Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County

Last updated
Land Conservancy Logo, LCSLO website. LClogo.jpg
Land Conservancy Logo, LCSLO website.

The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County (LCSLO) is a non-profit land trust organization that has been operating in San Luis Obispo County, California since 1984. The LCSLO is dedicated to the voluntary and collaborative preservation and improvement of lands that hold significant scenic, agricultural, habitat, and cultural values. Their work aims to benefit both the local community and wildlife that depends on these lands.

Contents

Land acquisition, preservation and restoration

The objectives of the LCSLO (Land Conservation and Stewardship Land Office) are as follows:

  1. Preservation of vital conservation lands for the benefit of future generations: The LCSLO aims to safeguard significant conservation lands to ensure their availability and integrity for the well-being of future communities.
  2. Rehabilitation of deteriorated habitat resources to reinstate their ecological advantages to the environment: The LCSLO strives to restore degraded habitats, thereby revitalizing their environmental benefits and enhancing the overall health of the local ecosystem.
  3. Implementation of restoration and management practices for protected conservation lands: The LCSLO is dedicated to executing effective strategies for the restoration and sustainable management of conserved lands, ensuring their long-term viability and ecological functionality.

Land Preservation and Restoration Projects

The LCSLO (Land Conservation and Stewardship Land Office) has actively participated and remains engaged in numerous initiatives focused on land preservation, creek restoration, and dune restoration across various regions in SLO County. These efforts encompass areas such as the north coast, San Luis Obispo Creek, Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes/Black Lake Canyon, as well as Paradise Beach in northern Santa Barbara County.

Examples of Restoration/Preservation Sites/Programs

SLO greenbelt land, LCSLO website Greenbelt.jpg
SLO greenbelt land, LCSLO website
  • The LCSLO (Land Conservation and Stewardship Land Office) has been actively involved in various conservation projects aimed at preserving natural areas and promoting sustainable land use. Here are some notable examples:
    1. Monterey Pine Forest Protection Program: Since 1986, the LCSLO has acquired more than 400 lots in Cambria, California, with the specific goal of safeguarding one of the rare and endemic Monterey Pine forests along the Pacific Coast.
    2. Hidden Springs Farm: Hidden Springs is a family-owned tree farm spanning 55 acres (220,000 m2) in Atascadero, CA. It consists of a combination of agricultural and natural areas, including diverse oak woodlands and a mile-long stretch of Graves Creek. The LCSLO collaborated with the Franks family to preserve the entire 55-acre property, which was zoned for agriculture and the last of its kind within the City of Atascadero. The LCSLO continues to monitor the site for conservation purposes.
    3. Greenbelt Protection Program: Through a partnership with the City of San Luis Obispo, the LCSLO played a role in preserving over 700 acres (2.8 km2) of significant landscapes as part of the visionary City Greenbelt Protection Program. This collaborative conservation project involved protecting 390 acres (1.6 km2) of the Brughelli farm on the south side of town and 315 acres (1.27 km2) of Union Pacific Railroad Properties along West Cuesta Ridge on the north side of town (Stenner Springs). The preservation of these agricultural lands near downtown helps safeguard the headwaters that contribute to local tributaries of SLO Creek. Funding for the project included support from the Department of Defense Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) Program with $350,000 provided towards the purchase of the Stenner Springs property.
    4. Reservoir Canyon: This project focuses on a significant streamside property containing a one-mile (1.6 km) stretch of upper San Luis Obispo Creek within a working cattle ranch. The LCSLO took on the restoration of this site after heavy rains caused severe erosion issues. Restoration efforts included the creation of deep shaded pools to provide habitat for steelhead trout, a federally listed threatened species. Before the restoration work began, over 200 steelhead trout were carefully caught and relocated.
    5. Pismo Preserve, Pismo Beach, California: The LCSLO is involved in the creation of the Pismo Preserve, a 900-acre regional park in Pismo Beach. The preserve features over 15 miles of multi-use trails designed for activities such as hiking, cycling, and horseback riding, providing opportunities for outdoor recreation and enjoyment of the natural surroundings.

Conservation planning

The Land Conservancy, or LCSLO, has actively engaged in various policy studies to contribute to informed decision-making and promote responsible land use practices. These studies include the City of San Luis Obispo Greenbelt Plan, a Community Separator Study conducted in 2006, an analysis of outdated subdivisions in rural areas in 2007, and collaborations with SLO County's Agricultural Land Conservation Program.

