All Land is Beautiful

In this episode, I sit down with American Farmland Trust’s Brooks Lamb to unpack one of the biggest challenges facing agriculture today: the impending transition of 300 million acres of working lands to the next generation of farmers and ranchers. From aging farmers and skyrocketing land costs to succession planning, conservation easements, and the future of working lands, this conversation dives...

On this episode I sit down with a man who’s helped protect over a million acres of land. But before you picture sweeping landscapes and pristine wilderness, let me stop you—because this story isn’t just about nature. It’s about deals. Contracts. Legal puzzles. And the kind of detective work that happens long before a trail ever opens to the public. From scrambling through decades-old land records,...

In this episode, I sit down with Yosemite National Park Aquatic Ecologist, Rob Grasso, to unpack the unlikely comeback of the California red-legged frog—a species that nearly vanished from the Sierra Nevada. From a childhood spent watching wetlands disappear in New Jersey to leading one of Yosemite National Park’s most ambitious restoration efforts, Rob shares the winding path that led him to this...

In this episode, I sit down with Erin Tarr, Executive Director of the Bear Yuba Land Trust , to explore how community-driven conservation is shaping the future of the Sierra foothills. From our conversation in Grass Valley, we dive into the challenges and opportunities of protecting land in a rapidly growing region where rural landscapes, outdoor recreation, and development pressures collide. Erin...

In this episode, I sit down with Ellie Routt, executive director of the Mother Lode Land Trust (MLLT), to explore the unique character and on-the-ground work of a land trust serving some of California’s most rural counties—Tuolumne, Alpine, Calaveras, Amador, and El Dorado. Ellie offers a look into the organization’s distinct, community-driven approach to conservation and how it shapes both the la...

 In this episode, I sit down with Mark Gutierrez of Pilot Creek Ranch to explore the intricacies of running a prescribed goat and sheep grazing operation in Northern California. Working across landscapes from El Dorado County to Napa, Mark shares the practical realities and challenges of managing land through targeted grazing. Raised on a citrus grove and shaped by a family legacy of experimenting...

In this episode, I chat with Michelle Fullner, aka, the Golden State Naturalist , to discuss the convergence of conservation and effective communication through the lens of the All Land is Beautiful perspective and the work of land trusts. The overarching theme of this conversation, at least what I can best summarize, is the inherent opposition between the values of the natural world and those of...

In this episode of All Land is Beautiful, I sit down with John Currey, Executive Director of the Yolo Land Trust , for a deep conversation about the agricultural richness and enduring beauty of Yolo County.  We explore Yolo County’s long-standing farming traditions and how advancements in agricultural technology have transformed operations—improving both efficiency and sustainability. John discuss...

This episode of the 'All Land is Beautiful' features the return of Alan Ehrgott, former executive director of the American River Conservancy, to unpack the complexities of a true conservation legacy story, the American River Headwaters Project. This initiative, spanning from 2010 to today, involved the $14 million conservation effort of protecting 10,115 acres of ecologically valuable land along t...

In this episode, I chat with Nic Russo, the Education Manager for the American River Conservancy (ARC), to explore the significance and impact of environmental education in defining places and our connections to them. While previous episodes have been more focused on conservation and restoration, this discussion pivots to the importance of experiential learning, especially in nature, and how it no...

On this episode I sit down with Lisa Lindman, Executive Director of the Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust , to discuss the nuances of conservation work within the landscapes of Yuba, Sutter, and Colusa counties. In line with the underlying theme of this podcast, we talk thru the land trust’s work in a diverse agricultural and wildlife-rich region characterized by thriving rice fields that support...

In this episode of All Land is Beautiful, join me for an insightful conversation with Sean Wirth, a key figure in multiple environmental organizations and a passionate advocate for intelligent land development. Sean shares his unique perspective, having transitioned from a career in real estate to a focus on conservation, and reflects on significant accomplishments such as the prevention of a majo...

