Posts by David Outman
Of That Irreducible Terrain (Part III)
Terrain of Hope and Consciousness Our conservation heritage suggests that saving land is not enough to meet the moment. Land trusts and conservationists will need to create and lift-up approaches that respect and share land in new and diverse ways that go beyond conventional approaches. Share, not in the sense of divvying one’s possession, but…
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Of That Irreducible Terrain (Part II)
Nature Is Human Is Nature Humanity and humility share a common linguistic heritage meaning earth or of the ground. Early conservation seems decidedly not grounded nor humble. It did not arise from a rootedness in place but from the imposition of elite ideals detached from ecological context and truths. John Burroughs’ (1837-1921) prolific writing was…
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Of That Irreducible Terrain (Part I)
As the environmental movement merges with a parallel social justice movement and joins with indigenous movements, history can provide a valuable genealogy and the rootedness of ancestry, just as we look to the past to understand the development of species. -Paul Hawken (Blessed Unrest, 2007) In 2007, Paul Hawken wrote about the potency of…
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#phiLANDthropy
Perpetual Gift of Good Land I appreciated this piece from RFSI on the importance of ‘Philanthropic Capital’ in creating and sustaining regenerative food systems (REGENERATIVE FOOD SYSTEMS INVESTMENT FORUM (rfsi-forum.com). But the bulleted list of roles that Philanthropic Capital can play was missing a critical function, that is—securing and providing access to land! By working…
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Protecting a Place at the Edge
C l i c k f o r S t o r y M a p
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LANDWELL: Centering Cultural Innovation and Community Resilience
Living Lands Trust and Landwell Bound by Mutual Intent and Shared Values Nestled along Jonive Creek, between Sebastopol Center and the Bodega Hills of Sonoma County California, is a 22-acre parcel that is home to a rare grove of old-growth oak trees, fertile farmland soils, a cornucopia of wild flora and fauna, and caring community…
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Redwoods and Restoration Stewardship
Filigreen: An Expanding and Holistic Landscape We are honored and awed by the generosity, patience, and good fortune that conspired to allow Living Lands Trust to complete the purchase of over 300 acres of redwood forest (see Filigreen Forest Storymap). At the end of January, the Trust completed its second installment payment successfully! This land…
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Visionary Development or Simple Land Grab?
Solano County Land Dealings What is unfolding in Solano County, California promises to be an epic story of land, culture, and power; and so it begins—“Silicon Valley elites revealed as buyers of $800 million of land to build utopian city,” as The Guardian headline tantalizes. It seems a secretive business entity has been purchasing land…
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Reciprocal Protection & Restoration in the Anderson Valley
The Dream of Filigreen Forest We are humbled to be part of a rare opportunity to protect and restore 300+ acres of coastal redwood forest in the Anderson Valley of Mendocino Co. Over the past six months, Living Lands Trust has been working closely with the landowner of the 317 acres of forest that abuts…
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Hundreds of Thousands of Footsteps
Revealing Impact Through Story Those of us in nonprofit land conservation often wrestle with how best to capture and share the impact of our work. Numbers are interesting, yet they often seem to be little more than a pale symbol of the true meaning of land and place conservation. Recently, I received a short story…
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