The LCSLO has specific objectives, which are as follows:

  1. Prevent poorly planned development: The organization works to discourage haphazard or unsustainable development practices that could negatively impact natural areas and communities.
  2. Protect drinking water sources: Recognizing the importance of clean and accessible drinking water, the LCSLO prioritizes efforts to safeguard water sources from pollution and degradation.
  3. Promote family farmlands and ranches: The LCSLO supports the preservation and sustainable management of family-owned agricultural lands and ranches, which contribute to the local economy and cultural heritage.
  4. Conduct conservation workshops for landowners and financial/estate planning experts: The LCSLO organizes workshops aimed at providing landowners with valuable information on conservation practices and collaborating with professionals in financial and estate planning to address related considerations.
  5. Collaborate on landowner/rancher workshops with the University of California Cooperative Extension and other groups: The LCSLO forms partnerships with organizations like the University of California Cooperative Extension to develop workshops tailored to the needs of landowners and ranchers, fostering knowledge-sharing and promoting sustainable land management practices.

The LCSLO is currently involved in various planning projects, including:

  1. Santa Rosa Creek Watershed Conservation Plan
  2. San Luis Obispo Creek Fish Passage Improvement Program
  3. San Luis Obispo Creek Watershed Enhancement Plan
  4. City of San Luis Obispo Greenbelt Planning Project
  5. Nipomo Creek Watershed Management Plan

Through these projects, the LCSLO aims to address conservation and enhancement needs in the respective areas, collaborating with stakeholders to achieve sustainable and resilient watershed management.

Education and outreach projects

The Land Conservancy operates a number of activities devoted to educating the public on water conservation, riparian protection, and oak habitat support. Activities are designed to:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Coastal Conservancy</span>

The California State Coastal Conservancy is a non-regulatory state agency in California established in 1976 to enhance coastal resources and public access to the coast. The CSCC is a department of the California Natural Resources Agency. The agency's work is conducted along the entirety of the California coast, including the interior San Francisco Bay and is responsible for the planning and coordination of federal land sales to acquire into state land as well as award grant funding for improvement projects. The Board of Directors for the agency is made up of seven members who are appointed by the Governor of California and approved by the California Legislature, members of the California State Assembly and California State Senate engage and provide oversight within their legislative capacity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes</span> Dune system in California

Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes is the largest remaining dune system south of San Francisco and the second largest in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses an 18-mile (29 km) stretch of coastline on the Central Coast of California and extends from southern San Luis Obispo County to northern Santa Barbara County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cache River (Illinois)</span> River in Illinois, United States

The Cache River is a 92-mile-long (148 km) waterway in southernmost Illinois, in a region sometimes called Little Egypt. The basin spans 737 square miles (1,910 km2) and six counties: Alexander, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski, and Union. Located at the convergence of four major physiographic regions, the river is part of the largest complex of wetlands in Illinois. The Cache River Wetlands is America's northernmost cypress/tupelo swamp and harbors 91 percent of the state's high quality swamp and wetland communities. It provides habitat for more than 100 threatened and endangered species in Illinois. In 1996, the Cache was designated a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Pennsylvania Conservancy</span> Private nonprofit organization

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) is a private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. WPC has contributed land to 12 state parks and conserved more than a quarter million acres of natural lands. The Conservancy plants and maintains more than 132 gardens in 20 Western Pennsylvania counties, as well as planting thousands of trees through its community forestry program. WPC has protected or restored more than 3,000 miles (4,800 km) of rivers and streams. In 1963, Edgar Kaufmann Jr. entrusted Frank Lloyd Wright's masterwork Fallingwater to the Conservancy. The house was called the most important building of the 20th century by the American Institute of Architects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Luis Obispo Creek</span> River in California, United States

San Luis Obispo Creek is a stream, about 18 miles (29 km) long, in San Luis Obispo County, California. It drains a large coastal watershed that includes the city of San Luis Obispo, emptying into the Pacific Ocean at Avila Beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Land Conservancy</span>

The American Land Conservancy was an American non-profit organization whose goal was to protect the natural environment.

Private landowner assistance program (PLAP) is a class of government assistance program available throughout the U.S. for landowners interested in maintaining, developing, improving and protecting wildlife on their property. Each state provides various programs that assist landowners in agriculture, forestry and conserving wildlife habitat. This helps landowners in the practice of good land stewardship and provides multiple benefits to the environment. Some states offer technical assistance which includes:

Development-supported agriculture is a nascent movement in real estate development that preserves and invests in agricultural land use. As farmland is lost due to the challenging economics of farming and the pressures of the real estate industry, DSA attempts to reconcile the need for development with the need to preserve agricultural land. The overall goal of DSA is to incubate small-scale organic farms that co-exist with residential land development, providing benefits to farmers, residents, the local community, and the environment.

Conserving Carolina is a non-profit conservation organization working to preserve water and land resources in Western North Carolina. Conserving Carolina was created in July 2017, from a merger of two previously separate organizations, Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy and Pacolet Area Conservancy. The combined organization maintains a primary office in Hendersonville, North Carolina, and a regional office in Columbus, North Carolina.

