Environmental Stewardship and Protection

The Program’s 583 acres–nestled in the northern Santa Cruz Mountains, and perched above the Pacific Ocean–is a place of inspiration and beauty. The magic of the Program is rooted in the land itself. In 1999, the Djerassi Program partnered with Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), a local non-profit land trust organization, to create a conservation easement that would ensure its preservation in perpetuity.

Land management practices have evolved since the easement was granted. The Program is launching a land management plan and environmental stewardship volunteer program. The Program has a network of natural resource specialists and land management specialists to help with this work. In addition to hike docents, there are volunteer opportunities for trail maintenance, weed management, and data collection. Please contact environment@djerassi.org for more information about volunteer opportunities.

Six Distinct Habitat Types

1. Coastal Prairie Grasslands: Open fields of grasses and wildflowers comprise only 10% of California’s landscape. They support over twice the number of plant species of other types of grasslands.
2. Coastal Scrub: Coastal Scrub is important habitat for many nesting birds, large mammals, rodents and pollinating insects.
3. Mixed Hardwood Forests: The majority of nature’s food is found in mixed hardwood plant communities. Acorns, bay nuts, hazelnuts and madrone berries are all edible and nutritious food sources that wildlife and native people from this region have depended on for thousands of years.
4. Redwood and Coniferous Forests: Coast redwoods—one of the largest species of trees on the planet–grow on over 200 acres of the Program’s land. The cool dark forests support wildlife and regulate our local climate by harvesting fog. Water is filtered through their massive root systems.
5. Riparian Ecosystems: Freshwater is a critical resource for all life on earth and provide a migration corridor for fish and other wildlife. The Program’s creeks and tributaries support threatened fish populations including steelhead trout.
6. Seasonal Wetlands: Seasonal seeps and wet places abound on the property. There are dozens of varieties of plants, insects and amphibians that thrive in these wetlands.   Seasonal wetlands are important groundwater recharge zones.