WHAT WE DO
CLG is a Northern California based firm specializing in diverse Mitigation and Conservation projects.
CLG acts as a real estate broker, consultant or strategic advisor for buyers and sellers of natural resource properties in California, including working farms, range and timber lands, endangered species habitat, wetlands, coastal properties, trail and river corridors, wilderness inholdings, and cultural/historic sites.
CLG has a proven track record of completing complex conservation real estate projects in a timely manner and ensuring that its clients’ personal, financial and/or organizational goals are accomplished.
OUR TEAM
CLG’s founder, Kevin Knowles, has worked in the conservation real estate field exclusively since 1989. A licensed California real estate broker, Kevin has extensive experience negotiating, managing and closing complex land and conservation easement projects on behalf of both buyers and sellers. Prior to founding CLG, Kevin was a Project Manager with The Trust for Public Land in San Francisco.
Over the course of his career, he has helped permanently protect over 150,000 acres of land throughout California and the West.
Kevin’s real estate experience also includes commercial brokerage and residential development work for Coldwell Banker Commercial and Signature Properties, respectively. He received a B.A. in American Studies from Stanford University in 1987. Kevin is a California native and avid outdoors enthusiast.
Over the course of his career, he has helped permanently protect over 150,000 acres of land throughout California and the West.
Kevin’s real estate experience also includes commercial brokerage and residential development work for Coldwell Banker Commercial and Signature Properties, respectively. He received a B.A. in American Studies from Stanford University in 1987. Kevin is a California native and avid outdoors enthusiast.
Over the last fifteen years, Debra Geiler has negotiated the acquisition of 35,000 acres of conservation lands valued in excess of $200 million. Debra achieved these successes working closely with landowners and interested stakeholders – negotiating and managing complex conservation real estate transactions to completion.
With a childhood spent in the outdoors, a law degree, and experience in real estate development, she brings both a passion for preserving natural areas and the professional skills and business acumen needed to realize that vision, often in contentious settings. Prior to joining CLG, Debra served as the Southern California Director for the Trust for Public Land and worked in the real estate development field. She earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of California Hastings College of Law and her B.S. from California State University at Sacramento.
With a childhood spent in the outdoors, a law degree, and experience in real estate development, she brings both a passion for preserving natural areas and the professional skills and business acumen needed to realize that vision, often in contentious settings. Prior to joining CLG, Debra served as the Southern California Director for the Trust for Public Land and worked in the real estate development field. She earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of California Hastings College of Law and her B.S. from California State University at Sacramento.
John Vollmar is the founder and president of Vollmar Natural Lands Consulting, Inc. based in Berkeley, California. John has over 25 years of professional experience and has directed more than 350 projects during his career. These projects range from small parcel assessments to large regional conservation studies, preserve establishment, restoration and management, and development of conservation/mitigation banks. John is an expert botanist, vegetation ecologist, and wetland ecologist. He is also an expert on amphibians and aquatic invertebrates of ephemeral and seasonal wetlands, especially California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, and vernal pool shrimp. His background combines strong technical experience with a thorough understanding of environmental regulations pertaining to botanical and wetland resources. John graduated from UC Berkeley in 1990 with a degree in Natural History and Evolution.
Gavin Kakol has over 6 years of real estate experience in both a commercial and land conservation setting. Gavin began his career as a commercial real estate agent with a focus on retail and land development. Gavin assisted national retailers, commercial and multifamily developers, as well as institutional investors with property acquisitions and leasing. In 2018, Gavin transitioned to land conservation and has already assisted in the protection of over 22,000 acres valued at upwards of $33 million dollars. Gavin has experience with a full range of transaction types including complex habitat mitigation easements involving federal, state, and private stakeholders.
Gavin graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a BSBA in Economics. Despite being a Las Vegas native, Gavin knows his way around California’s diverse array of landscapes and habitat types and has extensive contacts within state agencies and conservation groups.