VALLEY SPRINGS - Residents and property owners are invited to a free workshop Saturday in Valley Springs on the various strategies used to conserve farm land and wildlife habitat in California.

The workshop will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Valley Springs Elementary School, 240 Pine St. Foothill Conservancy, Mother Lode Land Trust and MyValleySprings.com are sponsoring the workshop.

The workshop will discuss how land owners can benefit from conservation, as well as the details of conservation easements and land trusts. Other topics include the Williamson Act, a California law that gives farmers and ranchers tax breaks for promising not to convert their land to a real estate development, and how land trust groups can assist property owners to profit from conservation deals.

Speakers include Scott Oneto, the University of California, Davis, Extension agriculture advisor for Tuolumne County; Darla Guenzler, executive director of the California Council of Land Trusts; Devere Dressler, chairman of the board for the California Rangeland Trust; and Ellie Routt, executive director of Mother Lode Land Trust.

Although admission is free, reservations are required. Reserve a seat by contacting Routt, (209) 419-2861 or at ellieroutt@sbcglobal.net; Chris Wright, (209) 295-4900 or chris@foothillconservancy.org; or by going online to www.myvalleysprings.com and clicking on "contact us."

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