Nature Conservancy Protects More Land in Irish Hills

San Luis Obispo, Calif.—August 8, 2006—The Nature Conservancy has acquired another property in the heart of San Luis Obispo County’s Irish Hills, protecting 160 acres of wildlife habitat and scenic beauty. The Conservancy used private funding to purchase the property from Ron and Cheryl Yost for the appraised value of $175,000. Since the year 2000, the Conservancy has preserved approximately 2,700 acres in the Irish Hills. The Conservancy also played an assisting role in the original acquisitions dating back to 1965, which established Montana de Oro State Park.

"The Nature Conservancy is thrilled to bring more of the Irish Hills under protection," said Michael Bell, who directs the Conservancy’s efforts in San Luis Obispo County. "This community cherishes the Irish Hills and we’re proud to be among the many dedicated groups working to preserve this beautiful and biologically-rich landscape. We’re also excited that this conservation work may one day help us to connect a coastal trail that crosses the amazing landscape of the Irish Hills."

The trademark emerald slopes and valleys that give the Irish Hills area its name are only one aspect of a diverse and rare natural system. This ecologically-demarcated region encompasses vast coastal bluffs, coastal scrub, coastal live oak woodlands, mixed evergreen forest, bishop pine forests, serpentine habitats and some of the only undisturbed coastal terrace prairie remaining in the state. The coastal creeks of the Irish Hills harbor native steelhead trout and California red-legged frog and the lush woodlands that flank these waterways are rich in neo-tropical migratory birds.

The Yosts stated that they choose to sell their property to the Conservancy because of their deep love of the Irish Hills: "It was a pleasure dealing with The Nature Conservancy and we feel good knowing that our land will remain in its natural state. The preservation of this land will help keep the Irish Hills intact and beautiful."

Due to its proximity to Highway 1 and the city of San Luis Obispo, lands throughout the Irish Hills are threatened by residential development and habitat fragmentation. The Conservancy’s science-based planning process identified the Yost’s property as a conservation priority because of its high quality habitat and strategic location. The parcel features live oak woodlands and chaparral and lies adjacent to the 1,500-acre Hibberd Preserve, which the Conservancy acquired in 1998 and is now owned and managed by the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo.

"As a local project partner of The Nature Conservancy, we are extremely pleased by their continued conservation efforts in the Irish Hills," said Bob Hill, Conservation Director of the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County. "The adjacency of the acquired parcel with already protected lands such as the Hibberd Preserve is especially important and compliments our conservation efforts in the area perfectly."

Although The Nature Conservancy and its partners consider this project an important step towards the future establishment of a coastal trail through the Irish Hills, the Yost property is not currently open to the public, due to its remote location and lack of access.

The Nature Conservancy’s strategy in the Irish Hills and many other key areas around the world is two-fold: protect patches of land large enough to support truly functioning natural systems and genetic diversity and connect these core habitats through wildlife corridors, further bolstering the long-term survival of the ecosystem.

The Nature Conservancy has been working to protect the unique ecological riches of San Luis Obispo County for more than 40 years, focusing primarily on the Irish Hills, the Carrizo Plain, the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes and the Cambria Pine Forests.