Stewardship in Action: How We Monitor 35,000 Acres

Golden State Land Conservancy protects over 35,000 acres across more than 90 conservation easements (opens in new tab). As easement holders and stewards, we monitor each easement property for compliance at least once a year. Official easement compliance monitoring can take one of two forms: an in-person visit or remote monitoring.

Each type of monitoring has its benefits. In-person monitoring allows us to get closer to the land, gather data directly, and build close relationships with landowners. Plus, it gets us away from our desks!

Remote monitoring can vary depending on the need (an airplane flyover, for example); however, for GSLC, remote monitoring means acquiring and carefully analyzing satellite imagery. This imagery is either freely available or purchased through “Lens,” an online program that lets us access high-quality imagery and analyze it with advanced tools. From these images alone, we can measure changes and monitor signs like vegetation vigor or surface water.

In addition, many of GSLC’s easement properties carry “long-term management plans,” which have additional requirements for land management and biological monitoring. For these properties, GSLC oversees the specified activities and ensures habitats remain ecologically healthy and are maintained to the highest standard.

As the year goes on, so do our easement compliance visits, and remote monitoring will begin soon as well (we wait until at least mid-year, so we have a good choice of imagery).

So far in 2026, we have performed in-person monitoring of many different landscapes across 20 easement properties and 9 counties in both northern and southern California. We saw plenty of plant and animal life during our visits, including protected species like the California Red-Legged Frog and Burke’s Goldfields, reminding us why our work matters.

Want to see what monitoring looks like on the ground? Read about our June survey for the California red-legged frog at Catraio Ranch Preserve.