Summary of the Land Trust Strategic Plan for 2009 - 2012

Adopted by the Board of Trustees June12, 2009

Our Vision: We see a future where the wild and working forests, the beaches and coastline, the globally unique biotic habitats and the County’s rich farming and ranching heritage – those things that define the extraordinary place we call Santa Cruz County – are preserved forever, are lovingly cared for by supportive communities and are cherished by all as an extraordinary gift that this generation has made to future generations. 

           
To help turn this vision into a reality, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County will pursue five critical strategies over the next three years.

1. Take the leadership in developing and promoting a Conservation Blueprint for Santa Cruz County.  The Land Trust will develop and promote state-of-the-art science-based and community-supported countywide conservation vision to serve as a blueprint for a generation of conservation.
   
   
2. Take the leadership in establishing a Countywide Open Space District.  The Land Trust will work with its partners to establish a publicly-funded Open Space District aimed at providing a steady stream of local conservation funding for a wide variety of conservation actions by non-profits and public agencies.  Specifically, the Land Trust will:
• Work with elected officials and others to place measures on the ballot;
• Undertake an extensive outreach campaign to help shape a funding measure that can achieve two-thirds support;
• Work with others to build a "winning coalition" of support;
• Play the lead role in securing funding for and managing the campaign.
  
  
3. Implement best practices stewardship on all lands under its care. The Land Trust will greatly expand its capacity and skill in caring for the natural lands, working landscapes, and the conservation easement interests that it holds. Specifically, the Land Trust will:
   • earn a reputation of providing quality stewardship and monitoring of all lands under its care;
   • be known for its solid, science-based approach, utilizing best management practices across all of its holdings;
   • demonstrate to the community sustainable models of stewardship across a range of working landscapes;
   • obtain Land Trust Alliance (LTA) Accreditation.
   • Protect critical lands through easements or purchase.  The Land Trust will work closely with willing landowners to purchase easements and land in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Sandhills, and the farms, wetlands and foothills of the Pajaro Valley.
• Protect the farmlands and wetlands of the Pajaro Valley.  The ecological and aesthetic values of the Pajaro Valley farmlands and wetlands will be protected in a manner that supports the best interests of the community.
  
  
4. Protect the natural resources and working forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains.  The Land Trust will expand the protection of the Santa Cruz Mountains to protect habitat and watershed values, provide ecological connectivity from the parks of the Big Basin region south, and protect enough working timberlands to ensure viability of the County timber industry.
• Protect the resource values of the Santa Cruz Sandhills.  The Land Trust will expand the protection of the Santa Cruz Sandhills to encompass the areas identified in the Conservation Blueprint and to ensure that there are sufficient buffer lands protected to support the long-term viability of these habitats.
• Establish landscape corridors and linkages in the oak woodlands/grasslands especially in the Pajaro Hills.  The Land Trust will protect key areas of oak woodlands, grasslands and riparian corridors of County's eastern hills and mountains – both for their ecological value and for their long-term viability and resilience to climate change.
  
  
5. Build staff and board capacity to deliver large-scale conservation. The Land Trust will increase its conservation capacity – staffing, skills, systems, its ability to communicate, and most importantly, the ability of the staff and board to raise the funding needed to do large-scale conservation.  Specifically:
• The Land Trust will build an experienced and skilled staff that can execute the organization's plans successfully.
• The systems that support the work of the Land Trust will promote efficiency, reduce frustration, and enhance the professionalism of the organization.
• The Land Trust will become the go-to source for land conservation information in the County.  Land Trust members will be engaged and motivated to action by the communications from the Land Trust.
• Fundraising will become an integrated and effective capacity of the Land Trust, uniting staff, board and community leaders in a common cause.
• The Land Trust will raise $3 million over the next three years to support the implementation of the strategic plan.

 

Download the entire plan here: LandTrust_2009-2012_StrategicPlan.pdf

 

 

 

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