmgrD4vG9XtnkUk-dxDuEZFSvAuGyhD

Conservation Values of Marin’s Working Lands

At its December 11, 2025, meeting, the Parks and Open Space Committee (POSC) will continue MCL’s series of discussions on the significance of conservation and its opportunities and challenges on Marin’s privately owned agricultural lands.  Three previous meetings of MCL’s Land Use, Transportation, and Water Committee featured, first, an overview of the diverse values of agricultural lands that occupy West and North Marin; second, the history of Eastern Marin as it transitioned from historic farmland into the City-Centered Corridor; and third, a discussion of how agricultural and open space easements “work” in protecting open space and working lands like agriculture.

Our story on December 11 centers on the County’s North-western Inland Rural Corridor, which is designated in the Countywide Plan for agriculture and compatible uses. The Coastal Corridor also includes limited agriculture.  The discussion will highlight the ecological qualities of these largely pastoral lands that cover about 137,000 acres, roughly 40 % of Marin’s landmass. Threatened by massive urban development in the 1960s, lands that had been managed for agriculture since the latter nineteenth century were zoned Agricultural (A)-60 in 1972 to protect West Marin from urban sprawl. Designating an Inland Rural Corridor with supporting policies in the 1973 Countywide Plan served to further protect agricultural use.  Ten years later MALT was founded to instigate long-term protection. Almost 60,000 acres are now protected under agricultural easements.

Three speakers with deep experience in agricultural practices and their ecological linkages, especially in Marin, will address: the history of assisting farmers and ranchers in improving their operations; the particular ecological attributes of rangelands that make up more than 90% of Marin’s agricultural landscape; and the strategic initiatives of MALT as it approaches its 50^th anniversary.

Supporting Ranchers in Sustainable Practices and More. Nancy Scolari, Executive Director of the Marin County Resource Conservation District, for 26 years has been helping farmers and ranchers with the application of practices that improve soil, water, plants, wildlife, and the viability of agriculture. She will discuss the long history of MRCD in working with the Marin agricultural community, administering grants and offering technical assistance that, together,  have enabled the farmers and ranchers to improve their practices over the years. Nancy brings unique knowledge of Marin’s farmlands born of her long history leading the MRCD.  She holds a B.A. from Sonoma State University in Environmental Studies and Planning, with emphasis in water quality.

The Ecology of  Rangelands.  Devii Rao, University of California Coop Extension’s Advisor on Livestock and Natural Resources for Sonoma and Marin Counties, will discuss the ecological benefits of well-managed grazing, including preservation of native grasses, rangeland weed control, biological diversity, fire mitigation, and carbon sequestration.  She will also discuss long-term forage production, water quality and quantity, and how livestock management is dealing with the challenges of a changing climate, such as controlling greenhouse gas emissions. Devii brings 20 years of experience in coastal rangeland ecology and management on both public land (Point Reyes National Seashore) and private lands in the UCCE system.  She holds an MS in Range Management from UC Berkeley.

Agricultural Land Trust (MALT). Lily Verdone, Executive Director since 2022, will discuss the three core priorities of MALT’s Strategic Framework for 2025-2030, launched in late September. These are: 1) Protect Agricultural Land by continuing to protect high-priority farmland through conservation easements and explore new land protection; 2) Deepen Land Stewardship by focusing on strategic investments to ensure that protected lands support economically viable agriculture, healthy soils and water, and wildlife habitat; and 3) Plan for Climate Resilience by implementing strategies whereby protected farmland actively fights climate change through practices like carbon sequestration, protecting biodiversity, and sustainable land management. Lily brings extensive experience in biological fields and managing land trusts, including a decade with The Nature Conservancy. A Marin native, Lily holds a MS degree in Biology from Sonoma State University.