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The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County welcomes a new executive director with local roots, Meredith Hendricks, following an extensive nationwide search. Hendricks joins the Land Trust at a time when the organization is pushing ahead several significant conservation projects— finalizing as many as 10 conservation easements, bringing the organization’s total conserved acreage to 45,000 by summer 2021—and actively searching for opportunities to expand community access to natural resources throughout the county.

Land Trust Board of Trustees President, Scott Van Der Kar stated “The Land Trust is more active today than it has been in its history,” and “Meredith is the perfect leader to take the organization to the next level in executing an ambitious strategic plan.” Van Der Kar noted that the organization is growing partnerships and community relationships and Hendricks’ expertise will be “instrumental in deepening the Land Trust’s role as an important community leader.”

Hendricks brings 20 years of conservation, land management, and environmental nonprofit leadership experience—and energy—to Santa Barbara County. Her work has focused on permanently conserving land for future generations and developing public open space within the urban environment of the San Francisco Bay Area, including 7 years as the Director of Land Programs at the nationally accredited land trust, Save Mount Diablo.

Among Hendricks’ most important and proud career accomplishments is the creation of the Dr. Mary Bowerman Science and Research Program, providing small grants, especially to students, for research projects on Save Mount Diablo’s properties and protected land network in the Bay Area. She also successfully worked on the expansion of the regional Marsh Creek Trail network and was instrumental in resolving the 40-year long fight to protect the last 95 acres of historic Anderson Ranch from subdivision, ensuring the property’s long-term preservation.

Hendricks believes “everyone deserves to spend time outside connecting with our spectacular landscapes, now and forever. I love building community around land conservation for agriculture, recreation, and wildlife. I am honored to join a dedicated team taking action to conserve Santa Barbara County’s important and beautiful spaces.”

Read the full story as covered by Noozhawk.

READ MORE STORIES ABOUT MEREDITH HENDRICKS: 

Santa Barbara News Press: New Executive Director Aims to Conserve to Improve Quality of Life

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