P H OTO G R A P H E R J A S O N B R A D L E Y • K Y L E E A S T W O O D • P H I L M I C K E LS O N

ClintEastwoodCarmel Legend,Hollywood Icon

Native wildflowers thrive in a Preservegrassland two years after the Soberanesfire, indicating the benefit of low intensityfire in the local ecosystems. Photo: Rodrigo Sierra Corona, Santa Lucia Conservancy

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A Forcefor Nature

for 25 YearsSanta Lucia Conser vancy

Protects Wildl i fe and Wildlands B Y R E N E E B R I N C K S

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CARMEL VALLEY RESIDENT CHERYL THIELE HAS

FOND CHILDHOOD MEMORIES OF RIO ROAD

BIKE RIDES AND ADVENTURES UNDER THE

SKYLINE FOREST CANOPY. AS AN ADULT RETURNING

TO THE REGION AFTER 30 YEARS IN SOUTHERN

CALIFORNIA, SHE WANTED TO RECAPTURE THOSE

CONNECTIONS TO NATURE. THIELE VIEWED HOMES IN

SEVERAL MONTEREY PENINSULA NEIGHBORHOODS

BEFORE VISITING THE SANTA LUCIA PRESERVE, A PRI-

VATE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY SET WITHIN NATIVE

GRASSLANDS, COASTAL CHAPARRAL, PINE FORESTS

AND RIPARIAN HABITATS.

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After exploring the Preserve’s backcountrytrails and old-growth redwoods, Thiele pur-chased a home on an oak-dotted ridge framedby San Clemente Creek. Since then, she’s partic-ipated in wildflower walks, redwood researchdemonstrations, trout spotting strolls and plant-

ing projects. Each is organized by the Santa LuciaConservancy, the nonprofit land trust that sup-ports conservation efforts across the 20,000-acre Preserve.“To live somewhere with an organization so

committed to learning about the land, protect-

ing habitats, and helping us all become goodstewards of this place we call home is remark-able,” says Thiele. This year, the Santa Lucia Conservancy cele-

brates 25 years of stewardship, communityengagement and environmental research. Staffmembers work with residents like Thiele toimplement science-based land managementplans that prioritize habitat health, biodiversityand wildfire safety. From removing invasiveweeds to installing owl boxes to monitoringwildlife with cameras placed on individual prop-erties (Thiele’s lenses have filmed bobcats, deer,wild boar, California mice, mountain lions, a blueheron and a bear), the Conservancy team aimsto be a resource for homeowners and thebroader community.“The Santa Lucia Preserve supports roughly

12.5 percent of the Carmel watershed, so theconservation work that we do in partnershipwith our landowners sustains and benefits the

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Over 40,000 children have par-ticipated in the Conservancy’sfree education programs since1999, many ran by educatorJulie Sigourney, pictured here.

Photo: Christy Fischer, Santa Lucia Conservancy

Dr. Christy Wyckoff in the field with interns Avery Calhoun and Katie Mung, measuring the impact of conservation grazing inhelping restore native grasslands. Early indications show an increase in native species where targeted cattle grazing was applied.

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Monterey Peninsula water supply,” says SantaLucia Conservancy Executive Director ChristyFischer. “The Preserve also provides importantwildlife habitat and connectivity between vari-ous regional public lands.”

Set between protected areas and parks suchas Garland Ranch and Palo Corona, the destina-tion is centered in what Christy Wyckoff, Ph.D.,calls “a biodiversity hotspot.”

“This is an incredibly rich area with more than900 plant and animal species, including somelisted by state and federal agencies as threat-ened or endangered. We think critically abouthow to manage the land as a whole, but alsohow to address the needs of specific speciessuch as California tiger salamanders, Smith’s bluebutterflies and steelhead trout,” says Wyckoff,director of conservation science for the SantaLucia Conservancy.

The protection of native California grasslandsis another significant priority within thePreserve. Grassland ecologist Rodrigo SierraCorona, Ph.D., the Conservancy’s director ofstewardship, oversees a conservation grazinginitiative that moves cattle across the grasslandcorridors. The animals control brush, dead

organic material and weeds in a low-impact way,reducing fire risk while improving conditions forpollinators, birds, wildflowers and rare species.

Sierra Corona’s team maintains 27 small, non-grazed plots to compare species density, soilhealth and other data before and after the cattlecome through.

“When you walk through the land, you cansee the difference,” he says. “The benefits are

right there. When we bring visitors through andthey see these results, they really understandwhy this work matters.”

Those visitors include area elementaryschool students who attend free workshops inthe Preserve. Children learn about natural histo-ry, ecology and art at sites under redwoodgroves and along the Carmel River. TheConservancy provides financial assistance for

This field crew is one integral part of the Grasslands Initiative launched by the Conservancy in 2019 to recover historic grasslands within The Preserve. Left to Right: Ryen Wright, Austin Robertson, Brett Scott, Chris Terry and Isidro Blanco.

Conservancy intern, Caitlyn Barrera, communing with one of California’s endangeredamphibians, a red-legged frog, found during a pond survey on The Preserve.

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districts that lack a travel budget.“Education lies at the heart of everything

that we do, whether it’s working with Preserveowners or the 3,000 school kids a year whovisit our lands for science-based outdoor edu-cation. Helping people understand what's sospecial about this place, and how they can helpcare for it, is always our beginningpoint,” says Fischer.

Older students assist Conservancynaturalists during independent studiesand internships. As they contribute tothe nonprofit’s research efforts, partic-ipants gain experience and knowledgethat they can take to other organiza-tions. California State University Monterey Baygraduate Caitlyn Barrera collected water sam-ples, banded tricolored blackbirds and managedstudies related to endangered California tigersalamanders as a Santa Lucia Conservancyintern. She now works for an Ojai Valley envi-ronmental nonprofit and will soon pursue grad-uate degrees in environmental policy and envi-

ronmental research.Barrera says the Santa Lucia Conservancy

takes a distinctive approach to habitat andspecies preservation.

“That they are working to protect so manylisted species is unique. In most cases, groupsfocus on one or maybe two, and mostly they

conduct restoration projects,” she explains. “Thefact that the Santa Lucia Conservancy also pur-sues population numbers and shares species-related research, both locally and across widercommunities, is even more unique. It makes animportant impact.”

Working on private land positions theConservancy to conduct long-term research

that can be difficult to fund and execute in apublic setting.

“We can place monitoring equipment on theland for protracted amount of time. We canreturn and restudy the same site, year in andyear out. We can collect the data that answersreally robust scientific questions,” Wyckoff says.

As she and her colleagues exploreinnovative ways to address climatechange, population growth, sustainabledevelopment and other conservation-related concerns, sharing their findingsremains a priority.

“This is a unique landscape, butmany elements of the Preser ve’s

design and the Conservancy's role can beexpor ted,” Wyckoff says. “In an era wherethere are so many challenges in the world-wide conservation realm, we need every toolin the toolbox.”

To learn more about the Santa Lucia

Conservancy’s educational programs and stew-

ardship, please visit slconservancy.org.

Planting precious valley oak trees with residents of The Preserve to give these iconic natives a helping hand are: Peter and Donna Gordon, Conservancy Executive Director Christy Fischer, and Ginger and Jim Andrasick.

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This year, the Santa LuciaConservancy celebrates 25 years of stewardship,

community engagement andenvironmental research.

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