Author: Santa Lucia Conservancy

Sustainable Fuel Management on the Santa Lucia Preserve

On a mild summer day in July 2016, several of my colleagues at the Santa Lucia Conservancy and I stood knee-deep in a lovely coastal grassland, looking west across towering redwoods dwarfed by a dense column of smoke rising thousands of feet into the air. The wind was calm, and although the smoke had not
Read more …

Posted on June 24, 2020 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Community

Calving Season on The Preserve

As Thoreau astutely observed, spring arrives with imperceptible first steps. Now, spring is waning, having been lauded by the glowing hillsides of lupines and the gentle bows of the California poppies. And as you have likely both seen and heard, the coming of spring brings not only blooms, but life in all forms. With this
Read more …

Posted on June 1, 2020 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Uncategorized

The Santa Lucia Conservancy Expands Regional Fire Prevention Press Release

NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THE SANTA LUCIA CONSERVANCY EXPANDS REGIONAL FIRE PREVENTION The non-profit, recognized as leader in regional fire planning and prevention, is awarded $2 million across three grants CARMEL, Calif. – The Santa Lucia Conservancy is expanding its cutting-edge role in regional fire planning and suppression. Money from three federal and state
Read more …

Posted on June 1, 2020June 19, 2020 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Uncategorized

Decoding Our Nine Owl Species

The Preserve is home to a stunning diversity of over 150 different bird species. Nine of those feathered residents are owls. What may come as a surprise is that they are wildly different in appearance, habitat use, and in the night-time calls they make. For instance, only one of the owls has a “hoo-hoo-hoohoo” call.
Read more …

Posted on March 24, 2020March 25, 2020 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Newsletter

Shaping the Future of the West

In February, the Conservancy’s Grazing Team attended the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meeting. Trading The Preserve’s mild winter and ocean views for a snowy Denver, we spent a week connecting with and learning from the greater range community. For those of us who spend our days out on the grasslands, and their grazed
Read more …

Posted on March 19, 2020March 25, 2020 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Newsletter

Fueling Biodiversity

Managing the Fuel Management Program across the Santa Lucia Preserve’s 20,000 acres is no small feat. Facilitating site visits, reviewing plans, coordinating approvals, consulting with implementors and following up on treatments is a full-time job, and only one of many responsibilities under the Conservancy’s Conservation Program Manager, Lindsay Cope. In the midst of the fuel
Read more …

Posted on March 4, 2020March 19, 2020 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Uncategorized

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
Read more …

Posted on December 14, 2019 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Newsletter

Can You Map a Sense of Place?

The oldest recorded map in human history is from 6th Century Babylonia, but we have likely been using mental and depicted maps for much longer. Holding far more information than ‘x marks the spot’, maps have been critical to early civilizations finding and revisiting food sources, explorers sailing around the world, a landowner showing the
Read more …

Posted on December 14, 2019December 17, 2019 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Newsletter

The Little Things that Run the World

I can’t believe the day we just had. Emerging from the pond, I reflect on our successful haul: California newts, aquatic garter snakes, vulnerable California red-legged frogs, hundreds of Pacific chorus tadpoles, a gorgeous alligator lizard I snatched from the grass at the water’s edge and too many giant water bugs to keep count. In
Read more …

Posted on December 14, 2019 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Newsletter

A Year of Looking After Our Land

The world’s most prominent scientists warn that globally, the ecosystems that provide all the elements needed for the human civilization to thrive are in great peril. For the first time in history, a single species, rather than geological shifts or planetary catastrophes is fueling the world’s sixth mass extinction. But there are hope spots, like
Read more …

Posted on December 14, 2019 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Newsletter

Wild Preserve

Nature’s Engineers and the Return of the Burrowing Owl The California ground squirrel is a wonderous and critically important component of a healthy grassland. You may not think of them as nature’s engineers, and may even have some other choice names for them! But, in fact, they are essential ecosystem engineers that increase water infiltration
Read more …

Posted on December 14, 2019December 17, 2019 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Newsletter

Posted on December 14, 2019March 25, 2020 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Newsletter

Conservation Community

2020 is a celebratory year for the Conservancy – it is our 25th anniversary, a notable milestone. The vision of a unique conservation community is becoming a reality, with Preserve families working in partnership with our small, dedicated land trust to care for 20,000 acres of scenic, storied and ecologically diverse lands. Today, the Conservancy’s
Read more …

Posted on December 5, 2019December 14, 2019 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Newsletter

Sharing the View

All across The Preserve, people are finding that caring for the land is a wonderful way to deepen their connections to this special place. Whether gathering cattle, pulling weeds, planting trees or installing owl boxes, this ‘high touch’ time spent surrounded by natural beauty nourishes us individually and as a community. Wonderfully, Preserve members and staff
Read more …

Posted on October 8, 2019December 14, 2019 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Newsletter

At Home on the Openlands

Traditionally, autumn brings a sense of returning home. Long summer days spent outside shorten, a chill in the air signals winter is not far away, small mammals stockpile food for shorter days ahead and larger mammals find their way to winter habitat. There is a study, within natural sciences, called phenology. It refers to life
Read more …

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Newsletter

Fire Monks and Fire Chiefs

Standing a few feet back from a wall of 9- foot flames I felt the tip of my nose smart. When the lick of fire began to shift from uncomfortable to unbearable I opened the nozzle of my hose releasing a wide spray of water, what firefighters call ‘fog’, and instantly felt the air cool
Read more …

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Newsletter

Restoring Our Ranching Legacy

The crackling of dried branches underfoot is startling, a sharp counterpoint to the soft mist laying low across the Flats and the muted birdsong greeting the first rays of the fall sunrise. I quiet my feet, waiting patiently.My job is small in the grand scheme of things but will require attention and good timing. A
Read more …

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Newsletter

Conservation Champion

Editorial Note Patty and Mike Stone have recently completed building their home and we went to meet them in their stunning, thoughtfully designed home to learn how they are settling in and what drew them to The Preserve. The first image below was taken by the Stones and graciously shared with us.Patty and Mike Stone fell
Read more …

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Newsletter

Posted on October 8, 2019December 14, 2019 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Newsletter

Wild Preserve: Pleased to Meet You, Bob the Cat

The mama bobcat confidently strolled along the sliding glass door. She assiduously surveyed her surroundings like the protective mother that she was but gave off an air of nonchalance like only a bobcat can. Her two kittens bounded along behind her, far less aware or concerned than their mother, utterly clueless of the adoring audience
Read more …

Posted on September 20, 2019October 8, 2019 by Santa Lucia Conservancy

Posted in Newsletter

Posts navigation

Older posts