Conserved for
Land Trust partnered with the owners of Rancho Monte Alegre, protecting the 3,109-acre historic ranch in the Carpinteria foothills. Since the late 1900s, the land has been used for cultivation of olives, citrus, loquats, figs, apples, and dairy farming. The conservation easement permanently limits development to 24 home sites while 300 acres of farmland are conserved by an agricultural easement. While the property itself is private, the beloved public Franklin Trail runs through a portion of the land.
The land outside the farm areas and home sites total about 2,750 acres and are governed by a conservation easement that allows no agricultural, residential or other development. The upper watershed of Santa Monica Creek and Sutton Canyon Creek, made up of coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and riparian woodland habitat, are protected in perpetuity as natural, scenic open space.
