The Land Conservancy assists partners in restoration on other land where our experience in habitat restoration, invasive species control, and rare species recovery are needed to implement projects. These projects are within areas of the Central Coast that are of outmost importance for protection and enhancement. Partners include City of San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County, and Guadalupe-Nipomo Dune National Wildlife Refuge.

In 2018, The Land Conservancy completed a comprehensive conservation plan to protect The Guadalupe Nipomo Dunes Complex. The plan is intended to guide restoration work in the dunes by preserving and enhancing habitat for native plants and animals while reducing invasive species threats.

The focus of this conservation network is to maintain healthy and pristine habitat, recover threatened species and ecological communities, and control threats such as invasive species and a changing climate.

The 2500-acre Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge is located within the Guadalupe Nipomo Dunes Complex and contains some of the most remote and least disturbed habitats in the entire complex. The land is protected by the National Wildlife Refuge System and The Land Conservancy collaborates with Refuge staff to fund and implement restoration work. Home to more than 120 species of rare plants and animals, the Refuge provides a safe place for species such as La Graciosa thistle, surf thistle, beach spectaclepod, giant coreopsis, California red-legged frog, western snowy plover, and California least tern.

The Refuge is open to the public but is only accessible by the beach. Visit the Refuge website for more information.

Restoration Goals

• Protect native coastal habitats through invasive species management
• Enhance rare species populations throughout the Wildlife Refuge
• Protect shrinking wetland resources

Grant Funding Partners

• US Fish and Wildlife Service, Coastal Program
• National Wildlife Refuge System
• Guadalupe Natural Resource Restoration Trust
• California’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response