Stemple Creek Ranch Receives California Leopold Conservation Award

Stemple Creek Ranch of Tomales is the 2025 California Leopold Conservation Award® recipient.

The $10,000 award honors farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat on working land. 

Loren and Lisa Poncia, owners of Stemple Creek Ranch, were presented with the award during the California Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Meeting on December 8. 

Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust present Leopold Conservation Awards to private landowners in 28 states. In California, the award is presented with Sustainable Conservation and the California Farm Bureau Federation. 

Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes landowners who inspire others to consider conservation opportunities on their land. In his influential 1949 book, A Sand County Almanac, Leopold advocated for “a land ethic,” an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage. 

Earlier this year, California landowners were encouraged to apply, or be nominated, for the award. Applications were reviewed by an independent panel of agricultural and conservation leaders from California. 

ABOUT STEMPLE CREEK RANCH

Loren Poncia summarizes his story this way: Ranch kid gets bit by the agriculture bug. Kid works in corporate America. Kid comes back to the ranch to build something sustainable and profitable. 

When Loren and his wife Lisa moved back to Marin County 20 years ago, their goal was to reinvent the family business by raising high quality grass-fed and finished meats. That would require a new spin on how to raise and market sheep and beef cattle. 

During their first few years they both kept their day jobs while leasing 400 acres of his family’s land. They bought beef cattle and focused on the infrastructure needed for rotational grazing. That meant investing in miles of movable fencing, dozens of permanent water troughs, and solar pumps that move water to holding tanks. 

Today, the organic, grass-finished beef and lamb and pastured pork they raise are sold direct to consumers, grocery stores, restaurants, and butcher shops. However, establishing a niche product with its own brand, happened one step at a time. 

Seventeen years ago, Loren and Lisa designed a logo, put up a simple website, and began selling beef and lamb directly to consumers. As a vendor at one of the largest farmers markets in the country (7 miles away from their home, and only 35 miles from the ranch) their product caught the eye of well-known chefs. Over the course of a decade, they went from selling 10 head of beef to more than 1,500 annually. 

After purchasing a neighboring ranch, they rehabbed its buildings as ranch stays and turned an old hay barn into an event venue to host weddings, corporate events, and farm-to-table dinners. Loren’s experience in ag business, and Lisa’s as a practicing attorney, paid dividends as they built their business, which now encompasses a team of 20 employees and thousands of acres managed for grazing. 

The 650 acres they own and much of what they lease has Marin Agricultural Land Trust agricultural conservation easements on them. This ensures that the land will be conserved as open space and in productive agricultural use in perpetuity. Their daughters, Avery and Julianna, and their nieces and nephews will be the fifth generation to steward the coastal hills of Marin County. 

“We’re trying to dance with Mother Nature within our fencelines,” Loren says of his family’s approach to conservation. 

Loren’s father Al began fencing off the creeks and riparian areas and planting trees to prevent erosion in the 1980s. Loren and Lisa continued what he started by adding over five miles of fencing and planting 10,000 trees. This restoration effort has created a habitat that attracts beavers, badgers, bobcats, black-tailed deer, jack rabbits, and grey and red foxes. Stemple Creek Ranch is also home to endangered species, including the California red-legged frog and the California freshwater shrimp.

The ranch was certified as bird-friendly by the Audubon Society in 2021 for its sustainable grazing practices. Several species of hawks, owls, and migrating birds seasonally call the ranch home. The Ponicas partner with Sola Bee Farms to host pollinating bee hives on the property. 

As one of the first demonstration sites for the Marin Carbon Project, a groundbreaking 10-year study, it was one of the first ranches with an active carbon farm plan. They have hosted hundreds of tours to educate others about carbon positive practices, soil health, and rotational grazing.

Just as Loren strives to stimulate the soil and grassland at Stemple Creek Ranch, he’s equally excited about helping others see what is possible when bridging the environmental and economic benefits of conservation. 

ACCOLADES

“Stemple Creek Ranch is a model of how thoughtful, regenerative management can benefit soil, water, wildlife, and people all at once,” said Ashley Boren, Sustainable Conservation CEO, which has co-sponsored the award since its launch in California in 2006. “Their dedication to protecting riparian areas and wildlife corridors, and their constant engagement with students, neighbors, and fellow ranchers demonstrate how working lands can strengthen the ecosystems and communities around them.”

“We are honored to recognize the extraordinary efforts of California farmers and ranchers like Stemple Creek Ranch who go above and beyond in their stewardship of natural resources,” said Shannon Douglass, California Farm Bureau Federation President. “Stemple Creek has championed sustainable ranching practices, soil health, and conducting research to improve their operation. Their efforts showcase how California’s farmers and ranchers can tackle environmental challenges while still producing the food and fiber that nourish and clothe the world.”

“These award recipients are examples of how Aldo Leopold’s land ethic is alive and well today,” said Kevin McAleese, Sand County Foundation President and CEO. “Their dedication to conservation is both an inspiration to their peers as well as a reminder to all how important thoughtful agriculture is to clean water, healthy soil, and wildlife habitat.”

“As the national sponsor for Sand County Foundation’s Leopold Conservation Award, American Farmland Trust celebrates the hard work and dedication of the award recipients,” said John Piotti, AFT President and CEO. “At AFT we believe that exemplary conservation involves the land itself, the practices employed on the land, and the people who steward it. This award recognizes the integral role of all three.”

Among the many outstanding California landowners nominated for the award were finalists: Hat Creek Grown of Hat Creek in Shasta County, and Iron Horse Vineyards of Sebastopol in Sonoma County. 

The California Leopold Conservation Award is made possible thanks to generous contributions from American Farmland Trust, Sustainable Conservation, California Farm Bureau Federation, Sand County Foundation, The Harvey L. & Maud C. Sorensen Foundation, Bowles Farming Company, California Rangeland Trust, Farm Credit, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service of California, and California Leopold Conservation Award alumni. 

To view all past recipients of the California Leopold Conservation Award, visit: https://sandcountyfoundation.org/our-work/leopold-conservation-award/state/california

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SAND COUNTY FOUNDATION inspires and empowers farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners to ethically care for the land to sustain water resources, build healthy soil, and enhance wildlife habitat. www.sandcountyfoundation.org

SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION helps California thrive by uniting people to solve the toughest challenges facing California’s land, air, and water. Since 1993, it has brought together business, landowners, and government to steward the resources that we all depend on in ways that are just and make economic sense. Sustainable Conservation believes common ground is California's most important resource. www.suscon.org