Conserved for
In 2023, the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County and The Nature Conservancy completed a conservation easement that permanently protects 24,341 acres of the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve. The easement is the result of a thoughtful, collaborative partnership between the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, The Nature Conservancy, and the Department of Defense—organizations that range from hyper-local to global to national. Locally known as the Bixby Ranch, The Nature Conservancy purchased the land in 2017 with a $165-million donation from philanthropists and conservationists Jack and Laura Dangermond.
The Land Trust is thrilled to be working in conjunction with TNC to keep this important property a refuge for plants and animals and protect 10,000 years of human ecology important to the Chumash tribes and surrounding community. The preserve sits at the natural crossroads of southern and northern California, shaping its unique terrestrial and marine habitats and providing critical wildlife corridors where the preserve connects the coast to the mountains. It also provides habitat for endangered species including the snowy plover, red-legged frog and Western monarch butterfly. The Preserve offers incredible opportunities for science, culture, security, and climate resilience, and is an astounding achievement that will advance a better present and future for generations to come.
Learn more about the Dangermond Preserve at www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/california/stories-in-california/dangermond-preserve/.
