STORIES FROM THE WILDLANDS CONSERVANCY
Building Wildfire Resiliency on the Sonoma Coast
Due to climate change and other contributing factors, California wildfires are only growing in severity, and the wildfire season persists for longer. As of August 6, a total of 4,886 wildfires have burned a cumulative of 791,432 acres. Year-to-date, the number of wildfires and the number of acres burned are higher than the five-year average. For this reason, The Wildlands Conservancy welcomes innovative approaches to forest management in order to bolster wildfire resiliency at our Sonoma Coast preserves and throughout the state.
Meet Wildlands Seawood Cape Preserve Stewards
Living on-site, Seawood Cape Preserve Stewards are able to provide continuous protection and oversight of the land, with work days often focused on activities to improve habitat conditions. A day in the life of our stewards may include thinning of conifers to promote healthy and biodiverse forests, eradicating nonnative plants, such as Himalayan blackberry, jubata grass, Portuguese heath, and English and cape ivies, or removing trash and illegally dumped items.
Oak Habitat Restoration at Beaver Valley Headwaters Preserve
To restore the health and function of oak woodland habitat and reduce the likelihood of severe wildfires at Wildlands Beaver Valley Headwaters Preserve, we've partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Lomakatsi Restoration Project, a nonprofit grassroots organization that develops and implements forest and watershed restoration initiatives. Working alongside our partners, Wildlands is working to build a more resilient ecosystem at Beaver Valley Headwaters Preserve.
Desert Bird Spotlight: Summer Tanager
Summer Tanagers nest in only a handful of areas in California, including along the Colorado River, at Morongo Valley, the Kern River area, the Mojave River near Victorville, and of course, Whitewater Canyon. Mature riparian woodland or forest is their prime nesting habitat, including areas dominated by cottonwoods and willows.
Meet Kim Fasching, Outdoor Education Docent
Kim Fasching made her first visit to Whitewater Preserve nearly a decade ago, and knew that she wanted to volunteer after she retired as a school teacher. Fast forward ten years later, and Kim is coming up on three years of volunteering as an education docent at Whitewater Preserve.
Wildlands Participates in College Corps Fellowship Program
The Wildlands Conservancy is proud to participate in College Corps, a statewide program launched in 2022, which provides meaningful work to college students in exchange for serving their community. Meet some of our most recent Fellows.
Meet Wildlands Eastern Sierra Nevada Team: Dave Herrero
Native to California, Dave Herrero grew up in the San Bernardino National Forest in a small community known as Mountain Home Village, which is a stone’s throw away from The Wildlands Conservancy’s Bearpaw Reserve. Dave currently works as preserve manager for the Eastern Sierra Nevada region, and also leads our conservation and advocacy efforts in southeast Utah as the Four Corners regional director.
Meet The Eastern Sierra Nevada Team: John Trammell
John Trammell joined Wildlands in 2014 as a naturalist, with his role evolving over the years, mirroring his dynamic skills and interests. He worked as a ranger at Bluff Lake Reserve in the San Bernardino Mountains in 2015, and in 2016, began working as a conservation advocate focusing on the conservation easement project in Owens Valley in the Eastern Sierra. Currently, John works as a project manager at Wildlands headquarters and spends several weeks throughout the year in the Eastern Sierra, serving as the regional director.
Eastern Sierra Nevada Region Expansion
Wildlands established its first nature preserve in the Eastern Sierra Nevada back in 2015. This initial acquisition protected 150 acres of land at the confluence of the West Walker and LIttle Walker River in northern Mono County from being subdivided and developed into multiple seasonal vacation homes. In August 2023, The Wildlands Conservancy expanded this property by acquiring the neighboring 2,333-acre Bently Family Junction Ranch, expanding Two Rivers Preserve to 2,483 acres.
Meet San Bernardino Mountains Preserve Manager: Jesus solares
Jesus Solares joined the Wildlands team in 2022 as preserve manager for the San Bernardino Mountains Region. To date, one of his favorite projects since working for Wildlands has been rewilding the critically endangered southern mountain yellow-legged frog at Bluff Lake Reserve.
