The Wildlands Conservancy
US conservation nonprofit organization
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Wildlands Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust founded in 1995 that has protected more than 2,300,000 acres (930,000 ha) of land through acquisition and transfer.[3] It manages 24 nature preserves totaling over 200,000 acres (81,000 ha) in California, Oregon, and Utah.[3] Its preserves are visited by over 1.5 million people annually and offer free outdoor education programs for more than 60,000 youth each year.[3] The conservancy has played a role in the establishment of several national monuments through land acquisitions and conservation initiatives.[1][4]
 Entrance arch at Oak Glen Preserve, headquarters of The Wildlands Conservancy | |
| Formation | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Founder | David Gelbaum, David Myers[1] |
| Type | 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization |
| Legal status | Charitable organization |
| Purpose | Nature conservation and outdoor education |
| Headquarters | Oak Glen, California |
Region served | California, Oregon, Utah |
| Methods | Land acquisition, ecological restoration, public access, outdoor education |
| Fields | Land conservation, ecological restoration, outdoor education |
Executive Director | Frazier Haney[1] |
| Staff | 106[2] (2024) |
| Volunteers | 900[2] (2024) |
| Website | wildlandsconservancy |
History
In 1995, The Wildlands Conservancy was founded to acquire and protect extensive private inholdings within public lands designated under the California Desert Protection Act of 1994, and to provide public access to conserved landscapes.[5]
Beginning in the late 1990s, the conservancy's California Desert Land Acquisition Project acquired large tracts of former railroad and utility lands in the Mojave Desert. More than 500,000 acres were transferred to public agencies and later incorporated into national parks, wilderness areas, and national monuments.[6][7][8]
Over time, the conservancy acquired and managed preserves throughout California and later in other western states.[9]
The conservancy expanded beyond land acquisition to include restoration on its preserves and free, staff-led outdoor education programs.[10]
Holdings
The Wildlands Conservancy owns and manages 24 nature preserves across three states, totaling over 200,000 acres. It has transferred more than 500,000 acres to public agencies.
Representative landscapes
The preserves span a wide range of landscapes, including coasts, mountains and valleys, deserts, rivers, and canyons.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) ecoregions
The Wildlands Conservancy’s preserves span 11 World Wildlife Fund (WWF) ecoregions in California, Oregon, and Utah.
| WWF ecoregion | Preserves |
|---|---|
| California Central Valley grasslands | Wind Wolves |
| California coastal sage and chaparral | Santa Margarita River Trail; Mariposa |
| California interior chaparral and woodlands | Rana Creek |
| California montane chaparral and woodlands | Oak Glen; Galena Peak Wilderness; Bearpaw; Bluff Lake; Wind Wolves |
| Colorado Plateau shrublands | Speaking Springs (Utah) |
| Great Basin shrub steppe | West Walker River; Two Rivers |
| Klamath–Siskiyou forests | Beaver Valley Headwaters; Eel River Canyon; Emerald Waters; Spyrock |
| Mojave Desert | Pioneertown Mountains |
| Northern California coastal forests | Seawood Cape; Sounding Seas Dunes; Eel River Estuary; Jenner Headlands; Estero Americano Coast |
| Snake–Columbia shrub steppe | Enchanted Rocks (Oregon) |
| Sonoran Desert | Whitewater; Mission Creek |
The preserve system includes lands associated with several major western rivers, including the Eel River, Scott River, Russian River, John Day River, and Santa Margarita River.
Audubon Important Bird Areas
Four Wildlands Conservancy preserves are located in regions designated as Important Bird Areas by the Audubon. These include Wind Wolves Preserve within the San Emigdio Mountains IBA, Santa Margarita River Trail Preserve within the Camp Pendleton IBA, Bearpaw Reserve within the Santa Ana River – Upper IBA, and West Walker River Preserve within the Topaz Lake IBA.[11][12][13][14]
Geographic context
Some preserves are clustered geographically.
Conservation
Conservation campaigns
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From 1998 to 2004, The Wildlands Conservancy's California Desert Land Acquisition Project acquired and transferred more than 587,000 acres of former railroad and utility lands in the Mojave Desert to public ownership. The lands were added to the Mojave National Preserve, Joshua Tree National Park, and Bureau of Land Management holdings.[6][7][8] Portions of these lands were later included in Mojave Trails National Monument and Sand to Snow National Monument.[15][4]
The conservancy's Eel River Emerald Necklace project consists of a series of preserves along the Eel River in northern California.[16][17]
In 1998, the conservancy started the Santa Ana River Renaissance, a project for a 110-mile trail along the Santa Ana River from the San Bernardino Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.[18] In 2006, a tri-county Santa Ana River Trail and Parkway Policy Advisory Committee was formed, including the conservancy.[19]
The conservancy participated in opposition to the proposed Green Path North transmission project, an 85-mile power corridor planned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power that was withdrawn in 2010.[20]
Restoration
The conservancy participates in habitat restoration and species recovery projects across several preserves.[21][22]
At the Eel River Estuary Preserve, restoration has focused on reconnecting tidal sloughs and wetlands in collaboration with regional partners.[21] In the Scott River watershed, work at the Beaver Valley Headwaters Preserve has involved stream and habitat restoration as part of a broader restoration effort in the region.[23]
Tule elk were reintroduced at Wind Wolves Preserve beginning in 1998 in a program led by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The preserve's tule elk population increased from 19 animals in 1998 to more than 400 by 2022.[24][22]
Connectivity
The Wildlands Conservancy’s preserves are included in regional wildlife corridor planning. The South Coast Missing Linkages study identifies several linkages that include or adjoin conservancy-owned properties, including Wind Wolves Preserve, Pioneertown Mountains Preserve, Mission Creek Preserve, and Oak Glen Preserve.[25]
The conservancy participated in acquisition of the Coal Canyon wildlife corridor linking Chino Hills State Park and the Cleveland National Forest.[26]
Education and public access
Outdoor education is a major component of The Wildlands Conservancy’s preserve system.[27][28] The organization operates guided field trips and site-based educational programs at multiple preserves, with major education programs based at Wind Wolves Preserve, Oak Glen Preserve, and Whitewater Preserve, which maintain dedicated education staff and facilities for school field trips and community events.[10][27] Additional preserves host smaller-scale public programs, guided hikes, and partnerships with nearby schools and community groups.[27]
Public access to preserves operated by the conservancy is provided free of charge.[29]
Media and publications
- "Carmel Valley's Newest Preserve and Kern County's Tule Elk". OpenRoad. Episode 92. NBC Bay Area. April 7, 2024. NBC Bay Area. Retrieved May 5, 2024. OpenRoad had editorial control; The Wildlands Conservancy funded the episode.
- Stefan Van Norden (host) (June 26, 2023). "Episode 98: The Wildlands Conservancy – Behold the Beauty" (Podcast). Nature Revisited. Noorden Productions. Interview with Executive Director Frazier Haney. Official site.
- The Wildlands Conservancy (2021). Behold the Beauty (2nd ed.). The Wildlands Conservancy. Official site.
- Jack Thompson (The Wildlands Conservancy) (April 19, 2016). Public lecture: Inside the California Desert's Newest National Monuments (Video). Rancho Mirage Library & Observatory. YouTube.
