The Land Conservancy has purchased over 300 individual lots along the pine forested Lodge Hill area of Cambria. Protecting these many small lots has helped support the long-term protection of the southernmost native Monterey pine forest.
The Land Conservancy has undertaken over 30 physical projects along San Luis Obispo Creek to enhance habitats for steelhead trout. These include restoring eroded banks, re-planting 5 miles of stream banks, and removal of migration impediments to fish. We have also conserved over 100 acres of streamside lands.
The Land Conservancy has secured 1.5 miles of land for the future Bob Jones Trail. The trail will join San Luis Obispo and Avila Beach. We have been in partnership with the County for 10 over years. Construction will begin in the next few years on trail sections though land Conservancy lands.
The Land Conservancy has been a long-time partner in creating the San Luis Obispo Greenbelt. We authored the original greenbelt resource inventory and priority plan when the greenbelt first started. Since then we have authored an updated priority report and helped the City complete a number of important conservation projects including the Stenner Springs, Bowden Ranch, and Maino Open Space Preserves, as well as the Stenner Ranch and Guidetti Ranch conservation easements.
This unique canyon bisects the Nipomo Mesa and contains unique wetland habitats. We have protected almost all of the wetland resources through numerous conservation transactions in the Canyon. Some of these areas have already been restored and more restoration is planned. Ultimately we envision working to re-establish populations of the Gambel's watercress and the Marsh sandwort.
The Land Conservancy now owns a 180 acre preserve at Black Lake. This unique lake is surrounded by sand dunes. The site is an overwintering site for thousands of monarch butterflies and is also an active coastal dune scrub restoration site. At the south end of the Dunes, we purchased half of Paradise Beach and deeded it to Santa Barbara County for inclusion in a regional park. We also hold a conservation easement which protects over 1,000 acres of freshwater lakes and agricultural lands in the lower La Cienega Valley owned by Dunes Lakes Ltd.