Bob Neale

I’m humbled by the nomination and honored by the opportunity to serve the Terrafirma Members Committee and the land trust community as the Pacific Coast Region Representative.  I’ve spent more than 27 years in land conservation.   During that time, I’ve benefitted greatly from advice, mentoring, and relationships with so many people across this region and country, in the constantly changing world of land conservation.  Together we have grown a thriving and versatile network of land conservation. I see this as an opportunity to give back to our community and to continue to learn more about the work we do together.

As Stewardship Director for Sonoma Land Trust for over 17 years, I’ve been involved in many aspects of conservation easement and fee land management.  I’ve worked on conservation and stewardship of agricultural lands, coniferous forest and oak woodlands, wetlands and salmon streams, recreational lands, and ‘forever wild” lands.  My combination of skills and experience in the day-to-day world of stewardship, as well as the long-term view of land trust vision and strategic direction, provides a perspective that I hope will be valuable in this role. 

I’ve collaborated with landowners, staff, colleagues, and attorneys to develop solutions to challenging conservation questions and issues, from drafting conservation easement language, to interpreting it, to finding common ground with landowners, and (as a last resort) going to court for the final word.  After spending seven years in conservation easement violation litigation, successfully winding our way through trial and the appellate courts, I understand the challenges land trusts face in keeping their commitments and the valuable role that Terrafirma plays in supporting our work.

As representative for the Pacific Coast Region, I will represent the collective interests of Terrafirma members in this region and share information from a national perspective with my region, so that we can collectively continue to grow stronger and meet future challenges.  Thank you for this opportunity.