Oswit Land Trust Awarded Grant by State of California to Expand Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program
“We are honored to receive this grant from the State of California’s SALC Program. This funding will allow us to expand our efforts to conserve agricultural lands, ensuring that they remain a vital part of our community and contribute to a sustainable and resilient future for people and wildlife.” – Jane Garrison, Executive Director of Oswit Land Trust said
Palm Springs, CA – Oswit Land Trust (OLT) is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the Strategic Growth Council’s (SGC) Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program in the fiscal year 2022-2023 (Round 9). This grant will enable Oswit Land Trust to significantly expand its conservation easement program, furthering its commitment to preserving and protecting valuable agricultural lands for future generations and building on its initial success with the Trust for Public Land, in acquiring an agricultural conservation easement on the nearly 2,000-acre Alphabet Farms Ranch. The SALC Program, administered by the California Department of Conservation (DOC), plays a crucial role in supporting efforts to combat climate change by promoting sustainable land use practices. SALC is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities. The grant awarded to Oswit Land Trust is a testament to the organization's dedication to environmental stewardship and its successful track record in conserving and protecting land.
With the grant funds, Oswit Land Trust plans to implement a strategic expansion of its conservation easement program, by establishing a conservation easement division that will work closely with local farmers and landowners to permanently protect agricultural lands from development. This initiative aligns with the SALC Program's goal of preventing the conversion of vital farmlands into non- agricultural uses, thus contributing to the overall sustainability of California's agricultural landscape.
Jane Garrison, Executive Director of Oswit Land Trust said "We are honored to receive this grant from the State of California's SALC Program. This funding will allow us to expand our efforts to conserve agricultural lands, ensuring that they remain a vital part of our community and contribute to a sustainable and resilient future for people and wildlife."
Oswit Land Trust extends its gratitude to the State of California and the Strategic Growth Council for their support and recognition of the organization's commitment to sustainable land use. The grant award will have a lasting impact on the preservation of agricultural heritage in our region.
Jeff Faxon, Co-Director of Oswit Land Trust’s Conservation Easement Division added, "Our initial success with the Alphabet Farms conservation easement is an outstanding model for us to build on, and with the gracious funding from the SALC program we will now be able to significantly expand our capacity to establish additional conservation easements throughout Southern California, in turn strengthening our communities and the environment."
For more information about Oswit Land Trust and its conservation efforts, please visit www.oswitlandtrust.org.
About Oswit Land Trust
Oswit Land Trust (OLT) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit land trust based in Palm Springs, California. OLT was formed in 2021 to save one of the last unprotected Alluvial Fans in the Coachella Valley, Oswit Canyon, from being destroyed by development. Oswit Land Trust has since acquired several other properties, including a former golf course that is being restored into a nature preserve, the Prescott Preserve, in central Palm Springs, and has expanded its mission to include restoration, educational outreach, and protection of farmland through conservation easements, including Alphabet Farms Ranch, 1,888 acres of productive farmland in Imperial County, CA. With Oswit Land Trust holding the agricultural conservation easement, the land is protected from destruction and development in perpetuity.
About the Strategic Growth Council
The California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) is a 10-member council comprised of seven state agencies and three public members with the mission to build healthy, thriving, and resilient communities for all. Funded through California’s Cap and Trade system and the California General Fund, SGC’s grant programs, strategic initiatives, and interagency coordination focus on multi-benefit and community- centric solutions at the nexus of climate and equity. Since 2008, SGC has invested over $4 billion in projects strengthening communities and addressing climate change.
About the California Department of Conservation
With a team of scientists and other dedicated professionals, the Department of Conservation (DOC) administers a variety of programs vital to California’s public safety, environment and economy. The services DOC provides are designed to balance today’s needs with tomorrow’s obligations by fostering the wise use and conservation of energy, land and mineral resources.
About California Climate Investments
California Climate Investments is a statewide initiative that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment—particularly in disadvantaged communities.
Contact: Jeff Faxon, Co-Director Conservation Easement Division, Oswit Land Trust, 650-995-4389, jeff.faxon@oswitlandtrust.org