The newly published Conservation Living Guide for Santa Lucia Preserve residents. Photo by Alix Soliman. 

November 18, 2021

By Jamison Watts, Executive Director

We’re thrilled to announce that the Santa Lucia Conservancy will be releasing the Conservation Living Guide for Preserve residents next week! Born from an imperative to foster a comprehensive understanding of what it means to live in a conservation community, this guide provides an overview of the diverse habitats and wildlife found on The Santa Lucia Preserve as well as specific ways that landowners can care for their land in conservation-compatible ways. 

A visionary model, The Preserve blends a residential community into a permanently protected natural landscape. In partnership with a thriving residential community of over 150 landowners, the Conservancy adaptively manages approximately 18,000 acres of the 20,000 acre Preserve to increase wildfire and climate resilience, reduce invasive species, maintain diverse habitats for a range of wildlife, and advance the practice of land conservation throughout California.

Our goal is to forge enduring relationships with The Preserve community and inspire residents to form an ever deeper connection to this incredible place. As such, this guide answers the most common questions we receive from landowners and offers context for the protected values that guide everything the Conservancy does. Each Preserve residence will receive a printed copy of the Conservation Living Guide and a PDF version will be publicly available in December.

The successful completion of this project would not have been possible without the dedication of the Conservancy staff and board, especially Lindsay Cope, Christy Wyckoff, Alix Soliman, Ron Eastman, Kathy Siegal, Cheryl Thiele, and Karen Hargrove. Special thanks to The Preserve residents who participated in focus groups in spring 2021, their input was invaluable.