In this episode of "All Land is Beautiful," join me as I explore the inspiring collaboration between the Placer Land Trust and Jessup University to preserve Clover Valley , the last untouched natural haven in Rocklin, California. I interview Jeff Darlington, Executive Director of Placer Land Trust, and John Jackson, President of Jessup University, discussing their collective efforts to safeguard t...

In this episode of All Land is Beautiful, join me as I sit down with Xerónimo Castañeda, the Program Director of  Audubon California's  Working Lands Program, where he shares insights into Audubon's mission to preserve bird habitats while fostering coexistence with human activities. Discover the dynamic functioning of Audubon across its national efforts, state, and local chapters, which allows it...

Building off of Episode 13, Bringing Chaos Back to a Meadow, on this episode I talk with Garrett Costello, founder and owner of Symbiotic Restoration , a growing outfit helping to restore degraded streams and meadows across California specializing in low-tech, process-based restoration (which includes Leek Springs Meadow restoration project). In talking with Garret I wanted to go deeper into the a...

The work of land trusts is dictated by the needs of the landscape and the people that live on it, and on a diverse landscape with diverse people that can look like a lot of different things. While it’s impossible to cover over 30 years of conservation work, on this episode Nicole Braddock, Executive Director of the Solano Land Trust, highlights the successes, both old and new, of the organization....

On this episode I talk with Eric Kellegrew, Stewardship Director of the Sacramento Valley Conservancy , to walk through the task and effort of developing a well and water trough system at the 4,600-acre Deer Creek Hills Preserve , located in east Sacramento County. A superficially unassuming and honestly uninteresting accomplishment, that is, without context. It turns out this inconspicuous water...

Backpacking along a dusty trail, you come across a meadow—full of life, water, and softness. Leek Springs Meadow, a 92-acre oasis at the headwaters of the North Fork of the Cosumnes River, is the largest meadow in the watershed. Join us in this episode as we delve into the beauty and significance of meadow ecosystems with Cathy Mueller, Stewardship Manager at the American River Conservancy. Cathy...

There are so many ways to engage with nature, most of us enjoy a simple stroll through a beautiful place, some prefer that stroll to be experienced from the top of a horse, while others choose to identify every single plant they pass or every bird song they hear. Then there are those who choose the more intense experience, like mountain climbing, whitewater kayaking, trial running, or mountain bik...

I’ve mentioned before that the land is our common denominator. We may have differing ideas and approaches but generally, at least in my experience on a local and regional level, people are willing to listen, make compromises, and change the way they do things if you take the time to talk through it with them and have it makes sense. My guest on this episode of All Land is Beautiful is Spencer Davi...

On this episode of All Land is Beautiful, I find myself back on a landscape that needs no convincing of how extraordinary and magnificent it is. I’m talking about the jewel of the Sierra, Lake Tahoe. Around 15 million people visit Lake Tahoe each year, which is roughly three times the number of visitors to Yosemite National Park. Needless to say, this precious resource receives a lot of pressure a...

Most land trusts have a similar story. At some point in time there was a threat to a beautiful and natural place and a few people that lived in that place decided they weren’t going to just sit by and not doing something about it. The beauty of this, in the context of land trusts, is that this story grew into a conservation movement that continues today. The early successes of those people that ju...

I had the joy of sitting down with Doug Gibson, CEO of the Nature Collective, to talk about the San Elijo Lagoon and greater San Diego County north coast landscape, and the amazing work that is being done to protect and restore it. We discuss the early history and poor treatment of the San Elijo Lagoon, to the recent completion of a massive restoration improving its habitat and overall resiliency...

On this episode we explore water. Humans have gone so far as to physically alter and obstruct the natural processes of really any viable river in California that has potential to provide water for development, agriculture and hydroelectric power, except for one diminutive yet very significant Cosumnes River. Considering the legal, environmental, and logistical dynamics surrounding water and its us...

On today’s episode, without any shame, we’re again talking about birds. I got to sit down with Chris Conard and continue this conversation around wildlife success stories in unlikely places, as well as concerning trends. Chris is uniquely qualified to talk about this as he’s spent the last 30 years working in a very unlikely wildlife refuge, aptly named the Bufferlands, which surrounds a sewage tr...