Landlines: My Last Day

I arrived at the office early. After three months it was the last day of my summer internship with the Land Conservancy, and I wanted to make the most of it.

Conservation Director Bob Hill, Restoration Ecologist Daniel Bohlman and I headed out for the Irish Hills in a small caravan, our truck leading two other cars full of conservationists and scientists from Cal Poly and The Nature Conservancy.

Our objective for the day was to host representatives from The Nature Conservancy as they conducted an easement monitoring on the Hibbert Preserve, a gorgeous piece of land that is destined to become part of Montana de Oro State Park. The Cal Poly team was there to check for sudden oak death, a fungal pathogen that attacks oak trees.

We rumbled up the rugged access road, taking in the views of San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay and the peaks and ridges that make this place so spectacular. We parted ways with the Cal Poly team, and then headed deeper into the preserve for the monitoring.

We pulled up next to a transmission tower on a ridge with a commanding view, the air literally buzzing with electricity from Diablo Canyon. The day was amazingly clear, and the whole of San Luis Bay opened up in front of us: the cliffs of Shell Beach, the sands of Pismo, and the great big blue Pacific.

The coast curved around to Point Sal, and I spent some time looking at the white streaks of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes. I’d spent much of my summer working out in the dunes, hiking to remote corners, learning about the plants and how to survey them.

After a few more stops with equally stunning views it was time to turn back. We met up with the Cal Poly group, which thankfully had found no sign of sudden oak death, and headed down to Avila Beach for lunch. We ate at the end of Harford Pier, less than an hour after viewing it from above. Then it was back to the new Land Conservancy office in San Luis Obispo.

I said goodbye to everybody at the office and set off for home on my bike. The ride took me past the Octagon Barn on South Higuera Street, a century old landmark that has become the focal point of a communal restoration project.

Today a group of Cal Poly freshmen was busy tearing down fences and painting walls as part of their Week of Welcome. I decided to stop and check it out. I found Land Conservancy Community Connections Liaison David Rau, and he asked if I would like to help out. A few minutes later I was moving wooden planks with two-dozen brand new Land Conservancy volunteers. It’s amazing how a special place like this can continue to bring people together.

In a region that’s undergoing increasing development, protecting places like the Octagon Barn is critical to preserving our shared identity. And in the face of newly emerging threats like global warming, conserving biodiversity in the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes is critical to maintaining a resilient ecosystem that can adapt to stress. It’s important work, and I am honored to have been a part of it.

And there’s a special thing about this type of work—anybody can pitch in. From the newly-arrived WOWie to the long-time central coast resident, everybody has something to offer. It doesn’t take any special skill, just the common desire to see our special places protected.