Alameda County Resource Conservation District (ACRCD) Mission

The mission of the Alameda County Resource Conservation District (ACRCD) is to provide leadership in the county and region to enhance natural resources conservation, preserve wildlife and habitat, and improve rangeland and agricultural management through partnerships, education, outreach, resource services and technical assistance to clients, and funding support.

The ACRCD and NRCS are not Government oversight agencies. Maintaining the trust of the landowners and ranchers is of the utmost importance.

Support Local Farms in Alameda County – Urgent Funding Needed!

A federal funding freeze has put six vital agricultural conservation projects on hold across Alameda County—impacting farms and community spaces in West Oakland, Hayward/Ashland, the Oakland Hills (Sequoya/Eastmont Hills), San Leandro, and include local child development centers and a temporary residence for the unhoused. These projects must be completed this spring, but without immediate financial support, they will not happen. Each grant award is $2,500 and our goal is to raise $15,000 to fully fund all six projects.

Every single dollar goes directly to these farmers! These small farms and gardens operate on small budgets with volunteer support. Your donation of any amount will make a lasting impact!

Please visit our donation page for more information and to support this time-sensitive need!

CA NRCS’s Conservation Stewardship Program Application Cutoff Date is Fast Approaching

Are you a farmer, rancher, or land steward actively engaged in conservation within Alameda County? The Conservation Stewardship Program is a five-year program that offers eligible producers annual payments to enhance, maintain, and expand existing conservation efforts on their agricultural operation. These “enhancements” can range widely depending on the goals and resource concerns of the operation – for example, enhancing grazing management, tailoring a cover crop mix, improving wildlife management… and more. This program is available to all producers regardless of the size of their operation or their income from farm sales.

While NRCS accepts applications year-round, interested applicants should apply no later than April 1^st 2025, to be considered for the 2025 program cycle. Please review the program eligibility before applying and share widely with your networks.

If you are interested in learning more about the program, please reach out to Verónica Rivera-Vega, [email protected], and Rose Collins, [email protected], at your earliest convenience. We are requesting that interested parties reach out as soon as possible so that we can get started on the application process.

See Your Neighbors’ Native Plant Gardens and Electrified Homes!

Join the free Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour and Green Home Features Showcase on-line event on April 5 & 6 from 10 am-3 pm to see beautiful native plant gardens that attract birds, bees, and butterflies, hear from local gardening experts, and “visit” homes with solar panels and backup batteries, heat pumps for heating and cooling the house and heating water, induction ranges, and more.

During the free in-person Tour from 10 am-5 pm on May 3 & 4 more than 50 homeowners in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties are opening their native plant gardens, and some of them will open their homes. Learn how to design a native plant garden for color and interest throughout the year, garden for wildlife, lower your water bills, and garden without using pesticides. Ask homeowners who have electrified about the heat pumps, induction ranges, solar panels, batteries and more they have installed to replace methane gas-powered products. The Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour and Green Home Features Showcase is free, but advance registration is required here.

Free Conservation Easement Workshop

These workshops are designed for landowners in Alameda County interested in preserving their land and for ranchers with a vested interest in land stewardship.

Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how conservation easements can benefit both the owner and the land. Experts will be on hand to discuss the application process, and financial incentives, and answer questions. Additionally, funding opportunities specific to Alameda County will be shared.

The first workshop will be held in Livermore on Tuesday, March 18th.

RSVP here by March 10th to reserve your spot today!

The second workshop will be held in Sunol on Friday, April 4th. More information coming soon.

Movie Showing in Livermore, March 27th @ 5:30pm

An immigrant family in California’s Central Valley faces the loss of their land and way of life. One of the few remaining ranching families in the Bay Area watches urban sprawl creep in from every direction. Cowboys work in the shadow of the historic Hearst Castle. Wildlife find refuge on the biggest expanse of private land in Southern California. One of the largest Black landowners in the state discovers Native American artifacts on his ranch. Presented by California Rangeland Trust and directed by Keely Brazil Covello and Michaela Brazil Gillies, You Just Can’t See Them From the Road is a documentary portrait of modern West Coast ranchers—invisible to and misunderstood by the rapidly modernizing society they sustain.

Click here for more information and to watch the trailer.

Alameda County Conservation Partnership

The Alameda County Resource Conservation District (ACRCD) and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) collaborate as the Conservation Partnership to serve as the lead conservation agency in Alameda County. We provide technical and educational services for natural resource conservation and agriculture enhancement. The Partnership collaborates with many partners including private landowners, local, state and federal agencies and other organizations to develop and implement various conservation and agricultural strategies. The ACRCD also works closely, on a fee for service basis, with public agencies and private sector companies, to help achieve conservation based goals.