Conserved for
The 950-acre Las Cumbres Ranch, owned by James and Patricia Selbert, was the Land Trust’s largest conservation easement of 2017. About the experience, Patricia Selbert said,
“Working with the Land Trust was very rewarding. We have no interest in developing our property and the Land Trust helped us ensure the property would forever remain open while still allowing us to ranch the way we want to and to receive financial benefits for the development we gave up.”
The easement helps protect a large, contiguous block of open range land that provides for wildlife migration between Los Padres National Forest, La Purisima State Park, and Burton Mesa Ecological Reserve. The path is not without its challenges but the connectivity remains important. Its grassland, scrub, maritime chaparral, and oak woodland communities provide a mosaic of diverse habitat that is home to a diversity of special plants and animals. The Selberts enjoy sightings of eagles, hawks, bobcats, mountain lions, and many deer.
