For many years, cattle have roamed the foothills of the 1,715-acre Santa Rita Ranch in the heart of California’s Santa Lucia Mountains, just up the road from the iconic Hearst Castle. Under a canopy of oaks, bigleaf maples and towering madrone trees, deer, turkeys, mountain lions, black bears and other wildlife also meander across the ranch acreage. It’s one of the most stunning and ecologically important properties in the region.

Why This Project Matters

The headwaters of Santa Rita Creek, the ranch’s namesake, start on the ranch and feed down into the Salinas River, flowing into the Pacific Ocean and on to nearby Monterey Bay, the nation’s largest marine sanctuary. This key watershed refreshes water supplies for communities such as Salinas and Monterey and provides habitat for the endangered steelhead — a fish species that requires clean freshwater streams with access to the ocean. A lake on the ranch, where a flock of mallard ducks lives year-round, is the fourth largest privately owned reservoir in the county.

Our successful partnership with the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County (LCSLO) to acquire Santa Rita Ranch has expanded the network of protected lands in the region and safeguarded critical wildlife habitat and water resources in drought-stricken California. Cattle grazing will continue on the property as ranching is a traditional and economic staple in the community. The grazing cattle will also play a role in mitigating fire risks by eating down brush, which will in turn help keep non-native plants at bay. Protecting a pristine property of this size is a rare and major win for conservation in California’s rapidly developing Central Coast.

Our Role

When the Santa Rita Ranch came up for sale, fears of development loomed — private roads and home plots would have fragmented the magnificent landscape of this important watershed. Fortunately, our partner, the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County, works within the region to protect special lands like Santa Rita Ranch. But LCSLO needed more time to raise funds to acquire the property, so The Conservation Fund stepped in to quickly negotiate the purchase.

We kept the land safe, giving LCSLO extra time to fundraise for this property. In early 2021, the Santa Rita Ranch was officially transferred to LCSLO for permanent protection. The conservation of the ranch, with its proximity to San Luis Obispo, will also provide opportunities for environmental education and passive recreation once LCSLO has established the necessary infrastructure.