Description
The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes undulate for 18 miles along the central California shore, stretching from Pismo State Beach to Point Sal. A steady wind sweeps over them, sculpting the sand into towering peaks that stretch 500 feet into the sky. Sapphire blue waves crash on white beaches. Freshwater lakes are teeming with life. Dunes sprout shrubs of bright yellow daisy-like flowers. It's easy to see why Cecil B. DeMille chose this dramatic windswept setting to film "The Ten Commandments.
TNC History
Ownership of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes is as intricate a patchwork as the dune ecosystem itself. The property now belongs to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Santa Barbara County, the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County, a number of private parties, and the California State Department of Parks and Recreation. In 1987, The Nature Conservancy acquired a 567-acre stretch of coastal dunes, followed in 1989 by a 2,550-acre parcel, in order to insure that the dunes would be protected from incompatible development or use. In 1997, local residents, along with TNC and other private, public, and corporate dunes property holders, created the Dunes Forum to provide an open forum where people can share information and resources related to the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes.
The Nature Conservancy has completed the transfer of part of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes—called the Mobil Coastal Preserve—to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which has designated it the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge to ensure the long-term protection of species and their habitats.