Northern California Leopold Conservation Award Recipients Inspire
Wednesday, Nov 5th, 2025
By: Lance Irving, Sand County Foundation
The 20th recipient of the California Leopold Conservation Award will be announced later this year. This prestigious award, presented annually by Sand County Foundation and a variety of state partners, recognizes farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat on working land.
Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the Leopold Conservation Award recognizes landowners whose conservation achievements 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.
Award applications may be submitted on behalf of a landowner, or landowners may nominate themselves. Applications are reviewed by an independent panel of California agricultural and conservation leaders.
Northern California is home to many Leopold Conservation Award recipients whose stories we have had the honor of widely promoting. Here are a few examples:
The Lundberg Family
The third and fourth generation of the Lundberg family in the Sacramento Valley have embraced the family’s conservation heritage of using agricultural practices to protect soil, air and water. The family has pioneered stewardship practices such as flooding their rice fields rather than burning them to break down rice straw after harvest. Since the 1960s, the Lundbergs have found this practice builds soil organic matter while improving air quality. By working with university researchers, they have helped inform fellow growers of this practice, particularly after the burning of rice straw was limited by law.
Not burning the rice straw and planting cover crops also provides habitat for millions of migrating waterfowl to rest, feed and rear their young each winter. Since the 1980s, the Lundbergs have rescued duck eggs ahead of the rice harvest. In partnership with wildlife conservation groups, the eggs are collected, the ducklings are raised in hatcheries, banded with California Department of Fish and Game tags, and released back into safe habitats. These efforts have saved more than 30,000 ducks. All of this community and environmental benefit combined with producing outstanding rice and other products.
Al Montna and The Montna Family
Another conservation leader in both Northern California and nationally is Al Montna of Yuba City. The Montna family has been farming in California since the late 1800’s and has grown many different crops, now primarily specialty short grain rice.
Montna’s commitment to sustainable agriculture and conservation has led him to take several steps to improve the quality of land, water, and especially wildlife. For decades, Montna has flooded his rice fields, which has increasingly provided valuable habitat for waterfowl. He also monitors the quantity and quality of water on his farm and utilizes laser leveling of his fields, which results in lower herbicide costs due to better water management.
In 2008, he built a solar power facility to offset energy use. He helped pioneer the practice of knocking rice stubble down into flooded fields rather than burning it, which creates winter habitat for many wildlife species. His desire to see his land remain in agriculture for future generations led him to establish the first wildlife-friendly agriculture easement in California. Montna Farms has about 2,000 acres under an easement, which provides habitat for waterfowl and shorebirds for migration, wintering, or breeding.
The Rominger Brothers
The Rominger Brothers are another example of Northern California conservation success. They couple a willingness to take risks with a strong conservation ethic. In other words, these fifth-generation farmers are committed to growing crops and managing rangeland in ways that protect and enhance the environment.
The Romingers realize today’s farm must be environmentally and economically sustainable. They achieve this balance while growing wine grapes, rice, wheat, processing tomatoes, safflower, corn, onions, sunflower, alfalfa and oat hay on 6,000 acres in Yolo County.
Northern California is blessed with some of the most productive agricultural lands in the country, and Leopold Conservation Award recipients and other conservation-minded landowners are ensuring it stays both bountiful and environmentally beneficial. There is often not enough good news about agriculture, but Northern California land stewards like those who have received the Leopold Conservation Award provide an opportunity to appreciate those doing right by the land.
Other recipients of the Leopold Conservation Award from Northern California include:
Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the Leopold Conservation Award recognizes landowners whose conservation achievements 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.
