Mission & History

Our Mission

The work we do goes beyond conserving land; it’s also about ensuring people’s relationship to the land remains strong. We are committed to building a conservation and stewardship ethic in our community by supporting values based on common ground and engaging the future leaders and land stewards who will come after us to take care of this land.

Our Founding Story

Our Founding Story

Solano Land Trust began in 1986 as an unusual alliance. Our founders had different opinions about land use in Solano County: how the county should grow, and which lands should stay open. They chose to work together, united by a common mission to protect the land that makes Solano County special.

That beginning shaped who we are. Our board was designed from the start to reflect all sides of land-use issues, and it still does today. Farmers, natural resource professionals, business, government, and community leaders each bring their own perspective to the same table. That balance is what allows us to build trust with landowners, local government, and community partners alike.

Originally called the Solano County Farmlands and Open Space Foundation, we became Solano Land Trust in 2004. Over four decades, we have protected some of Solano County's most treasured places:

• Rush Ranch Open Space (1987) was our first property. It is a historic working ranch on the edge of Suisun Marsh.
• Lynch Canyon Open Space (1996) was once proposed as a landfill. It now offers trails and sweeping views between Fairfield and Vallejo.
• Jepson Prairie Preserve (1997) was entrusted to us by The Nature Conservancy. It is one of California's finest remaining vernal pool landscapes.
• King-Swett Ranches (2005) protect rolling grazing land in the hills between Fairfield, Benicia, and Vallejo.
• Patwino Worrtla Kodoi Dihi Open Space Park (2012) was protected through our largest grassroots campaign. Our partners at the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation gave the park its name.

Today, Solano Land Trust has protected 28,000 acres of working farms, ranches, and natural lands. We have done this in partnership with farmers, ranchers, landowners, tribal partners, and local government. Forty years after our founding, balance remains at the heart of our work. We believe Solano County doesn't have to choose between economic opportunity and the land, water, and habitat that sustain us. With your support, we will keep preserving Solano County's agricultural legacy and natural landscapes and strengthening people's relationship to the land for generations to come.

Our Properties

Jepson Prairie Preserve, King-Swett Ranches, Lynch Canyon, Rush Ranch and Patwino Worrtla Kodoi Dihi Open Space Park - represent the rich and varied landscape that makes Solano County unique. From rare vernal pools to tidal marsh wetlands to rolling oak woodlands, our properties serve an important role research, education, habitat restoration, and recreation in the local community, the Greater Bay Area and all of California.

Working in close partnership with landowners, local, state and federal agencies, cattle and sheep grazers, nonprofits, our dedicated volunteers, and supporters like you, we will continue to protect and preserve Solano County’s farmland, ranchland, and open space well into the future. 

We are proud to steward the ecological and cultural values for you and future generations. We have the honor and privilege of being your land trust, of providing public access to some of the most beautiful natural parks in Solano County.

Our Accreditation

One thing that unites us as a nation is land: Americans strongly support saving the open spaces they love. Since 1986, Solano Land Trust has been doing just that for the people of Solano County. Now Solano Land Trust announces it has renewed its land trust accreditation – proving once again that it is committed to professional excellence and to maintaining the public’s trust in its conservation work.

“As a public benefit organization that promises to protect land and share it with the community forever, this recognition is invaluable,” said Nicole Braddock, Solano Land Trust’s Executive Director. “It means that our volunteers, donors and supporters can trust that our collective work benefits people today and will continue to do so for years to come.”

Thanks to the generous support of individuals, businesses, government agencies and many partners, Solano Land Trust has protected more than 27,750 acres in Solano County and hosted more than 300,000 people at its natural parks.

Solano Land Trust invites the community to join its upcoming free and low costs events, like spring wildflower walks at Jepson Prairie Preserve, the Rush Ranch Open House on the 3rd Saturday in April, and the Lynch Canyon Kite Festival on the 1st Saturday in May. “As an accredited land trust,” Braddock notes, “We can show our funders and partners that they are investing in a solid organization.  This can help us be more competitive and successful in bringing grant funds into Solano County to benefit our community.”

Solano Land Trust provided extensive documentation and was subject to a comprehensive third-party evaluation prior to achieving this distinction. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission awarded renewed accreditation, signifying its confidence that Solano Land Trust’s lands will be protected forever.