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Celebrating 50 Years in the Golden State

2009 marks the Conservancy’s 50th anniversary protecting California. In these 50 years, we’ve safeguarded hundreds of parcels of land and waterways and millions of acres of ocean — natural habitats essential to the survival of all species, including us.

1959: Angelo Coast Range Reserve

In 1959 the Conservancy acquired its first property in California: 3,100 acres of pristine old-growth Douglas-fir forest in Mendocino County. More than 50 years later, the Conservancy has doubled the size of the Angelo Coast Range Reserve, and today it serves as a research site for topics ranging from salmon to food webs to climate change.

Winged Migration above the Magnificent Carrizo Plain

This winter take a trek to the Carrizo Plain for spectacular birding. Only a 90-minute drive from San Luis Obispo, the Carrizo Plain offers a tremendous diversity of wintering birds within a dramatic landscape. And if you can’t make the drive, take a tour through our slideshow!

The Littlest Conservationists

Galt school children will be lending a hand to nature by gathering acorns at the Cosumnes River Preserve this autumn. It’s been a banner year for acorns, and the kids play a crucial role in the Conservancy’s restoration efforts by collecting and planting the seeds

From a Small Seed to a Mighty Forest

The 20th anniversary of the Sacramento River Project marks an important milestone in California. Since 1988, The Nature Conservancy has planted more than 1 million seedlings and is nearing its goal of restoring a continuous 100-mile stretch of vital riparian habitat to flood-prone lands along the river between Red Bluff and Colusa.

Counting Rats from Space

The Nature Conservancy is working with UC Berkeley researchers and its partners at the Carrizo Plain National Monument to count and map giant kangaroo rat populations using satellite remote sensing data.

Surviving Summer in the Sonoran Desert

Day after day of 110 degree temperatures. You can feel the heat radiating up from the sand by 10 a.m. To the human eye, there appears to be no shade, no haven from the sun’s brutal rays. How does anything survive out here?

Bald Eagles Nesting on Santa Cruz Island

For the third year in a row, bald eagles nested on The Nature Conservancy's preserve on Santa Cruz Island. Follow the events of eaglets A-64 & A-65 as they brave the wilds of the Channel Islands.

A Rare Flower Revealed

A small and endangered California wildflower, thought to exist in only one place on earth, is given some breathing room as a second population is found nearly 20 miles away.

Parker Ranch Easement Keeps Wildlife Connected

Working closely with the Parker family, The Nature Conservancy purchased a conservation easement on the family ranch to protect it from development, regardless of future ownership, and ensure this segment of this critical wildlife corridor and the Parker family’s ranching heritage are preserved for generations to come.

Protecting People and Nature through Innovation

California is graced with a rich array of landscapes and seascapes. These exquisite places with unmatched plant and animal diversity provide us — directly or indirectly — food, water and shelter. They also enrich our spirit. Around the state and across the world The Nature Conservancy is partnering with farmers, ranchers, foresters, fishermen and others to find innovative ways to ensure that our lands, our waters and our communities remain healthy and productive for future generations.

A Chance to Protect Ancient Redwoods

The fate of the redwoods and wildlife in California’s Humbolt County is now looking up. On June 6, Judge Richard Schmidt announced his ruling in the bankruptcy of Pacific Lumber Company and its more than 200,000 acres of redwood forests. This decision signals the end of decades of conflict marking a new era in redwood protection. Read more about the PALCO bankruptcy proceedings, the partners behind the coalition to protect the ancient redwoods, and the significance of these magnificent trees.

Santa Cruz Island Restoration Success

After almost thirty years of careful planning, close collaboration and tireless field work, restoration efforts on Santa Cruz Island are finally paying off.

2007 Wildfires: Your Questions Answered

In late October 2007 fires ravaged Southern California, destroying 2,000 homes and causing well over $1 billion in damage. Our hearts go out to the individuals directly affected by this disaster.

California: Eagle Reunion Yields New Chick!

For the second year in a row, bald eagles have produced a wild-born chick on Santa Cruz Island. With spiky hair and bleary eyes, the newest star in the family emerged from its shell early on April 13. Watch the parents and chick live via 24-hour webcam.

"A Problem of Riches"

Protecting Ranches and Wildlife in California's North Coast

California's wild North Coast is home to unparalleled natural abundance-lush coastal forests, rolling oak woodlands and vast watersheds with hundreds of rivers, streams and creeks. Working farms and ranches-mostly dairy and cattle-span huge tracts of open space. One of the last undeveloped coastal areas in California, the North Coast is a place where the pace of development has not yet overtaken the pace of conservation.

California Marine

New Strategies to Protect Our Marine Habitats

Degraded seafloor communities and depleted fish species will now get the chance to recover in a large swath of ocean off the coast of central California, thanks to an innovative trawler buy-out program initiated by The Nature Conservancy.

The Eagle Has Landed

Scientists celebrate the birth of the first bald eagle in 50 years on Santa Cruz Island

Life has come full circle for America's symbol of freedom in the northern Channel Islands off the coast of southern California. On April 12, the first bald eagle chick born on the islands in more than half a century carefully pecked away its shell and became an instant star.