Coastal Ranches Conservancy

Wild Cherry Canyon in Avila Beach will be the first of three sprawling properties to win permanent protection around the Central Coast’s Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.

This morning a mountain lion was killed north of the Gaviota Pass Tunnel close to the rest areas. What’s all more frustrating, is the Gaviota Pass wildlife crossing stakeholder meetings asked stakeholders where crossings should go and what crossings should be prioritized - both stakeholders and a ICF connectivity report commissioned by Caltrans says - north of the tunnel - where road kill is more of an issue. We reiterated this at an August meeting. Where is Caltrans siting the crossing? South of then tunnel, where roadkill numbers are less. The reasoning they cannot articulate for the natural resources, only that it’s easier to add onto the $44M paving project. State Parks owns the land at Las Cánovas culvert - a known CDFW fish and terrestrial crossing priority. There is no limiting factor of land ownership to pursue the crossing improvement where it will make the most difference. Can we not waste $8 million dollars in the wrong location? Phone your representative - Congressman Carbajal! https://carbajal.house.gov and read more about the current limited project in our summer newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/coastalranchesconservancy/gaviota-guardian-summer-2026

Beach Cleanup on the Gaviota Coast! Thank you

The summer edition of The Gaviota Guardian is out! Fish rescues, wildlife crossing updates, and more here:

The Gaviota Guardian Summer 2026 Summer is such a beautiful time on the Gaviota Coast – but honestly, I could say that about any time of year here. Meanwhile, the need to advocate on behalf of our wildlife and wild spaces continues apace. From steelhead relocations to seeing mule deer repelled from crossing Highway 101 at an unde...

Los Ángeles can learn a thing or two from our very own North Campus Open Space project, at UC Santa Barbara. Where a golf course was reimagined and accommodated both housing and wetland restoration, and saved residents FEMA flood insurance. There can be win wins, and if there is will, then there can be a way to balance wildlife and housing needs.

A Los Angeles housing fight has found an unlikely new obstacle: the mountain lion.

A developer planned to use a state housing law to fast-track nearly 400 homes on a Woodland Hills golf course. City officials say the property qualifies as mountain lion habitat, forcing the project onto a slower approval track and setting up a lawsuit.

Read more about the fight — and why the developer says “golfing mountain lions may take the prize” — at the link in the comments.

Well deserved, Linda!

If Linda Krop were a baseball player, her batting average would be on par with Shohei Ohtani. ⁠
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Krop is not a baseball player — but when she swings, she rarely misses. Working for the Environmental Defense Center since 1989 — and as chief counsel since 1999 — her specialty is in ensuring the biggest polluters don’t make a mess — and clean it up when they do. ⁠
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She fought oil and gas companies along the Central Coast for years even before joining the region’s mitochondria of environmental defenders, seeking to speak for the coastal resources and critters that cannot speak for themselves. In her time, she has led efforts to ban offshore fracking, end federal oil leases, and preserve beloved outdoor areas, such as the Carpinteria Bluffs. ⁠
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It was well-deserved, then, when Congressmember Salud Carbajal gave Krop a proverbial kiss on the cheek on Wednesday during an intimate gathering in the Environmental Defense Center’s backyard in Santa Barbara. He presented Krop with his Woman of the Year award, celebrating her unmatched stamina in the courtroom. ⁠

Read more: https://www.independent.com/2026/08/06/linda-krop-receives-her-flowers-for-guarding-the-central-coast/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Environment&utm_content=Krop-Award&utm_gen=utmdc
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📸: Courtesy

Today is rescue day!

Efforts underway to protect endangered steelhead trout at Gaviota Creek Conservationists say the presence of steelhead indicates healthy groundwater flow, but summer conditions continue to threaten the species.

https://e360.yale.edu/digest/weather-whiplash-france-spain-fires

How Weather Whiplash Helped Fuel the Devastating Wildfires in France and Spain E360 Digest July 27, 2026 How Weather Whiplash Helped Fuel the Devastating Wildfires in France and Spain A wildfire burning in Burgohondo, Spain, last week. Mateo Lanzuela / Europa Press via Getty Images In a summer of record heat waves, France and Spain are now facing wildfires that have forced the...

R E S C U E S U R V E Y S S A V E S T E E L H E A D | Rivers and Creeks are dropping and heating this summer! Steelhead stranding can happen quickly. Despite some of our key holding pools drying up last year, our trout are back, but we’ve initiated rescue consultations early, because CDFW needs to seek approval from NMFS before e-fishing or a relocation can occur. If you have trout about in your creek and you are see drying, disconnection of pools from the flowing creek, you can fill out a rescue survey at the QR code on the last slide. Early initiation is recommended! We spotted Western Pond Turtle, dodged several cows, but steady monitoring has been initiated to !