Mendocino Land Trust

08/26/2026

Big Thanks and appreciation for Laurie Starr and STARR CPR for bringing her thorough, engaging Wilderness First Aid training to MLT for two immersive days of this vitally important education to our staff.

08/21/2026

The California Coast needs you! The Coastal Zone Management Act is a federal law that ensures the Californis has the final say regarding coastal protection for beaches, habitats, wildlife, and public access. NOAA is currently evaluating California's Coastal Management Program. Please submit your comments today to urge NOAA to maintain California's authority to protect our coast:
federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/26-12907
PLEASE ACTION TODAY! COMMENTS CLOSE TOMORROW, AUGUST 22.
Add your voice now!
California Coastal Commission California State Parks Foundation

08/21/2026

Well, it’s that time of year, where us interns must say goodbye to all y’all lovely people in this final .

This experience has been remarkable. Not only did the dawn chorus wake us every morning in Mendocino Woodlands State Park, but we also got to explore the vast number of environments Mendocino has to offer. Our journey propelled between surveying endangered species, to building trail projects, to executing complex events, to documenting development projects, to connecting with a plethora of exceptional folks.

We couldn’t have done any of this without a team of people behind us, motivating us to constantly learn more, and receiving any of our questions with grace and gratitude.

Anna, Chase, & Nikki demonstrated the dedication required to develop and maintain trail and restoration projects. Emily & Matt explained the intricacies behind protecting land. Heidi & Sarah illustrated how complicated and important navigating finances in the nonprofit sector is. Sanjeep & Holly, reinforced the value of fostering community partnerships. Conrad showed us what it takes to lead such an incredible team of people. Anne, our biggest supporter and social media lead, taught us the significance of celebrating the victories of our organization's work. She entrusted us to take over MLT’s social media and because of that Liana cultivated her love for photography & I (Aly) got to talk to y’all every week! And lastly, we must honor our four legged friends, Grizzly & Feist, who embarked on so many adventures with us and always provided the best moral support.

Supporting such an incredible organization in their mission to bring people and nature together, and preserve the beauty of the natural world has been an absolute dream. We couldn’t be more grateful that our summer was filled with learning, joy, curiosity, and doing good work that supports so many good people.

Thank you to everyone who helped us along this internship and all who supported this program. With that, we now must say farewell and wish you all the absolute best.

Signing off for the last time,

Your 2026 summer interns,
Aly 🗺️🧭🪂and Liana 📸🦋🐦‍⬛

08/19/2026

It’s SUPER chic to conserve land!

We at MLT would just like to remind everyone how epic, awesome, and very sick it is to care about preserving our natural world!

We promise your curiosity will never subside when you go outside!

08/18/2026

How we doin’ y’all!!!

We would like to share a trail not known for its size, but for its impact. Some of you may have already guessed it but its Mendocino Bay Viewpoint! This 0.25 mile stroll, located just south of Highway 1 Big River Bridge, offers some unforgettable views of Mendocino village, Big River Beach, cascading bluffs, a couple pocket beaches, and, of course, the bright blue, beautiful ocean.

This trail is especially special to us here at MLT because back in 1996, it was the first public access easement accepted and opened by a non-profit in California. This then opened the doors for other nonprofits to open and manage public access trails all along California’s coastline.

At the start of our internship, Mendocino Bay Viewpoint was the first trail that Liana and I were shown. Not only are the views remarkable, but we were quickly surrounded by butterflies and the chirping of birds. As we sat on the benches overlooking the water, our team all took a moment to just take in everything we were seeing and feeling. Acquiring this public access easement 30 years ago was a huge milestone for MLT, and in that moment we were able to grasp why.

So this being MLT’s first public access easement, we only thought it right to make it our final .

Your summer interns,
Liana 🌊🐌and Aly 🥾🌼

08/17/2026

Thank you Flockworks! This Saturday, August 22, Flockworks is hosting a volunteer day at Hare Creek Beach in Fort Bragg, as part of Mendocino Area Parks Association Adopt-A-Beach program. Flockworks will have buckets and trash pickers on hand, as well as snacks!
**We always recommend bringing gloves, water, and a hat to work days.**

Join us for our first community beach clean-up at Hare Creek Beach as part of the Adopt-a-Beach program!

This is a great opportunity to spend some time outdoors, connect with our community, and help care for our local coastline.

We will meet on the north side of Hare Creek and gather at the trail entrance, which is located at the end of the parking lot at Mendocino College.

If you’re interested in participating, please contact Tanya at [email protected]. Let us know that you’d like to join us and how many people will be coming with you. We’d like to get a head count so we can plan accordingly.

We hope you can join us and help make a difference in keeping Hare Creek Beach beautiful!

08/14/2026

Alright party people, Liana and I are back with another !!

