This blog was originally posted to Stanford University's Bill Lane Center for the American West "Out West Student Blog". On Tuesday, July 9th, I set out to capture some photographs at Hall’s Ridge for my ongoing project for the Santa Lucia Conservancy. My project at the Conservancy up to that point had consisted of selecting historical photographs of the Santa Lucia [...]
Migration to Nature Moving from San Francisco’s Russian Hill to The Preserve is quite an extreme transition. From frantic streets, hordes of tourist and unlimited leisure options to the complete tranquility of Long Ridge Trail. To the south, the mountains of Big Sur and the Ventana Wilderness, to the north, Peñon Peak and the Pacific Ocean. While this change of [...]
Day in and day out, the Conservancy's Field Crew returned to the office in a state of happy lethargy; simultaneously pleased with the day’s accomplishments and exhausted by long days in the field. Pictured left to right above: Brett, Isidro, Austin, Ryen and Chris. Before I joined the Conservancy’s inaugural Field Crew, I could not have identified French broom out [...]
There is a lot to explore on The Preserve’s 20,000 acres. A stroll in the Openlands with a neighbor or a member of the Conservancy team can reveal exciting discoveries and inspire new passions. Originating as a joint effort to manage invasive thistles, one landowner partnership has evolved into protecting rare deciduous oaks. When landowners team up for conservation, exciting [...]
There are more than a few things that I love about working with our cows on The Preserve. The land is beautiful, the sun is bright, the cows are good company, and everything is hands on. But one of my favorite parts of this job is hearing members ask, “When can the cows be here?” and I love hearing the [...]
My favorite conversations with Preserve landowners often start with something like, “I wonder what’s special about my Openlands?” My reply invariably is, “Let’s find out together!” A walk through the Openlands anywhere on the Preserve is an opportunity to discover something that surprises and delights. The Openlands are the Wonderlands of The Preserve. These protected portions of each residential lot [...]
My favorite conversations with Preserve landowners often start with something like, “I wonder what’s special about my Openlands?” My reply invariably is, “Let’s find out together!” A walk through the Openlands anywhere on the Preserve is an opportunity to discover something that surprises and delights. The Openlands are the Wonderlands of The Preserve. These protected portions of each residential lot [...]
Hidden in Plain Site: Openlands are Wildlife Habitat Did you know that nearly half of the special resources on The Preserve reside in the protective hands of our landowners? One of the brilliant, and yet often uncelebrated, design elements of The Preserve is the fact that each landowner is a vested partner in protecting the things we care about such [...]