Meet LandPaths - Sharing Our Love Of Nature Every Step Of The Way

There are more than a dozen ways to Give To LandPaths.  Check out this list to find one that fits you!

I would be happy to discuss any of these giving options with you. Please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for your support! 

~Jean Marquardt, Development Director at LandPaths. jean@landpaths.org or 707-544-7284 x 24. 

2. IRA contribution- Name LandPaths as owner or beneficiary.

3. Will or Living Trust - Name LandPaths in your will or living trust with the suggested following language:

"I give to LandPaths all or _____% of my estate, or the sum of $________ to be used by LandPaths."

Your will can include outright gift of cash, stocks, bonds, real estate, personal property, or a specific percentage of your estate. Consult your attorney to design your estate plan.

4. Planned estate gifts - Include LandPaths in your will or living trust with tax benefits during your lifetime or an income stream for you. These can include life income gifts and charitable trusts that will benefit of LandPaths while also advancing your own financial and personal objectives. Your estate planning attorney can guide you to the best financial decision for these gifts.

5. Real Estate - Gifts of real estate can help by providing income or cash to LandPaths.

6. Stocks or Bonds - Contact your stock broker to make a gift to LandPaths. A highly appreciated stock gift could give you significant tax advantages.

7. Memorial or Honorary Gifts - Leave a lasting legacy by make a special gift to honor someone or in memory of a loved one. Include in your gift the name of the person that you would like to honor.

8. In-Kind-Donation - art, books, vehicles or other personal property.

9. Gift of life insurance - By assigning ownership on a life insurance policy to LandPaths, premiums are tax-deductible as well as the value of the policy.

10. Retirement assets - Name LandPaths to limit taxes to be paid by your heirs (70% or more). These gifts to LandPaths are tax free.

11. Annual Fund - Every Fall we mail our annual letter including a giving envelope to request your contribution to our annual fund for general support or for your favorite LandPaths project.

12. Endowments/Scholarships - Establish an endowment for LandPaths. A large gift to LandPaths as an endowment will benefit LandPaths forever.

13. Naming Opportunities - Leave a legacy to LandPaths by naming a project of LandPaths. LandPaths will work with you for naming a trail, a barn or a bench on a LandPaths property.

14. Volunteering - LandPaths relies on "People Power" to leverage our limited budget.  To get involved as a volunteer, please contact us.

LandPaths is a 501c3 organization and all donations are tax deductible.

I would be happy to discuss any of these giving options with you. Please do not hesitate to contact me, Jean Marquardt, Development Director at LandPaths. jean@landpaths.org or 707-544-7284 x 24. Thank you. 

By Jesse Froehlich, AmeriCorps Member 2010-2011, Conservation Corps North Bay

As the summer approaches and my AmeriCorps term with LandPaths' Bayer Farm Neighborhood Park & Gardens comes to and end, it's time to reflect and share my experiences with the greater LandPaths community.

It's been a year of learning in the garden, both for me and for the student's I've worked with! My assignment for the year was to work with LandPaths to increase the educational use of Bayer Farm.

Bayer Farm is a 6-acre gem in the heart of Roseland (southwest Santa Rosa), situated within walking distance of three schools. The farm blossoms and blooms in living color throughout the summer and fall, and boasts a stunning view of Taylor Mountain Open Space Preserve, another Sonoma County treasure that is accessible to the public because of LandPaths' programs.

With research to show that outdoor learning environments benefit students with increased amounts of physical activity, a greater ability to focus, and a heightened awareness of the wonders of nature and the value of stewardship, Bayer Farm is just screaming for students to hop across the street and visit!

Throughout the year I hosted classrooms, pre-school groups, and after-school programs at Bayer Farm to enjoy tours, planting, farm-fresh snacks, and other activities at the farm. My flagship project for the year-and the piece that will live on after my term with Bayer Farm ends-was the design and development of the Bayer Farm Independent Visit Program. This new program allows educators in the community to bring groups of kids to the farm as their own schedules permit, and chose from 20+ farm-based educational activities (all bilingual!), covering life sciences, math, arts & humanities, and observation & exploration.

In the last month of my term, I have been completing the activity packages and hosting orientation sessions to certify teachers for the Bayer Farm Independent Visit Program. I'll be excited to hear about the impacts of this program in the community!

The experience was made possible by a partnership between LandPaths and Conservation Corps North Bay (CCNB). CCNB hosts 22 AmeriCorps members each year, and disseminates them (us!) to environmental agencies (public and non-profit) throughout Marin and Sonoma counties. All CCNB AmeriCorps members work in the fields of land conservation and restoration, volunteer management, and environmental education.

LandPaths received a letter in January. It was not the first letter, nor the only expression of disappointment in a component of LandPaths' evolving programs.

This "component" is most keenly visible in LandPaths' work at BayerFarm and our inclusion of the Spanish language in our calendar, on our phone system, and as part of our programs. In reading the letter and considering the view point expressed, we choose to examine how we got to Bayer Farm.

It started with a long-standing vision to serve all county residents. This vision rests on an understanding that all Sonoma County residents, acting as individuals, in groups and as a community (because a community we are), will determine the future of our landscape and its many associated values and benefits (i.e. food production, wildlife habitat, clean water and air, respite and rejuvenation).

Acting on this vision began in our Winter 2004 Outings Calendar. We challenged ourselves to: "rethink not just our activities but also our organization, to open up our programs in new ways-ways that we cannot currently conceive."

Bayer Farm would fall into the "cannot currently conceive" category, as would urban walks and gardening. Back in 2004, we understood that diversity included languages, physical and mental abilities, socio-economic status, religions, national origin, race and environmental attitudes and values. And to this we responded with free Outings "diverse by design" including many human-powered modes from hiking and riding to paddling and rolling. We even seek out potentially divergent voices in our Stories About This Place, knowing the rich commonality land brings to us.

The connection between local conservation work and global climate change is now clearer. In 2009 it seems natural to offer child and family friendly Outings, and an urban compliment to our otherwise "out there" Outings-bringing nature home. We piloted an effort to use art to highlight the routes of smaller urban creeks throughout Santa Rosa. We imagined a park that draws kids, adults and families into the natural world. There began Bayer Farm.

LandPaths' work-urban or otherwise-looks at how we relate to the land- and enriches these experiences to elevate a connection to nature.

Breaking language and cultural barriers was requisite to successfully serving our whole community. It's been bumpy. A handful of participants reject the idea and some staff members have struggled with the balance of being inclusive without feeling excluded as English speakers.

Serving our whole community is essential to accomplishing our vision of a County-wide culture respecting and valuing the land, making choices daily to protect and steward the land's ecological health. Through all of this we have tried to stay authentic to who LandPaths is, yet also let the organization evolve with a growing understanding of the physical, emotional and spiritual values entwined with the land and expressions of people's connection to it.