Mendocino Land Trust

TUESDAY TRAILDAY: Mendocino County has a wealth of trails that are yours to explore! Each Tuesday this month we will highlight some of our favorites. Find out more by viewing the Coastal Trail Guide at mendocinolandtrust.org. Click on the map to get started. This Tuesday’s trail is Belinda Point! The point was named Belinda Point because a pivotal scene in the 1948 film Johnny Belinda was filmed here. Located just South of Fort Bragg, near mile marker 49 on Highway One, t...his trail is a good choice for families with small children. Mendocino Land Trust Conservation Manager Nicolet Houtz mentions this as one of her favorite locations to watch big winter waves roll in. From the trailhead start (street parking available) a 0.7-mile long trail leads from to Belinda Point. It includes a stairway down to a rocky pocket beach. The trail is located within two public access easements on private property, which were required by the California Coastal Commission in the 1990s. There is a boardwalk through a seasonally wet part of the trail, which then travels through a eucalyptus forest and out to the bluff edge. The stairway down to the pocket cove is sturdy and easy to find. This hiking trail is managed by the Mendocino Land Trust. Get all the info on MLT's coastal trail guide: http://www.mendocinolandtrust.org//no/belinda-point-trail/ Have you been to Belinda Point? Let us know in the comments! #tuesdaytrailday #belindapoint #mendohikes #highway1 #MLT #landtrusts #mendo #mendocinocounty #mendocinolandtrust #nature #hiking #outdoors #restoration #volunteers #stewardship #conserve #conservation #wherewework #wherewehike

A little Friday inspiration for anyone concerned about climate change: https://youtu.be/xwOvBv8RLmo #earthrise #amandagorman #thetimeisnownownow... #anythingbutcontroversial #palebluedot #nevertoosoontochoosehope #morethanworthfightingfor #climatechange #MLT #landtrusts #mendo #mendocinocounty #mendocinolandtrust #wherewework #nature #outdoors #restoration #stewardship #conserve #conservation See more

Are you a rancher, farmer or property owner in Mendocino County? Would you like to learn how the Williamson Act can help lower the amount you pay in property taxes while ensuring that the lands you love will remain productive and beautiful for generations to come? If so, please register for free webinars on February 10 and February 24. Register at https://mcrcd.org//mendocino-county-sustainable-agricultur. Funding for these webinars comes in part from a Sustainable Agricult...ural Lands Conservation grant, part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environmentparticularly in disadvantaged communities. For more information, visit California Climate Investments. Resource Conservation District of Mendocino County Mendocino County Farm Bureau #SALC #MCRCD #conserveyourland #MLT #landtrusts #mendo #mendocinocounty #mendocinolandtrust #nature #restoration #stewardship #conserve #conservation #wherewework

Have you seen those big waves on the coast the last few days? While waves are beautiful to watch, they are also a reminder of the ocean’s power and how crucial it is to be safe and aware while on beaches and bluffs, particularly this time of year. NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON THE OCEAN. Even when you think you are out of range of the surf, keep an eye on the ocean - sneaker waves can unexpectedly surge farther up the beach, and catch you off guard with tragic results. For today’...s WEDNESDAY NATURE FACT we thought we’d explore how waves come to be. When energy passes through water, waves are created. Waves are essentially the moving of ENERGY. When wind blows over water, there is friction between the wind and the water’s surface. This friction makes a wave crest begin to form. When there are strong winds out at sea, it may create a STORM SURGE in deep waters. Waves form in a series and can travel many miles and strengthen as they move closer to land. Tides are actually the biggest waves on Earth, although they move slowly. You probably remember learning that tides are caused by the pull of the moon and sun. During the new moon (next occuring on January 12) the sun and the moon pull from the same side and cause the most extreme tides, sometimes called King Tides. Here's an interesting fact about the first storm surges of the season - the energy of big waves draws up sediment in shallow waters and brings it to shore. As waves recede, they bring the sediment back with them as well as sediment from beaches and bluffs. After a round of winter storms, an offshore bar may form, causing waves from following storms to begin to break further from shore. Those early storms end up changing where waves break and end up protecting the coast from further erosion in subsequent storms. Please watch the waves break from a safe distance and NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON THE OCEAN! Do you have a favorite photo of big waves? Share it in the comments or tag us in a post! We’ll reshare our favorites. #mlt #oceansafety #waves #sneakerwaves #kingtide #neverturnyourbackontheocean #landtrusts #mendo #mendocinocounty #mendocinolandtrust #nature #science #biology #wednesdaynaturefact

