Update on future expansion of the Carrizo Plain National Monument

Carrizo Plain National Monument is noted for its diverse wildlife and unusual habitat types, including numerous rare or endangered species.  The Plain and adjacent mountains contain grassland, shrub, and woodland habitats.  One of the shrub habitats, known as Upper Sonoran Sub-Shrub Scrub (“USSSS”), is restricted mainly to the Temblor Range, making it one of the rarest vegetation types in California. When the Monument was established in 2001, the eastern boundary was drawn along the ridge line of the Temblor Range, unfortunately leaving the richest portions of the USSSS and associated wildlife habitat outside the Monument.  In an afternoon workshop at the 2023 Central Coast Bioneers Conference, Neil Havlik, the former Natural Resources Manager (now retired) for the City of San Luis Obispo, will discuss the efforts of several conservation organizations to add 16,000 acres into the Monument, adding more of the Temblor Range, which would protect more of the USSSS; improve habitat enhancement opportunities; and protect archeological and historical artifacts in the additional area.  For more information about Neil’s workshop and to register for the conference, go to https://ecologistics.org/ccb-conference-2023/