A common ground project of the Bay Foundation, Central Coast Natural History Association and The Nature Conservancy

The Region

The Central Coast of California is recognized as one of the last great places to remain as yet unspoiled. San Luis Obispo was chosen by the Packard Foundation and The Nature Conservancy to receive unprecedented attention for conservation on a regional level. A grant from the Packard Foundation enabled a study of the entire county. Sixteen areas were identified for large-scale conservation with the help of hundreds of individuals. Many wonderful projects will unfold in the next few years, and the Irish Hills heralds this magnificent undertaking.

The Place

The Irish Hills – named for immigrant families who settled in the green valleys

Pecho Coast – named by Spaniards who sailed these shores 350 years ago

Indian Knob – named for the Chumash, who have always been here

50,000 acres of oak studded hills, rocky shoreline, marine waters, coastal river watersheds, orchards and recreation lands. There are many rare and endangered species of plants and animals in the Irish Hills, including the Chorro Bog Thistle, Indian Knob Mountainbalm, Pismo Clarkia, Morro shoulderband dune snail and the Morro Bay kangaroo rat.

The Reason

The Irish Hills offers a rare opportunity to protect, on a landscape scale, a large portion of that rarest of treasures, the California coast. Our area has, until recently, been relatively remote, the farthest distance in the state from the metropolitan areas to the north and south. Recently, the pressure for development in the central coast threatens this area, especially with the proliferation of vineyards and ranchettes. Our mission is to design a future for this special place that will leave it so for our children and theirs. A place for all Californians to visit and enjoy.

The Plan

Using science and stewardship developed by The Nature Conservancy, we will take the following steps to prepare a future for the Irish Hills:

• gain an understanding of the coastal watersheds, their habitats and land uses in the area, to serve as a measure for our success.
• understand how resources are being damaged.
• learn what activities, man made or natural, have created the stresses.
• working in concert with landowners and stakeholders, develop the methods to measurably protect our resources and provide recreation.