Planning & Policy

Whether collaborating on solutions to our region’s water challenges, proposing ways for land use and transportation plans to facilitate the protection of habitat and agricultural land, or offering input on programs that help farmers and ranchers stay in business, SRT’s approach is built on finding common ground; we do not engage in litigation to achieve policy outcomes. We fulfill our conservation mission by working with partners ranging from water, planning and transportation agencies, to farmers, ranchers and scientists.

We also conduct independent research on policy solutions. SRT staff have authored or co-authored in-depth reports on the economic benefits of conservation and compact growth, policies to support conservation in Sustainable Communities Strategies and other best practices in transportation planning, methods for mapping and valuing ecosystem services, and approaches to landscape-scale conservation to benefit communities in the Tule Basin. Bringing this work to the table helps SRT and our partners achieve policy outcomes that contribute to the protection of important lands in the Southern Sierra, the San Joaquin Valley and around the state.

From land use and transportation plans that shape where and how communities grow to groundwater regulation that affects land and livelihoods across the San Joaquin Valley, public policy has a direct impact on our region’s natural and working lands, and all who depend on them. To protect the places that matter—and do so on a scale commensurate with our region’s needs—we must not only conserve individual properties, but also consider broader questions, such as:

• If a portion of our region’s agricultural land must be repurposed to less water-intensive uses, how can we support conservation and restoration of this land, and how can we ensure that the results benefit current stakeholders and future generations?
• What can we do to encourage new growth that strengthens existing communities without harming the natural and working lands on which our region depends?
• What can we do to support increased funding for conservation, and ensure that it reaches places in the Southern Sierra and San Joaquin Valley that have historically been left behind?

The immediate threats of water scarcity and catastrophic wildfire–combined with climate change and historical patterns of underinvestment in many of our region’s communities–mean that the choices facing us now are particularly urgent, and their potential consequences far-reaching. We believe it is essential to be at the table when these decisions are made.

Sequoia Riverlands Trust is actively working with farmers and ranchers, water agencies and others to develop solutions to our region’s water crisis. In addition to partnering with Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program block grantees to develop conservation-oriented approaches to repurposing agricultural land, we are collaborating with Sierra San Joaquin Jobs (S2J2) stakeholders and the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara, on an innovative regional restoration plan. Through the San Joaquin Valley Water Collaborative Action Program and other forums, we are also bringing our region’s needs to the attention of state-level government, business and nonprofit leaders.

Sequoia Riverlands Trust continues to work with city and county planners to support conservation-friendly approaches to land use, including designations that protect habitat and farmland, and incentives to direct a greater portion of new growth into existing communities. We also inform and implement mitigation policies, which slow the loss of agricultural land and incentivize developers to invest in existing communities.

Transportation investments have a significant effect on where and how communities grow, and can impact habitat, agricultural land and open space around the region. Sequoia Riverlands Trust has conducted in-depth research on policies and practices to support conservation in regional transportation planning and built cross-sector coalitions to get these practices enacted in the region’s Sustainable Communities Strategies. We continue to serve on leadership and advisory bodies related to transportation planning and work for the wider adoption of policies that protect natural and working lands.

Sequoia Riverlands Trust supports programs that fund conservation and works to ensure that these programs benefit farmers and ranchers in our region. As part of a nationwide coalition, we successfully supported increased funding for conservation easements in the 2018 Farm Bill, permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund in 2019, passage of both the Great American Outdoors Act and the America’s Conservation Enhancement Act in 2020, and Inflation Reduction Act investments in conservation in recent years. We have also joined with numerous partners around the state to support funding for land trusts to work with willing landowners to help meet the goal of conserving 30% of natural and working lands by 2030, including funding for conservation and stewardship in the recently-passed Proposition 4.

The Sierra & San Joaquin Jobs First Initiative (S2J2) is building a stronger, more resilient region — one where nature-based solutions create meaningful jobs and protect the landscapes that sustain communities. Sequoia Riverlands Trust (SRT) is proud to be part of this collaborative effort, with funding supporting work that blends conservation with economic opportunity in California’s heartland.

S2J2, managed by the Central Valley Community Foundation, focuses on creating good jobs through nature-based solutions in the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada. The initiative brings together regional partners to advance projects that protect natural resources, strengthen local economies, and improve quality of life.

Learn more about S2J2 and the Central Valley Community Foundation’s leadership in this transformative work.

Sequoia Riverlands Trust’s work under S2J2 focuses on three key areas, all designed to connect conservation with career pathways:

• Native Plant Nursery Expansion: Growing the capacity of Dry Creek Nursery to supply native plants for habitat restoration, while providing workforce training in nursery management, seed collection, and propagation.
• Regional Restoration Planning Program (R2P2): Leading the creation of a science-based, community-informed plan that identifies where and how restoration can deliver the greatest environmental and social benefits across the region.
• Workforce Development for Land Management: Supporting job creation and skill-building in land stewardship, invasive species removal, fire management, and habitat restoration.

Together, these efforts help shape a future where conservation and community prosperity go hand-in-hand.

Learn more about the Regional Restoration and planning project by clicking the button below.