Wildlands Conservancy

THE WILDLANDS CONSERVANCY'S DUAL MISSION IS TO PRESERVE THE BEAUTY AND BIODIVERSITY OF THE EARTH AND TO PROVIDE PROGRAMS SO THAT CHILDREN MAY KNOW THE WONDER AND JOY OF NATURE.

STEWARDING OF PARKLAND AND WILDERNESS PRESERVES THAT ARE OPEN TO OVER 1,500,000 VISITORS PER YEAR FOR FREE. IN WORKING TO ACHIEVE THIS MISSION, THE CONSERVANCY HAS ESTABLISHED THE LARGEST NONPROFIT NATURE PRESERVE SYSTEM IN CALIFORNIA, COMPRISED OF 21 PRESERVES ENCOMPASSING 162,000 ACRES OF DIVERSE MOUNTAIN, VALLEY, DESERT, RIVER, AND OCEANFRONT LANDSCAPES. SINCE THE CONSERVANCY BELIEVES THAT PUBLIC ACCESS IS A PILLAR OF PRESERVING NATURE, THESE PRESERVES ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FREE OF CHARGE FOR PASSIVE RECREATION, INCLUDING CAMPING, HIKING, PICNICKING, BIRDING, AND MORE. FOR EACH OF ITS PRESERVES, THE CONSERVANCY EMPLOYS A FULL-TIME STAFF OF RANGERS, MOST WITH COLLEGE DEGREES IN BIOLOGY, ECOLOGY, AND RELATED ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES. EACH YEAR THESE RANGERS WORK SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS, LOGGING THOUSANDS OF HOURS, RESTORING AND MAINTAINING THESE UNIQUE AND IMPORTANT PROPERTIES.

PROVIDING OUTDOOR, ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION: FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES, THE CONSERVANCY HAS BEEN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S LEADER IN PROVIDING FREE OUTDOOR EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO UNDERSERVED YOUTH. FROM DAY-LONG TRIPS TO WEEK-LONG SCIENCE SCHOOL, MORE THAN 1.3 MILLION CHILDREN PARTIPCATED IN AN OUTDOOR EDUCATION EXPERIENCE PROVIDED BY THE CONSERVANCY. TRADITIONALLY, MORE THAN 60,000 YOUTH PARTICIPATE IN EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AT A CONSERVANCY PRESERVE, FROM SELF-GUIDED EXPLORATATION THROUGH INTERACTIVE INTERPETIVE SIGNAGE TO NATURALIST-GUIDED FIELD TRIPS AND PROGRAMS. WHILE THE COVID PANDEMIC BROUGHT CHALLENGES TO PROVIDING STANDARD FREE FIELD TRIPS, THE CONSERVANCY PIVOTED TO PROVIDE PARENTS AND GUARDIANS FREE RESOURCES TO ENRICH THEIR CHILDREN'S DISTANCE-LEARNING EXPERIENCE. ADDITIONALLY, NEW PRESERVE-BASED PROGRAMS FOCUS ON PROVIDING VISITING FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS WITH EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN A SAFE MANNER.

LAND CONSERVATION: EXPENSES INCURRED IN LAND ACQUISTION PROJECTS. TWC OWNS MORE THAN 162,000 ACRES OF LAND AS PRESERVES, AND IN AGGREGATE HAS FUNDED ACQUISTIONS OF OVER 750,000 ACRES STATEWIDE. MANY STATEWIDE AND NATIONALLY SIGNIFICANT CONSERVATION PROJECTS WERE GIVEN BIRTH FROM THE CONSERVANCY'S PRESERVES, WHICH SERVE AS OUTPOSTS FOR STRATEGIC LAND-BASED CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP. THESE INCLUDE THE 150,000 ACRE SAND TO SNOW NATIONAL MONUMENT, NAMED AFTER WILDLANDS SAND TO SNOW WILDERNESS INTERFACE PROJECT, AND THE 1.6 MILLION ACRE MOJAVE TRAILS NATIONAL MONUMENT, THE 2ND LARGEST IN AMERICA, FOR WHICH THE MORE THAN 560,000 ACRES ACQUIRED BY THE CONSERVANCY WITH PRIVATE FUNDING AND DONATED TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FOR CONSERVATION IN PERPETUITY BECAME THE PILLAR IN ITS ESTABLISHMENT.