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Conservation of Central Coast Property Preserves Family Legacy and Expands Montaña de Oro State Park

Andre family joins with The Nature Conservancy and State Parks to protect habitat and local ranching heritage, support plans for State Parks’ new Coastal Trail

San Luis Obispo, California — December 5, 2008 — The Nature Conservancy and California State Parks today announced the protection of Andre Ranch, a 1,902-acre property located in the Irish Hills. Working closely with the Andre family, The Nature Conservancy purchased a conservation easement on approximately 1,172 acres of the ranch to permanently protect it from development. State Parks’ acquisition of the remaining 730 acres at the southern part of the ranch will be added to Montaña de Oro State Park and will be open for public access.

The Andre family will continue ranching operations that are consistent with maintaining healthy wildlife habitats and a clean water supply system. This is the latest in a series of joint projects between The Nature Conservancy and State Parks that have conserved over 3,200 acres of rolling hills, diverse coastal habitat and pristine watersheds in the region. More than 2,000 acres have been added to Montaña de Oro State Park and will be part of a 20-mile coastal trail planned by State Parks. An additional 1,500 acres jointly owned by The Nature Conservancy and Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County is currently proposed to be acquired by State Parks.

“It’s a thrill to know that, together with State Parks, we did what we set out to do when Proposition 12 passed in 2000,” said Tom Maloney, acting central and north coast regional director for The Nature Conservancy. “We’ve safeguarded thousands of vital acres of globally significant habitat, we’ve expanded recreational opportunities for all Californians and today we’ve helped the Andres protect the land they’ve loved and ranched for more than three generations.”

Andre Ranch has been the home of the family’s ranching operation for more than 100 years, having been acquired by Joseph Andre in the early 1900s. In 1902, Andre opened J. J. Andre Grocery — one of the first, and most popular, grocery stores in downtown San Luis Obispo. The Andre family worked with other local farmers and ranchers to buy and sell home-grown produce, meat and other products, providing the family with a strong and lasting connection to the land and to the community.

“The family wanted to keep the land for our continued use and enjoyment,” said Bill Wall, Andre family member and spokesperson. “We all agreed that conservation was the best future for the ranch and that the family and the ranching heritage were too important to sacrifice to development.”

The Nature Conservancy paid approximately $4.6 million for the conservation easement. Funding was provided by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Wildlife Conservation Board, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, California Department of Fish & Game, San Luis Obispo Coast Resource Fund, the Regional Water Quality Control Board and private donations to The Nature Conservancy. Funding for State Parks’ Irish Hills property transfers, including the Andre fee acquisition, came from Proposition 12, the voter-approved Parks Bond Act of 2000.

“From a statewide perspective, this addition to Montaña de Oro adds a great and special landscape to the California Coastal Trail, one of the finest trails of our nation,” said Ruth Coleman, director of California State Parks. “The Andre family has loved this property for years and is now asking us to preserve and protect it for all generations to come. We gladly honor that commitment.”

“Countless generations will benefit from Montaña de Oro State Park’s inclusion of this exceptionally scenic Irish Hills property,” added Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee. In September, State Parks acquired from The Nature Conservancy a total of eight properties totaling 1,282 acres. Each of these properties individually would have been a tremendous addition to Montaña de Oro, but together they represent the largest single expansion of the park since its establishment in 1965.

Andre Ranch and the surrounding lands in the Irish Hills are vital to the health of the Central Coast, containing the headwaters for several important watersheds such as Coon Creek and See Canyon Creek. These coastal creeks support healthy water systems and habitat essential to the survival of rare and declining wildlife such as the native steelhead trout. The ranch is a mosaic of habitats including coastal live oak forest, bishop pine forest, maritime chaparral and serpentine rock outcrops containing rare and threatened plant species. Due to the property’s large size and adjacency to other protected natural areas, Andre Ranch provides crucial corridor habitat for wide-ranging wildlife species, including mountain lions, black bears and grey foxes.

“Andre Ranch’s ease of access, abundant water, amazing views and close proximity to the city of San Luis Obispo would have made the property an ideal site for ranchette home development,” continued Maloney. “Securing Andre Ranch with this easement and adding thousands of acres of the surrounding landscape to Montaña de Oro State Park will help protect San Luis Obispo County’s outstanding character for generations to come.”

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.