Neal Ramus and Alayza Cervantes from Sonoma Land Trust
Our speaker for April 10, 2025, was Neal Ramus, Director of Community Engagement and Education at Sonoma Land Trust. Also present from SLT was Alayza Cervantes, the Community Outreach Manager. Neal has been with SLT for over seven years and previously worked in leadership positions at the California Academy of Sciences, the Petaluma Wildlife Museum, and Sonoma State University. Neal is a Petaluma native and earned a master’s degree in business administration from SSU.
SLT’s mission is to help protect the open, natural, and working lands and waters of Sonoma County. It has been doing this for almost 50 years! It has conserved 61,000 acres of land in Sonoma County. SLT is a 501c3 funded by philanthropy and is supported by 40 staff members, volunteers, interns, and community members. SLT currently owns 19 properties, has another 47 easements on non-owned properties, and has transferred 12 properties to other public and private entities. It manages the natural resources for the properties it owns. It typically transfers properties it originally purchased with an easement that limits future development. When it holds an easement on properties, the easements carve off development rights and monitors and enforces those easements as needed.
SLT has 6 major areas of focus: protecting biodiversity, living with fire, adapting to rising water, securing freshwater flows, preserving nature nearby, and empowering our communities. Sonoma County is a biodiversity “hot spot” with rich but often threatened ecosystems. SLT purchases and stewards high priority land, restores land on its preserves, and removes barriers that inhibit wildlife movement. SLT works with the Sonoma Valley Wildlands Collaborative as part of its efforts to help “live with fire.” Much of its work involves introducing “good fire” to manage the fuels that power wildfire. Since 1950 we’ve lost 90% of the tidal wetlands in the San Francisco Bay. To deal with this problem, among other things, SLT’s goal is to purchase 10,000 acres of wetland and nearby property by 2028. To secure freshwater flows, SLT purchases land and stream conservation easements and protects and enhances groundwater recharge. SLT acquires parkland and open spaces for communities that do not have reasonable access to parks and other natural resources. For example, SLT partnered with the City of Santa Rosa to purchase the 47 acres for the Santa Rose Southeast Greenway! Another important SLT effort is to empower our communities by developing programs that support equitable access to nature, including youth and public programs with webinars, public outings, a high school Conservation Council, and working with interns and volunteers.
Glen Oaks where bulbs were planted, then flowers appeared and now they are done until next time.
Thank you, Neil and Alayza, for the wonderful presentation about all the work SLT is doing to preserve, restore and enhance the fabulous diversity in Sonoma County!
Click HERE to view a limited time recording of Neal and Alayza's presentation.
