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Nature’s Future is Our Future. Protect it.
Nature’s Future is Our Future. Mom and son hiking on a trail. © Dianne Avery Photography
Stories in California

Nature’s Future is Our Future.

Protect it.

April 07, 2023 | Last updated June 12, 2024

We rely on nature for the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. But nature can also protect us from the worst effects of climate change.

Nature can help us achieve one-third of the global greenhouse gas reductions needed to make our planet safer. 

Be a part of TNC’s plan to protect California, because nature’s future is our future.

Our Plan for California

Learn more about our programs and the key strategies we’re using to protect our future.

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California Preserves

One of the best ways to learn about conservation is to witness it firsthand by spending time in nature. Learn about the many Places We Protect and how TNC uses land protection as a strategic tool to fight climate change. Find a preserve to visit near you!

Poppies on a field with an Oak in the background.
California Spring A sunset after a rain in California poppy covered hills. © Jay Huang/TNC Photo Contest 2019
Eastern view of the Santa Clara River.
Santa Clara River Eastern view of the Santa Clara River. © Melinda Kelley
View of Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands. Th
Golden Gate Bridge View of Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands. The Nature Conservancy acquired the Headlands in 1972 after halting a large development project. © Ian Shive
A kayaker passes by a lone harbor seal pup.
Scenic views of the rolling green hills and oak trees.
Tehachapi Corridor Scenic views of the rolling green hills and oak trees of the Tollhouse Ranch located in the heart of the Tehachapi corridor, California. Over the last four years, a consortium of landowners and conservation groups has worked to protect a vital 50-mile wildlife corridor through the Tehachapi range. And last year, when the Conservancy purchased the 15,000-acre Tollhouse Ranch, the deal secured the final link in a 270,000-acre ecological corridor that joins the vast ecosystems to the east, west, north and south. © Ian Shive
A fisher stands in the water of the McCloud River.
McCloud River Preserve The Kerry Landreth Preserve at McCloud River: A Legacy for Nature and People © Levi Miller
A person stands under a rock overhang on Dye Creek.
Dye Creek A rock overhang on Dye Creek Preserve. © Sue Pollock
Poppies on a field with an Oak in the background.
California Spring A sunset after a rain in California poppy covered hills. © Jay Huang/TNC Photo Contest 2019

Introduction

California Land Protection

Our team uses land protection as a strategic tool to fight climate change and help species navigate unavoidable climate impacts. Keep scrolling to learn about some of our key preserves.

Eastern view of the Santa Clara River.
Santa Clara River Eastern view of the Santa Clara River. © Melinda Kelley

Southern California

Santa Clara River Preserve

Historically, only a few locations on the Santa Clara River were accessible to the public. Now, with the opening of this preserve, TNC has provided a beautiful space for outdoor education, community gatherings, wildlife viewing and hiking. We want to give everyone a chance to connect with the dynamic Santa Clara River.

View of Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands. Th
Golden Gate Bridge View of Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands. The Nature Conservancy acquired the Headlands in 1972 after halting a large development project. © Ian Shive

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Marin Headlands

In the 1960s, plans were approved by the Marin County Board of Supervisors to build a town in the headlands called Marincello — a 2,000-acre development that would house 30,000 people and called for 50 apartment towers, vast tracts of single-family homes, a hotel and a mile-long shopping center. Instead, TNC and partners came together to save these pristine shoreline and hills.

A kayaker passes by a lone harbor seal pup.

Central Coast

Elkhorn Slough Reserve

Meandering seven miles inland from the coast in the center of the picturesque Monterey Bay, the Elkhorn Slough harbors the largest tract of tidal salt marsh in California outside of San Francisco Bay. Estuaries—areas where fresh water meets salt water—are among the most productive habitats in the biological world, able to support many animal species.

Scenic views of the rolling green hills and oak trees.
Tehachapi Corridor Scenic views of the rolling green hills and oak trees of the Tollhouse Ranch located in the heart of the Tehachapi corridor, California. Over the last four years, a consortium of landowners and conservation groups has worked to protect a vital 50-mile wildlife corridor through the Tehachapi range. And last year, when the Conservancy purchased the 15,000-acre Tollhouse Ranch, the deal secured the final link in a 270,000-acre ecological corridor that joins the vast ecosystems to the east, west, north and south. © Ian Shive

San Andreas Linkage

Frank and Joan Randall Preserve

Just one hundred miles north of downtown Los Angeles, this vast stretch of land is a critical link in a wildlife corridor that spans not just California but the entire west coast of North America from Mexico to Alaska. The Randall Preserve is a critical lifeline for hundreds of species, including some of our state’s most iconic like the black bear, mountain lion, bobcat and endangered California condor. In the face of climate change, this region will be more important than ever.

A fisher stands in the water of the McCloud River.
McCloud River Preserve The Kerry Landreth Preserve at McCloud River: A Legacy for Nature and People © Levi Miller

Northern California

The Kerry Landreth Preserve, McCloud River

The McCloud snakes its way down a scenic canyon beneath the rugged slopes of 14,000-foot Mount Shasta. The cool waters of the river roil with life. In the spring, clouds of emerging insects dance across the waters as they hatch, and trout are driven to fits of feeding frenzy. The McCloud has been a fisherman's paradise ever since its original inhabitants, the Wintu Indians, speared and trapped salmon and steelhead as the fish made their seasonal journeys from the sea.

A person stands under a rock overhang on Dye Creek.
Dye Creek A rock overhang on Dye Creek Preserve. © Sue Pollock

Central Valley

Dye Creek Preserve

The 37,540-acre Gray Davis Dye Creek Preserve is a refuge encompassing untilled valley grasslands and rugged Lassen foothills. Protecting virtually the entire Dye Creek watershed and a diverse array of life, these wild lands are the centerpiece in a mosaic of properties safeguarding wildlife migratory pathways over land, in the water and by air.

Our Lands Sta Clara Marin Elkhorn Tehachapi McCloud Dye Creek

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