While monitoring is the responsibility of the Rangeland Trust – to visit ranches and ensure the terms of the easement are being upheld – it is at least as important for building and maintaining strong relationships with land owners. Often times, spending time riding through ranches with ranching families forges a stronger bond between the Rangeland Trust and landowners than could ever be the result of a meeting or phone call. It also provides an opportunity to exchange ideas on rangeland management, or discuss how the easement fits with the landowner’s vision for the ranch in the future.
The California Rangeland Trust is a leader in the modern responsible west, saving the land as well as the cultural legacy of California’s ranches and assuring the continuation of generations of families who have worked them. Now that the California Rangeland Trust holds conservation easements on more than 311,751 acres of privately owned rangeland, more than ever our responsibilities require our working diligently to maintain positive relationships with all our land owners. Monitoring is a responsibility that we take very seriously, but we see it more as an opportunity than an obligation.
