STORIES FROM THE WILDLANDS CONSERVANCY
Strengthening the Oaks of Santa Margarita River Trail Preserve
At the Santa Margarita River Trail Preserve, The Wildlands Conservancy is working to protect one of California’s most iconic ecosystems — its oak woodlands. Towering coast live oaks shade the river corridor and sustain countless species, but these majestic trees are under threat from the Golden Spotted Oak Borer(GSOB), a non-native beetle devastating oaks across Southern California.
This local effort is part of The Wildlands Conservancy’s larger commitment to oak conservation.
To safeguard the future of these vital trees, our team is planting new generations of coast live and Engelmann oaks, diversifying age, size, and species to build long-term resilience. Each sapling grown from acorns collected on the Preserve represents hope for a thriving, healthy woodland for generations to come.
Northern Spotted Owl Surveying at Jenner Headlands Preserve
The federally threatened Northern Spotted Owl is an ‘indicator species’ meaning it can provide a greater picture of the health of these old growth forests. As part of restoration forestry efforts carried out by Wildlands staff and volunteers, The Wildlands Conservancy works to conserve and improve habitat conditions for rare, threatened and endangered species, protect water resources and water quality, and to manage wildfire resiliency at Jenner Headlands Preserve. In doing so, Wildlands staff routinely surveys the Preserve for Northern Spotted Owl activity to inform these efforts.