| Fast Facts |
location
125 miles south of San Francisco
ecoregion
California Central Coast
project size
3,300 square miles
preserves
Elkhorn Slough, Big Creek, Palo Corona Ranch, Arroyo Seco Ranch
public lands
Point Lobos State Reserve, Los Padres National Forest, Ventana Wilderness, Carmel River State Beach, Joshua Creek Canyon Ecological Reserve; Garrapata State Park
partners
Big Sur Land Trust, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, Elkhorn Slough Foundation, County of Monterey, California State Coastal Conservancy, California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Wildlife Conservation Board, U.S. Forest Service, USDA Forest Service, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Monterey County Agriculture and Historical Land Conservancy, American Farmland Trust, California Department of Fish and Game
natural events
California gray whale migrations, spring and fall; monarch butterflies return to Pacific Grove, winter | |
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Surrounded by encroaching population centers, Monterey County -- still rural and wild -- lies at the heart one of the world's most threatened ecoregions. |
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Big Sur coast.
© Larry Ulrich |
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Many of California's signature landscapes -- towering mist-shrouded redwood forests, dramatic coastlines hemmed in by sheer-faced cliffs, rugged mountains blanketed by forests of evergreens, bucolic farm fields of fruits and vegetables -- are found in just one county along the state's Central Coast. Monterey County is an ecological microcosm of California. Extending from the rich waters of Monterey Bay south to Big Sur, the county's landscape is world-famous, breathtaking in beauty and rich in biological diversity. It has inspired artists ranging from author John Steinbeck to renowned poet Robinson Jeffers.
Today Monterey is the third-fastest-growing county in California, experiencing a population increase of 35 percent from 1980 to 1999. Scientists have identified the Central Coast as one of the most threatened ecoregions in the world because of its rapid loss of habitat to development and the presence of many rare native species like the endangered California condor. North America's largest bird and one of the continent's rarest, the condor has fewer than 74 individuals remaining in the wild. |
Sea otter in kelp.
© Tom & Pat Leeson |
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Fortunately, vast expanses of Monterey County remain largely undeveloped, unfragmented and connected to nearby wildlands by wildlife corridors. Conservationists currently have a window of opportunity to safeguard the county's most biologically important areas -- but that window is closing. Monterey County is at increasing risk from the rapid |
| conversion of ranches, farms and oak woodlands to vineyards and subdivisions; intensive agriculture and a growing population place mounting pressure on regional water supplies. These threats are compounded by the lack of a broadly accepted regional vision for protecting the county's finest natural areas and guiding future growth into less environmentally sensitive places. | |
To help create a regional vision for Monterey County, The Nature Conservancy is lending scientific expertise, conservation planning capabilities, public opinion research and new policy tools to local community organizations and others grappling with land-use and public policy decisions. Together with public and private partners, we plan to purchase outright or acquire conservation easements on key lands in highly threatened, biologically rich conservation areas. Some of the properties targeted for conservation action feature vital wildlife corridors linking protected areas.
Learn more about The Nature Conservancy's work in California. |
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| Conservation Profile |
targets
San Joaquin kit fox, California condor, California brown pelican, southern sea otter, Smith's blue butterfly, Menzies's wallflower, Monterey pine
stresses
conversion of ranches and agricultural land, unsustainable water use, pollution of streams and offshore waters
strategies
acquire land, secure conservation easements, promote ecologically sound public policies and planning, engage community in natural resource management, protect water supply, combat invasive species
results
acquired two ranches totaling more than 11,500 acres; voters approved an urban growth boundary in neighboring Santa Cruz County | | | | |
