Conserved for
In the 1980s and 90s, the late Walter Thomson granted some of the earliest conservation easements in Santa Barbara County. These Land Trust easements protect three adjacent Santa Ynez Valley ranches covering 1440 acres of land at the entry to scenic Happy Canyon. The Williams Ranch is 100 acres of land, featuring hilly coastal sage scrub, pine, and oak woodland. Next door is both the Great Oak Ranch, which stretches to the north shore of Cachuma Lake, and Rancho Felicia—another Land Trust-conserved ranch. Together the three Land Trust conservation easements ensure permanent protection of ranching, farming, and wildlife habitat in a scenic valley.
