1978-2038

The Past 30 Years – and the Next 30 Years

Remarks by Terry Corwin Executive Director of the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County on September 28, 2008 at the Land Trust's 30th Anniversary Celebration at Swanton Pacific Ranch

Since this is the 30th Anniversary of the Land Trust's founding, I want to talk about the past 30 years – and the next 30.

The Past 30 Years: A Tale of Two Counties

Think back to 30 years ago – to 1978. If you weren’t alive then, picture your parents or grandparents’ world.

I think the best way to think about Santa Cruz County in the past 30 years is to start by thinking about what could have happened here. And we don't have to look far to see what might have happened. We just have to look over the hill to Santa Clara County.

30 years ago Santa Clara County was known for its beautiful, bountiful and fragrant orchards and was called “The Valley of the Heart’s Delight. Over the last 30 years, Santa Clara County became the hotbed of high-tech and its orchards gave way to clean rooms, start ups and technology centers. The “Valley of the Heart’s Delight” gave way to its current appellation, “Silicon Valley”. Think of Silicon Valley today and you picture corporate campuses, freeways and parking lots.

30 years ago Santa Cruz County had started down that path. Between 1970 and 1980 the population of our once quiet little county increased 50%. Many community members resolved to protect the lands they loved from the rampant development that was occurring “over the hill.”

One response to impending massive and rapid growth was the passage of Measure J– one of the earliest and strongest growth control measures in the state.

Another response was the founding of the Land Trust. Its founders recognized that government regulation alone was not enough. Among other things it could not offer permanent protection because governments can and do change.

During the past 30 years the citizens of this county mobilized again and again to protect the land they loved: Lighthouse Field, Wilder Ranch, O'Neill Ranch, Pogonip, Moore Creek Preserve, Gray Whale Ranch, Coast Dairies.

The Land Trust played a role in some of these, partnering to protect over 10,000 acres and we played the lead role in protecting – by the end of this year – almost 3,000 acres of land. Antonelli Pond, Byrne Forest, Circle P Ranch, Glenwood Open Space Preserve, Santa Cruz Sandhills, Pajaro Valley farmland.

We celebrate today all this and the people behind each of these stories. In 30 years, one green valley was lost forever, while another - Pajaro Valley was protected, along with many, many important lands in Santa Cruz County. The history of the past 30 years of conservation in our county is a history of both government growth controls and citizen driven protection of the lands we love.

The Next 30 Years Starts Now

Now let's look ahead, 30 years from now, to 2038 – and ask ourselves, “What do WE need to do to continue this legacy of conservation in Santa Cruz County for our children and our grandchildren?”

No doubt about it, the future holds some gnarly challenges. Certainly climate change will likely impact species survival, water supply and coastal areas. Population in Santa Cruz County is projected to grow by over 50,000, equivalent to adding another City of Santa Cruz or Watsonville.

What should we be doing TODAY to prepare for climate change and population pressure so that natural resources and species are not lost?

What should we be doing TODAY to insure that future generations of our county have a local supply of food and green building materials?

What should we be doing TODAY so that 30 years from now there is an ample supply of safe drinking water, healthy watersheds and a thriving Monterey Bay?

At the Land Trust, we believe that the answer to these questions is that we need to do more of what we have been doing recently.

• We need to protect unique habitats, like the Sandhills, especially those connecting to other protected lands so that threatened species have a chance to migrate as the planet warms. We did that this year by protecting the largest unprotected Sandhills property.
  
  
• We need to protect the forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains from development for many reasons, one of which is that they are our most important carbon sequestration assets. I heard a resident of the Bay Area describe the Santa Cruz Mountains as “our lungs.” At the Land Trust, we have made permanent protection of these beautiful, productive forests a top priority.
  
  
• We need to protect prime farmland by reinforcing urban growth boundaries to permanently prevent development from sprawling into farmlands – thus protecting local food supply and open space. We will soon complete the protection of over 1300 acres of prime farmland in Pajaro Valley.
  
  
• We need to protect the lands that impact water quality and water supply. In Santa Cruz County, where we don’t import water, that’s a lot of land. I’ve heard Santa Cruz County described as “one big watershed.” In the coming year we expect to close on a coastal wetlands protection project that will be the largest conservation project in our county since Coast Dairies.

Next Steps to 2038

At the Land Trust we believe that the best time to protect land is before the bulldozers are at the gates. It is cheaper then and we can protect more of it. It is the smart way to protect land.

That is why we think the time to protect prime farmland is now. The time to protect the forests that make up the bulk of our county is now. The time to protect rare habitats like the Sandhills or our county's wetlands and waterways is now.

30 years from now is too late. It will be too expensive. Now is the time to protect what is dear to us.

I said that protecting our county for the next 30 years means doing more of what we have been doing. How do we do that? How can we meet this challenge before the bulldozers are at the door?

We believe there are two keys to acting now to protect our future.

First, we need a strong, dynamic, vibrant local land trust. That's what we have been building the past few years. We have secured over $12 million in grant funds in two years. Next year we expect to raise $15 million in these outside funds to protect our county.

To do this our doors have to be open. We have to have people to work on these deals – to talk to landowners and state agencies and foundations.

That is what your membership dollars do – they give the Land Trust the means to bring in these funds. Your donation is matched many times over -- $12 to $1 in fact. The Land Trust is a great investment.

Second, we need to create a local land and water conservation district, an open space district, that can provide local tax funds for land and water protection. Outside funders always want to see a "local match" and we are not a big enough or rich enough county to provide that match through individual contributions alone.

In creating such a district we are following the lead of some of our neighbors. In Sonoma and San Mateo counties open space districts have protected over 125,000 acres of land.

With a strong Land Trust and a local land conservation district, we believe that Santa Cruz County can take its destiny in its own hands. We don't have to become another Santa Clara Valley. We can remain a county of extraordinary natural beauty and richness, a place where our water is clean because our watersheds are protected, a place that utilizes the bounty of soil and climate to produce food and timber, not shopping centers.

With your help, 30 years from now, in 2038, people of Santa Cruz County will celebrate the vision and leadership that we commit to today. I think I’ll probably miss that party but I hope some of you and all of our children and grandchildren attend. I sure want that celebration to be a good one! •

 

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