Wednesday Nature Fact - Bird Month! This month we will be featuring a different Mendocino County bird each Wednesday. Today’s bird is the much beleaguered Turkey Vulture aka buzzard. Often mistaken for hawks, these large soaring birds are not hunters but scavengers. The genus name Cathartes comes from the Greek word for purifier as these birds do the unpleasant but important task of breaking down on the remains of animals that have been hit by cars, partially eaten by ...predators or died a natural death. How do they find those carcasses so quickly? In addition to good vision, they also have a sense of smell that is highly tuned to detect the gasses that dead animals produce as they begin to decompose. If you watch a turkey vulture soar, you will notice they rarely need to flap their wings (their 6 foot wingspan allows them to effortlessly ride thermals) and that rather than their wings being held flat like similar sized hawks, their wings are tilted in a subtle v shape. Remember, V for vulture! Bonus question - why are turkey vultures frequently seen "sunning" their wings as shown in photos 1 and 2? Photo 1+2 by Amy Wolitzer, Photo 3 via Wikimedia Commons #MLT #WednesdayNatureFact #vulture #turkeyvulture #vultureculture #dirtyjobs #cathartes #landtrusts #mendo #mendocinocounty #mendocinolandtrust #nature #hiking #outdoors #stewardship #science #biology #conservation

Choo! Choo! Today's ***MLT Staff Spotlight*** is... Lawrence Turner, Mendocino Land Trust Senior Land Acquisition Project Manager and big fan of all things railroad. Larry joined the Mendocino Land Trust in 2019. A sixth-generation native to Fort Bragg, Larry is thrilled to be working in land conservation after a 25 year career in Healthcare IT and property management. An avid outdoorsman, he also has extensive experience in working non-profit boards such as the Oakland Gay M...en’s Chorus and the Mount Laguna Improvement Association. Larry lives in Fort Bragg in a family home built by his grandparents where he spends time with his Mom, and is visited frequently by his daughter, and his son and new grandbaby. When Larry isn’t working on conserving land for MLT, you can find him gardening, walking his dogs Cooper and Molly, or retracing the routes and history of old logging railroads here in Mendocino County. #MLT #landtrusts #mendo #mendocinocounty #mendocinolandtrust #hiking #outdoors #restoration #volunteers #stewardship #science #biology #trains #trainsandtrees #fortbraggforever

Wishing all a happy NEWT year! #MLT #landtrusts #mendo #mendocinocounty #mendocinolandtrust... #nature #hiking #outdoors #restoration #herps #californianewt #Tarichatorosa #happynewtyear See more

How's your Monday been so far? Mendocino Land Trust staff kicked off the week with a team clean up along the Hare Creek Beach trail. This small group effort reminded staff how much we appreciate our great MLT volunteers! When COVID worries are less pressing we will welcome them back with open arms (and air hugs from 6 feet away). Much thanks to CalTrans for offering trash pick-up service! Pictured left to right: Conrad Kramer, MLT Executive Director; Monika Richardson, Conser...vation Project Coordinator; Nicolet Houtz, Conservation Project Manager; Lawrence Turner, Senior Land Acquisition Project Manager (showing off his selfie skills). #MLT #landtrusts #mendo #mendocinocounty #mendocinolandtrust #nature #hiking #outdoors #restoration #volunteers #stewardship #harecreek #harecreekbeach #walkthewalk

Wednesday Nature Fact: Bishop Pines Since it is the time of year many folks bring conifers into their homes (conifers are evergreen trees with needle-like leaves, such as pines and firs), we thought we’d share WEDNESDAY NATURE FACTS about one of the spectacular tree species that is part of crucial habitats the Mendocino Land Trust has worked to preserve. In 2013, the MLT acquired the stunning 72-acre Pelican Bluffs property near Point Arena. This preserve not only provides pu...blic access to coastal bluffs but also is home to a forest of BISHOP PINES. Known to scientists as Pinus muricata, this conifer has a very limited range that is severely fragmented. While these trees can grow as tall as 50 feet, they are also gorgeous when they grow stunted and twisted on windswept bluffs like some at Pelican Bluffs. The seeds of these plants are borne in 1 - 3 inch cones, growing close to large branches. The cones are adorned with stiff scales tipped with spines, earning it the nickname prickle cone pine. The spines deter squirrels from getting to the seeds and also minimize fire damage. In fact, the cones generally do not open until fire passes through and causes them to open and release seeds. Oddly, the bishop pine takes two forms which refuse to hybridize. In Mendocino County, bishop pines have dark blue-green needles but if you go five miles south of the county line into Sonoma County, the bishop pines south of that point have bright green needles. Thanks to the work of organizations like the Mendocino Land Trust, this species persists. It is still considered vulnerable by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). We hope you will find time to take a walk in the bishop pine forest at Pelican Bluffs in the coming year! #MLT #landtrusts #mendo #mendocinocounty #mendocinolandtrust #nature #hiking #outdoors #restoration #volunteers #stewardship #science #biology #conservation #pelicanbluffs #WednesdayNatureFact #pointarena #pines #bishoppine #pinusmuricata #californianativeplants

WIshing you a FABULOUS FRIDAY! If you live locally, we hope you have opportunity to safely appreciate all Mendocino County has to offer this weekend. If you are sheltering in place, perhaps browse our trail app to plan your next great adventure when it is again safe to travel! http://www.mendocinolandtrust.org/trails/ #MLT #landtrusts #mendo ... #mendocinocounty #mendocinolandtrust #nature #hiking #outdoors #restoration #explore #stewardship See more