Land Trust of Santa Cruz County (Santa Cruz County).
Jodi McGraw Consulting developed a comprehensive strategy to conserve sensitive habitat and rare species in the Santa Cruz Sandhills. The plan included:
- A conservation strategy to preserve and manage the high priority sandhills habitat, which was comprehensively mapped as part of the project;
- Detailed life history accounts for seven special-status animals and plants that are found entirely (or primarily) in the sandhills, to guide their recovery;
- Strategies to manage the main factors degrading sandhills habitat, which are fire exclusion, exotic plants, incompatible recreation;
- Guidelines for restoration of sandhills habitat, including previously mined areas;
- Recommendations for sandhills outreach and education, to increase awareness of the rare species and sensitive habitat.
Developed in 2004, the plan has been the basis for the Land Trust of Santa Cruz’s successful ‘Save the Sandhills Campaign’, which has protected more than 200 acres of high-priority habitat. The plan has also informed development of numerous site-level habitat restoration and management plans and guided several species recovery projects.