Q&A with Ranger Jill Adams
If you’ve ever joined a sunset hike or volunteered for a land stewardship day at Jenner Headlands Preserve then you’ve likely had the chance to meet Jill and be inspired by her love for nature and passion for protecting biodiversity.
Jill Adams, preserve ranger for the Sonoma Coast, began working for Wildlands in 2018 as Jenner Headlands Preserve was preparing to open to the public. Since the beginning, Jill has been a leader in building community for Wildlands. Continue reading to learn more about Jill’s experiences as a ranger and her connection to nature.
Rise of the Reptiles at our South Coast Preserves
Spring and summer feature long, warm days, inviting cold-blooded reptiles to emerge from their wintertime dormancy. Several species of snakes are commonly found at our South Coast Preserves, the most common being the San Diego Gopher Snake and the Southern Pacific Diamondback Rattlesnake.
Meet South Coast’s Regional Director, Zach Kantor-Anaya
Zach Kantor-Anaya joined The Wildlands Conservancy in 2010 and worked as a ranger at our North Coast preserves and preserve manager in Sonoma County at Jenner Headlands Preserve prior to becoming the regional director for Wildlands South Coast region in 2018.
Born in Flagstaff, Arizona Zach Kantor-Anaya was raised by parents who worked for the National Park Service at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon — instilling a love of nature in Zach at a very young age.
Trail Steward Spotlight: Glen Alpert
Glen's love of nature and Sonoma Coast knowledge is something he gets to share with our visitors as a trail steward for The Wildlands Conservancy. Glen says that working at Jenner Headlands Preserve these past few years has been a life-affirming experience. The beauty of the land has had a profound effect on his life, as well as the joyful exchanges with visitors on the trails, and the deep connections made with people he works with.
Northern Spotted Owl Surveying at Jenner Headlands Preserve
The federally threatened Northern Spotted Owl is an ‘indicator species’ meaning it can provide a greater picture of the health of these old growth forests. As part of restoration forestry efforts carried out by Wildlands staff and volunteers, The Wildlands Conservancy works to conserve and improve habitat conditions for rare, threatened and endangered species, protect water resources and water quality, and to manage wildfire resiliency at Jenner Headlands Preserve. In doing so, Wildlands staff routinely surveys the Preserve for Northern Spotted Owl activity to inform these efforts.
Meet Jenifer Lopez-Valdez, Education Manager for the Desert Preserves
Jenifer Lopez-Valdez joined The Wildlands Conservancy team in 2020 and works as our education manager for the California Desert Preserves. Jenifer grew up in the Coachella Valley and attributes free outdoor education programs to steering her towards a fulfilling career in conservation.
Nature’s Niños Family Campout Program
Nature's Niños is a free, all-included camping program designed to provide enriching outdoor experiences for families from Latinx communities in the Coachella Valley. Through this program we aim to break down barriers and open doors to unforgettable outdoor adventures. At the heart of Nature's Niños lies a commitment to introducing families to the joys of camping while fostering a deeper connection with nature.
Meet Wind Wolves Preserve Manager, Daisy Carillo
Daisy Carillo has been with The Wildlands Conservancy for ten years. Currently, Daisy is the preserve manager for Wind Wolves Preserve. Consisting of 93,000 acres, the Preserve is nestled in a unique ecological region where the Transverse Ranges, Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, western Mojave Desert and San Joaquin Valley influences converge.
California Mountain Lions: The Legends of California
Mountain lions are solitary and secretive animals, which is why most native Californians have never seen the elusive mountain lion in the wild. These cats are considered an ‘umbrella species’ for conservation, meaning that by preserving enough wilderness to support a stable mountain lion population, countless other plant and animal species that share its habitat also benefit.
Fuel Reduction Project at Bearpaw Reserve
Bearpaw Reserve features nearly 600 acres of steep, spectacular mountains with a seasonal 110-foot waterfall. Vegetation includes incense cedars, ponderosa and coulter pine, chaparral, and oracle oaks—a rare hybrid between black oaks and interior live oaks. In 2020, this landscape and its diverse species were severely impacted by the devastating El Dorado fire.