June 2024
Earlier this month, Yolo Land Trust (YLT) received the sad news of the passing of Alvin “Al” Sokolow, Emeritus Professor at UC Davis and a dedicated community leader. Al leaves behind a legacy of profound impact, particularly in the realm of farmland and land use policy in California.
Al began his tenure at UC Davis in the 1960s amidst a housing boom in Davis that sparked his interest in community governance and farmland preservation. Al focused his research efforts on guiding local and state policies towards farmland preservation. In 1999, he collaborated with YLT’s executive director and staff from two other Northern California land trusts to publish a research paper on landowners’ motivations for placing conservation easements on their farmland. His contributions continued in 2003 when he led a comprehensive study on agricultural easement programs across the United States, a joint effort involving UC Davis’s Agricultural Issues Center and the American Farmland Trust.
Al retired from UC Davis in 2004 but remained active in his dedication to land use policy and planning. During his retirement, he approached YLT on several occasions to volunteer in service of the organization’s farmland conservation efforts. YLT gratefully accepted many of Al’s offers over the years and benefited immensely from his time, expertise, and analytical insights.
Liz Heckles, Land Stewardship Director, worked closely with AL in 2021 on this special project and shares details on their time together:
“I first met Al in June of 2021,” states Heckles. “He had approached the Yolo Land Trust with an idea to prepare a brochure that would describe YLT’s current farmland conservation status and our future agenda. With his journalistic curiosity and enthusiasm for new projects, he pitched his project, offered his expertise and began asking me questions. I was YLT’s new Conservation Associate, hired just a few months prior; Al was a highly regarded specialist emeritus at UC Davis who had led groundbreaking, in-depth analyses of agricultural conservation easements across the US. His long tenure at UC Davis, for the American Farmland Trust and with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Agency (UC ANR) made him an expert of farmland conservation land use policies, and thus, a valuable partner for YLT. By March 2022, Al’s vision for a brochure summarizing YLT’s easement portfolio had evolved into a 16-page white paper describing YLT’s acquisition history, its major funding sources, the areas of the county benefitting from YLT’s farmland easements as well as an analysis of easement farm’s size, commodity, proximity to other conserved lands. Working with Al on this project allowed me to gain an appreciation for Yolo County’s strong public policy supporting farming, farmland conservation, and the agricultural economy, and recognize YLT’s role in carrying these ideals forward. I am lucky to have been able to work together with Al and am grateful that he was so generous with his knowledge, time and expertise. He will be fondly remembered by the Yolo Land Trust.”
Alvin “Al” Sokolow’s legacy lives on through his impactful research, advocacy, and dedication to preserving California’s farmland. YLT is deeply grateful for his partnership and contributions over the years.
Al Sokolow obituary.
Article YLT assisted Sokolow with, published in 1999 – “California Farmers and Conservation Easements: Motivations, Experience, and Perceptions in Three Counties”
