Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1207269
C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 157 Monterey Peninsula water supply," says Santa Lucia Conservancy Executive Director Christy Fischer. "The Preserve also provides important wildlife habitat and connectivity between vari- ous regional public lands." Set between protected areas and parks such as Garland Ranch and Palo Corona, the destina- tion is centered in what Christy Wyckoff, Ph.D., calls "a biodiversity hotspot." "This is an incredibly rich area with more than 900 plant and animal species, including some listed by state and federal agencies as threat- ened or endangered. We think critically about how to manage the land as a whole, but also how to address the needs of specific species such as California tiger salamanders, Smith's blue butterflies and steelhead trout," says Wyckoff, director of conservation science for the Santa Lucia Conservancy. The protection of native California grasslands is another significant priority within the Preserve. Grassland ecologist Rodrigo Sierra Corona, Ph.D., the Conservancy's director of stewardship, oversees a conservation grazing initiative that moves cattle across the grassland corridors. The animals control brush, dead organic material and weeds in a low-impact way, reducing fire risk while improving conditions for pollinators, birds, wildflowers and rare species. Sierra Corona's team maintains 27 small, non- grazed plots to compare species density, soil health and other data before and after the cattle come through. "When you walk through the land, you can see the difference," he says. "The benefits are right there. When we bring visitors through and they see these results, they really understand why this work matters." Those visitors include area elementar y school students who attend free workshops in the Preserve. Children learn about natural histo- ry, ecology and art at sites under redwood groves and along the Carmel River. The Conservancy provides financial assistance for This field crew is one integral part of the Grasslands Initiative launched by the Conservancy in 2019 to recover historic grasslands within The Preserve. Left to Right: Ryen Wright, Austin Robertson, Brett Scott, Chris Terry and Isidro Blanco. Conservancy intern, Caitlyn Barrera, communing with one of California's endangered amphibians, a red-legged frog, found during a pond survey on The Preserve. Photo: Adam White, Santa Lucia Conservancy Photo: Christy Wyckoff, Santa Lucia Conservancy