Saline Wetlands Conservation Partnership (SWCP) is a conservation program devoted to the protection and preservation of Nebraska’s Eastern Saline Wetlands. Limited to the floodplain swales and depressions within the Salt Creek, Little Salt Creek, and Rock Creek drainages, it is estimated that the Eastern Saline Wetlands once covered an area in excess of 200,000 acres (810 km2). Recently, due to extensive degradation, draining and filling through commercial, residential, and agricultural development, less than 4,000 acres (16 km2) remain, and many of these remnants are highly degraded. It is becoming increasingly important to preserve this unique wetland resource. Although several existing programs have been recognized to address saline wetland conservation needs, they alone have not been enough to ensure the long term protection of this endangered resource. The Saline Wetland Conservation Partnership (SWCP) was created to offer additional protection and management of the state’s diminishing saline wetlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cosumnes River Preserve</span> Jointly managed protected area in the Central Valley of California

The Cosumnes River Preserve is a nature preserve of over 51,000 acres (210 km2) located 20 miles (30 km) south of Sacramento, in the US state of California. The preserve protects a Central Valley remnant that once contained one of the largest expanses of oak tree savanna, riparian oak forest and wetland habitat in North America. Agricultural development has changed the landscape from groves of oaks and tule marshes to productive farmlands.

California Rangeland Trust is a conservation nonprofit organization founded in 1998. The Rangeland Trust claims to be the largest land trust in California, having conserved over 371,000 acres (1,500 km2) of rangeland on 90 ranches across 26 counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butte Creek Ecological Reserve</span>

The Butte Creek Ecological Preserve and Butte Creek Canyon Ecological Reserve consist of 2 distinct management units, the Preserve, aka the "Honey Run Unit" 93 acres (0.38 km2) owned and managed by the Chico State Research Foundation, and the "Virgin Valley" and "Canyon" Units 287 acres (1.16 km2), owned and managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The units are located east of Chico along Butte Creek in northern California. This stretch of Butte Creek is spawning habitat for the largest population of Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon, an evolutionarily significant unit that is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Fall-run Chinook salmon and steelhead trout also spawn in the creek.

<i>Lupinus nipomensis</i> Nipomo Mesa lupine endemic to Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, California

Lupinus nipomensis is a species of lupine known by the common name Nipomo Mesa lupine. It is endemic to the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes on the California Central Coast. Specifically, the plant is limited to the Guadalupe Dunes at the southern border of San Luis Obispo County. There are five to seven colonies growing in a strip of sand dunes measuring less than three square miles in area. These colonies are generally considered to make up a single population. The number of individual plants remaining has been observed to vary between 100 and 1,800, its abundance is not correlated to precipitation, is highly variable and exact mechanisms driving abundance unknown. This is a California state and federally listed endangered species.

Whiterock Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) land trust located in west-central Iowa that stewards over 4,000 acres of contiguous land located in the Middle Raccoon River watershed, and an additional 1,000 non-contiguous land located in the Brushy and Middle Raccoon River watersheds. The Whiterock landscape almost exclusively made possible by an extraordinary planned land gift from the Garst family to Whiterock Conservancy. The landscape is a mosaic of agricultural land, wetlands, preserved prairie and oak savanna, riverine woodlands, and upland forest. The land is also home to the historic Roswell and Elizabeth Garst Farmstead, which hosted Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in 1959, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The land is used for recreation, environmental conservation, and for the production of agricultural products, and is managed as a working landscape where cultural, environmental, agricultural, and recreational land uses are held in equal importance.

The North Branch Land Trust is a conservation easement group that aims to buy the developing rights to land in the Back Mountain area of the Northeastern part of Pennsylvania. The North Branch Land Trust was established in 1993 and has grown from one conserved property a year to over 12,000 acres of conserved land. The watersheds affected by the NBLT are the Susquehanna River and Delaware River watersheds.

The Wildlands Conservancy (TWC) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve land for public recreation. It operates 25 preserves containing over 200,000 acres (81,000 ha) in the western United States. The preserve system includes a variety of scenery including mountains, valleys, deserts, rivers and oceanfront lands. TWC buys land, restores land, builds public visitor facilities and provides outdoor education programs for children. All usage is free of charge. There are over 1.5 million visitors annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Sur Land Trust</span> Non-profit located in Monterey, California

The Big Sur Land Trust is a private 501(c)(3) non-profit located in Monterey, California, that has played an instrumental role in preserving land in California's Big Sur and Central Coast regions. The trust was the first to conceive of and use the "conservation buyer" method in 1989 by partnering with government and developers to offer tax benefits as an inducement to sell land at below-market rates. Since 1978, with the support of donors, funders and partners, it has conserved over 40,000 acres through conservation easements, acquisition and transfer of land to state, county and city agencies. It has placed conservation easements on 7,000 acres and has retained ownership of over 4,000 acres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arroyo Grande Creek</span> River in California, United States

Arroyo Grande Creek is a major stream in San Luis Obispo County on the Central Coast of California. The creek flows 22 miles (35 km) in a southwesterly direction, from the Santa Lucia Range to the Pacific Ocean. It is a major source of water supply for southern San Luis Obispo County.