A chunk of privately owned land in the Los Padres National Forest has been purchased by a land trust to protect it from future development. It’s a deal which will protect more than 40 acres of land in the Sespe Wilderness.
The Montana based Wilderness Land Trust used a combination of grants and private donations to make the $50,000-plus purchase.
The property is north of Lake Piru, near the Agua Blanca Creek Trail. The land is an island of private property that is surrounded by a designated wilderness area. It could have potentially had a home, or perhaps even a resort built on it.
The nearly 220,000 acre Sespe Wilderness area is environmentally significant because it is home to more than 40 endangered species, including California Condors. The property is also part of one of the largest roadless areas on the West Coast.
Officials with the Wilderness Land Trust say the plan is to transfer the property to the U.S. Forest Service, so it can become a part of the Los Padres National Forest.
