MISSION: PRESERVE AND STEWARD CALIFORNIA’S SHRUBLAND ECOSYSTEMS

The mission of The Chaparral Lands Conservancy is to protect shrubland ecosystems as an integral and beautiful feature of California’s natural landscape through land preservation and stewardship. The Conservancy was founded in 2009 by veteran San Diego environmental advocate David Hogan to advance the conservation of shrublands, related ecosystems, dependent plants and animals and especially endangered species through acquisition of land and/or management rights, habitat restoration and enhancement, stewardship, research, and education. Learn more →

WHAT ARE CHAPARRAL LANDS?

Not forests, not deserts — Chaparral. Many Californians who enjoy the outdoors are familiar with the beautiful Pacific Ocean and coast, shady mountain forests, and vast open deserts. But what about the more subtle, shrub-dominated landscape found in-between? From the coastal mesas and mountain foothills of the southern California and Northern Baja California to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains to Big Sur and Sonoma, chaparral-dominated shrublands form a sublime natural carpet of vegetation over rugged terrain.

Properly defined, chaparral is a semi-arid, association of woody shrub plants shaped by summer drought, mild, wet winters, and infrequent fires (with natural intervals between fires being 30 to 150 years plus). Chaparral lands are the closest natural neighbor to many of California’s densest population centers, and shrubland vegetation provides crucial (though often neglected) values for watershed protection, recreation, and wildlife. But proximity to people poses major threats and it is the mission of The Chaparral Lands Conservancy to protect and integrate the conservation of shrubland wildlife, plants, and endangered species with burgeoning nearby human communities.