Well we know many of y’all might be asking, “What the heck do these summer interns even do, other than stroll along trails, take pictures, write lil ol’ Instagram captions, and wear fun hats???”

Don’t worry we understand the confusion and aren’t that upset about it, but we do quite a bit more than what we’ve shown on here. So for this Friday, we’re pulling back the curtain to show y’all some of the projects we and the stewardship team have been working on in a !

1. Boardwalk repair at Shady Dell
2. Bench footings at Pelican Bluffs & Navarro Point
3. Created burn piles for habitat restoration
4. Removed invasive species at Old Smith Ranch & Hare Creek
5. Trash clean ups at Moat Creek & Seaside Beach
6. W**d wacked, and w**d wacked, and w**d wacked!
7. Conservation monitoring

These projects have allowed us to become more confident with working with tools, taught us the key components of trail design, and let us work on some very epic projects. Also, who would’ve guessed maneuvering a gas powered wagon would've been so fun?!

But the most fulfilling aspect of all this work is the fact that everything we are doing directly benefits the community and the environment. We both agree all of the hardened callouses, long days, splinters, and tired feet are absolutely, 100 percent worth it. We oh so very much encourage you to check out our work along our trails! Thank you!

(The photos are purely organized by aesthetic and vibes, and not in order of the items listed above.)

Your summer interns,
Liana⛏️🔥⚙️and Aly🔨🪏🪵

08/13/2026

The 2026 Noyo Headlands Race was a roaring success thanks to our 256 runners and the community-wide support of businesses like our amazing Silver Sponsors! These folks are the backbone of our community, showing up each year to support the NHR and Mendocino Land Trust – Thank you!!

Let’s support these wonderful businesses in Fort Bragg and Mendocino - our friends and neighbors who keep this community running with much-needed and appreciated services, shops, restaurants, and attractions: 94.5 K-WiNE & 93.5 MAX, Café Beaujolais & Nicholson House, Dunlap Roofing, Family Life Magazine, Fort Bragg Towing & Auto Repair, Gallery Bookshop & Bookwinkles, Geo Aggregates, Highway 20 Feed, Mendo Litho, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, Mendocino Coast European, Paul Sweigart-Edward Jones Financial, Point Arena Lighthouse Museum, Round Table Pizza, Savings Bank of Mendocino County, Sean Leland State Farm Insurance, Subway, Thanksgiving Coffee, and Todd Farmhouse Antiques.

08/13/2026

If you value our work and are interested in learning more about the hands-on planning and implementation of conservation, habitat restoration, and public access in Mendocino County, here's your chance!
Mendocino Land Trust is seeking to expand its Board of Trustees and encourages applicants from all backgrounds who can help our Board evolve to reflect the diversity of Mendocino County. This is a great opportunity to get involved with our dedicated team, and be part of the work that helps to keep Mendocino County wild and wonder-full. MLT’s Board and staff collaborate on a vision that includes increased accessibility to beautiful and scenic places, respect for traditional cultural values, and protecting and restoring natural habitats for wildlife and endangered species. We work to engage our community and visitors to become active participants through community events, volunteer days, and group outings. If this work aligns with your values, experience, or you share our enthusiasm for connecting people to the land, please consider applying as a volunteer member of our Board of Trustees.
Visit the Linktree in our bio, or go directly to our website to apply: mendocinolandtrust.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

08/11/2026

Fifteen years ago, we lost a valued member of our community, a loving partner, son, and brother, and a dedicated steward of these lands. Matt Coleman died on August 11, 2011, the victim of homicide, while working for Mendocino Land Trust.
We can never adequately honor Matt’s life: he was a true champion of the natural world with an intense love of creation. He has been described as smart, tough, and tender – a big-hearted rebel and exactly the kind of man whose heart found a home here in Mendocino County. His childhood friend John Burdick wrote that when Matt moved from New York to California in the 90’s, he changed from a “burn-things-down rebel to a patch-things-up rebel”, which led to his work with CA Fish and Game, CA State Parks, and finally, Mendocino Land Trust.
Former MLT Board President, Winston Bowen recalled that as the Stewardship Coordinator for MLT, “he energized volunteers to do the kind of heavy labor it takes to remove invasive species and maintain the roads; he was steady, hard-working and unpretentious - the kind of person you want on your team.” He was the first steward of the Hare Creek Beach trail, a committed enemy of invasive European beach grass, and a generous environmental educator who shared that passion with his coworkers and volunteers.
There is a bench dedicated to Matt that sits along the haul road, overlooking the Big River, a place he loved. The next time you find yourself on the Big River trail, take a moment here to remember Matt, his work, and his passion for the world.
Our hearts are forever with Matt’s family and friends, fellow volunteers and w**d-warriors, and all who loved and remember his fierce spirit.
Matthew R. Coleman, 1965-2011