A land conservancy has announced it’s put together an eight million dollar deal to buy and preserve a Central Coast ranch which is home to unique forests, rare plants, and a lake.
The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County bought the 1700 acre Santa Rita Ranch. The ranch is in the Santa Lucia Mountains, on Highway 46 between Templeton and the Pacific Ocean.
The Conservancy got help from a national non-profit conservation group which bought the ranch last year, giving the local agency time to raise the money to secure the ranch. The San Luis Obispo County organization was able to get a nearly four million dollar state grant to help complete the deal.
The Conservancy will lease the land to a rancher, while keeping it as a wildlife preserve.
