Land Trust for Santa Barbara County adds over 500 acres to permanently protected local lands
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – On Monday, the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County announced that it has added 587 acres of permanently protected lands in the Los Alamos Valley.
The 587-acre addition of Rancho Dos Alamos connects existing conservation properties under the Land Trust's authority including Long Canyon, KickOn Vineyards, and the Los Flores easements to connect over 2,800 acres of now-contiguous protected rangeland.
"Conserving Rancho Dos Alamos is both a milestone and a momentum-builder," explained Laurel Fisher Perez, Chairperson of the Land Trust Board. "With more than 1,300 acres protected this year alone, we’re seeing what committed partners can accomplish together. Achievements like this inspire us to keep moving forward with ambitious conservation efforts across our region."
The newly added property includes a diverse number of plants including oak woodlands and coastal scrub that support a broad range of wildlife.
The native Coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma blainvilli), a California Species of Special Concern, has been confirmed within the property and the habitat is suitable for other sensitive species including the California tiger salamander and the western spadefoot.
"Conservation at this scale doesn’t happen overnight, and it certainly doesn’t happen alone. It takes landowners willing to look beyond the present moment, partners who share a long-term vision, and a community that understands what’s at stake," explained Meredith Hendricks, Executive Director of the Land Trust. "Protecting places like Rancho Dos Alamos with its beauty, its connected habitat, and its role in the larger landscape, reminds us why this work matters and why we must keep doing it."
This latest conservation easement marks the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County's 62nd acquisition that has now preserved over 1,346 acres across the county permanently.
Funding for the easement came from the California Strategic Growth Council's Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program, a statewide initiative that uses money from the state's cap-and-investment system, in collaboration with the California Department of Conservation.
"Conserving open space, wildlife habitat, and migration corridors has always been our goal, and we’re grateful to have worked with the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County to protect this land. Their partnership helped ensure that the wildlife who share this place—from deer and bobcats to golden eagles and quail—will always have space to thrive," shared landowners Lindsey and Jimmy Dominguez. "We’re especially glad to add this parcel to the growing mosaic of conserved ranches in the north county, where development pressures are so strong."
