Oakmont couple longtime ambassadors for Sonoma Land Trust

Oakmont residents Susan and John Millar have contributed to the Sonoma Land Trust for 30 years for a clear and simple reason: They believe in preserving the land for present and future generations.

“My husband has always been interested in fishing and wildlife,” Susan Millar said. “There’s just a feeling we have that the world shouldn’t be covered over with pavement, and that could happen. Land is the one thing that doesn’t grow; you can’t grow more land space or wildlife corridors.”

The Millars have witnessed first-hand the way agricultural land gives way to pavement. Susan grew up on the San Francisco Peninsula when fruit orchards still dominated the Santa Clara Valley. In the late 1950s, about the time she headed off to school at UC Berkeley (where she would meet John), those orchards began to disappear. Once married, the couple lived for 44 years in the Contra Costa County towns of Lafayette and Orinda.

“The world kind of ended at the Danville Hotel in those early days,” Millar said. “After that, everything else was apricot orchards. But one by one they were sold off for subdivisions, until the world extended right on through to Pleasanton.”

After their two sons were in college, the Millars bought a small vacation cabin on the Russian River, where they enjoyed spending weekends. One day in the mid-1980s, they joined a public hike sponsored by the Land Trust.

“The work Sonoma Land Trust was doing appealed to us greatly,” Millar said. “They buy up development rights and put the land under conservation. We were well aware of the allure of someone offering tons of money for agricultural land. Sonoma County has some of the best farmland in California, and we wanted to help keep it intact. So we joined the organization. Their 40th anniversary is this year, and we’ve been there for about 30 of them.”

Dave Koehler, the Land Trust’s executive director, noted that the organization’s loyal members have directly increased its capacity over the decades.

“Individuals like the Millars are our community ambassadors,” he said, “making a tangible difference through sharing what they value most about Sonoma County. At its heart, Sonoma Land Trust is an expression of how much our community values its treasured landscapes, and the Millars represent the dedication and commitment our core supporters have for the organization’s mission.”

In 2005, a few years after both the Millars retired, they moved to Oakmont. Susan volunteers with Sonoma Land Trust, where, among other things, she gives tours of historic 1868 Glen Oaks Ranch. Asked why she gives, Susan thinks for a moment.

“You’re living comfortably,” she said, “and you know you’ll never want to buy a yacht. You don’t need more stuff, in fact, you want to get rid of stuff. You got your kids off to a good start, but you know there are other kids and people who need help, and an entire population that should be able to see dirt and trees and flowers. And if you have some extra money to give, well, you might want to give it.

“Giving this way, to save the land, it’s as good as anything I could ever buy.”