February 2006

HR Conservancy News

By Doug Campbell

The Conservancy is off to a strong start in 2006, with a renewed commitment to protecting the Ranch’s unique natural resources. In collaboration with the HROA Board and with a flurry of activity to meet a tight deadline, a proposal has been submitted to the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UCSB entitled “Resolving Regulatory Conflicts with Private Conservation and Habitat Restoration Efforts: A Model Program.”

If our proposal is accepted, we will get a team of graduate students and two faculty sponsors working to develop a model program that would try to resolve a conflict which has roiled many a Ranch meeting over the past few years. The conflict is this: how can we get help from scientists and other specialists in developing conservation and restoration plans without opening ourselves up to even more regulations and land-use restrictions than we already now suffer?

We think and hope there are some ways to do this that will satisfy owners’ concerns. This proposal is limited to just finding a resolution to this problem; it will not allow any scientific studies on the Ranch that haven’t already been approved.