A team of volunteers has removed the last remaining segment of derelict barbed wire fencing on a parcel of land recently added to the Carrizo Plain National Monument. The project was a team effort led by Los Padres ForestWatch and Carrizo Plain Conservancy, in partnership with REI San Luis Obispo and Tree Line Capital Partners.
The crew of six worked seamlessly on this fall morning, removing approximately one-half mile of fencing adjacent to the shoreline of Soda Lake, at the northern end of the Carrizo Plain. Segments of barbed wire were clipped from fence posts and carefully coiled, then transported several hundred feet to the nearest road where they were loaded onto a truck for recycling.
For years, volunteers have worked hard to remove dozens of miles of abandoned fencing across the Carrizo Plain, left behind from a bygone era of cattle ranching. With the fencing removed, it will be easier for native pronghorn and other wildlife to move freely across the landscape. Pronghorn are North America’s fastest land mammal, but are unable to jump over fences.
A team effort all around, the project was funded with a grant from the REI store in San Luis Obispo submitted jointly by ForestWatch and the Carrizo Plain Conservancy. The volunteer crew consisted of three ForestWatch volunteers from Santa Margarita and Santa Barbara, and three volunteers from Tree Line Capital Partners and friends.
Tree Line Capital Partners is a private credit asset management firm focused on direct lending to companies that operate sustainably, maintain diversity or promote positive ESG best practices. They are a member of 1% for the Planet, contributing one percent of company revenue to environmental nonprofits including ForestWatch.
“Thanks to our hard-working volunteer crew, wildlife can roam more freely across the Carrizo Plain,” said ForestWatch executive director Jeff Kuyper, the project’s volunteer crew leader. “Once again, Tree Line Capital Partners has demonstrated their deep-rooted commitment to protecting public lands and wildlife throughout California’s central coast region. We are so thankful for the many ways they support our work and were honored to spend a day with their employees amidst this spectacular landscape.”
ForestWatch and the Carrizo Plain Conservancy first began partnering on this project in 2017, shortly after the conservancy purchased the 42-acre property and donated it to become part of the Carrizo Plain National Monument.
After completing today’s project, the crew enjoyed a delicious barbeque at the Goodwin Ranch house hosted by former ForestWatch Board member Pat Veesart, with beers provided by our friends at Topa Topa Brewing Co., another of ForestWatch’s 1% for the Planet partners.
Stay tuned for more volunteer opportunities and click here to receive occasional notices about upcoming projects and how you can get involved.
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