2012 Annual Report - The Nature Conservancy

Sandy Hedrick
Santa Paula, California
“Ventura County, and particularly the Santa Clara River Valley area,
is blessed with some of the deepest topsoils in the world and a very
mild climate where we can grow most anything. It’s one of the finest
agricultural areas anywhere in the world.
I remember when I was a child watching huge pastures just getting
swept away because there were no roots or trees to hold it in place.
Now we have a nice wide buffer zone of riparian forest and wellvegetated
floodplain that is much less subject to erosion if we have
a major storm. I think all along the Santa Clara River farmers are
getting the benefit of these riparian buffers.”
Nearly half of the Earth’s land
surface is used for agriculture.
* Source information p. 52
Sandy Hedrick owns and operates Hedrick Farms, where he grows oranges,
lemons, tangerines and avocados. Climate change and sea level rise threaten many
communities, including farmers, and through projects like Coastal Resilience Ventura,
the Conservancy will help decision-makers implement on-the-ground conservation
methods to preserve agricultural land and provide nonstructural flood protection
through floodplain easements.
20 The Nature Conservancy I nature.org