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Legacy Project:
Carrizo Plain National Monument

Caliente Range reflected in Soda Lake
Caliente Range reflected in Soda Lake
© Harold E. Malde
Find out how to visit the Carrizo Plain National Monument.

Why You Should Visit   
The vast, arid, strikingly beautiful Carrizo Plain - sometimes called California's "Serengeti" - is one of America's newest national monuments and one of The Nature Conservancy's most successful legacy projects. This sprawling natural area is known for spectacular views of the San Andreas Fault, spring wildflowers, abundant bird life, and rare native species.

Location
60 miles east of San Luis Obispo (Map)

Size
250,000 acres
 
What to See: Plants
Although only 4% of California's native grasslands remain on the Carrizo Plain, native bunchgrass, needlegrass, and blue grass can still be found there. In the spring, late rains and vernal pools nourish a spectacular array of wildflowers.

What to See: Animals
In winter, the Carrizo Plain welcomes lesser and greater sandhill cranes. San Joaquin kit foxes, undisturbed in their underground dens, give birth every spring. More endangered species live and thrive on the plain than anywhere else in California. Among them are the San Joaquin kit fox, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, giant kangaroo rat, California jewel flower, Lost Hills saltbrush, Kern mallow or Perry's mallow, and San Joaquin wooly threads.

Native tule elk and pronghorn were reintroduced to the plain by the California Department of Fish and Game in the late 1980s. Today, the elk herd of about 200 animals roams the western Carrizo as in days of old. The pronghorn numbers are considerably lower, but some can usually be seen on the valley floor.

Poppies, Carrizo Plain
Poppies, Carrizo Plain
© Harold E. Malde

Conservancy History
In 1988, with the purchase of its first 82,000-acre parcel of Carrizo Plain land, The Nature Conservancy and partner agencies took the first step toward preserving this unique area of California.  Later, we sold or gave the land to our partner agencies, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the California Department of Fish and Game. Since then, the partners have continued to buy more land, increasing the Carrizo Plain National Monument to 250,000 acres. The three organizations jointly manage the natural area, which was named a national monument on January 17, 2001.


For More Information
Carrizo Plain National Monument Web Site
http://www.ca.blm.gov/bakersfield/carrizoplain.html