Sharing the View

Sharing the View

Welcome to the holiday edition of our newsletter. As the rains return to The Preserve and snowberries and hollyleaf cherries highlight the subtle beauty of the winter woods, this is a wonderful time for reflection and for looking forward with hope and excitement. 2020 will be our Silver Anniversary, and we are planning on a memorable year ahead.

The Conservancy was created 25 years ago as an essential part of the Santa Lucia Preserve, to sustain the health and beauty of our greatest asset – The Preserve’s natural lands. From the beginning, The Preserve Design was, and still is, a pioneering model of private lands conservation, a place where the natural beauty and rich diversity of wildlife and plants are actively cared for by a thriving community of people, for the benefit of all. There is nowhere else like it in the world.

The Conservancy and The Preserve community have come a long way in the last quarter century. Together, we have woven beautiful homes into a healthy wild landscape, made and kept promises to protect special places, and embarked on dozens of habitat restoration projects. Preserve members are weed warriors, wildlife champions and conservation partners. This is, by far, the most thoughtful and ambitious approach to caring for these lands since the Rumsen Ohlone tended the grasslands and oaks here over 250 years ago. Through our cooperative efforts, we are creating a legacy that will benefit everyone living in this community and far beyond, for generations to come.

Strengthening connections within this growing community and sustaining a shared conservation vision is essential to our continued success. As a place to share information and inspiration, our newsletter has already featured 15 community members and their unique conservation stories, with many more to come.

As you may have read in a recent letter from Board Chair Jeff Langholz, I am approaching my 10th year as executive director, and 2020 will be my last in this position. It has been a privilege to lead the Santa Lucia Conservancy through these exciting times, and The Preserve will always have a special place in my heart. With an engaged community and terrific Conservancy team in place, I am prepared to pursue conservation challenges farther afield. In 2020, I will work closely with the Board of Governors and actively participate in the succession plan. Rest assured, the Conservancy is stronger than ever, and will remain a steadfast partner for The Preserve community.

I hope you will take an opportunity over the holidays and through the coming year to spend time with the Conservancy’s wonderfully talented and dedicated team of conservation professionals, who come to work every day with one aim: to help The Preserve community reach its full potential as an exceptional conservation community. You are welcome to give us a ring or stop by our office anytime at 26700 Rancho San Carlos Road, just a half mile outside The Preserve’s gate. We look forward to your visit and to celebrating our Silver Anniversary together.

Happy Holidays to you all,