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These three parcels comprise much of the headwaters of Stenner and Chorro Creeks below West Cuesta Ridge, includes valuable rare plant and animal habitat, along with portions of the Shooters and Morning Glory Trails. Owned by Union Pacific Railroad, the parcels are essentially private in holdings located between Forest Service lands and Camp San Luis Obispo. The parcels contain 13 underlying legal lots and total approximately 315 acres. The Land Conservancy has recently entered into a long-term partnership with Camp San Luis Obispo and the National Guard Bureau to assist them with the purchasing conservation interests through a new program called the “Army Compatible Use Buffer” program (ACUB). The program provides funds that can be used to protect lands located within three miles of Camp San Luis Obispo, and requires that all property interests be owned and managed by a qualified conservation organization. These parcels will be the Land Conservancy’s first acquisition under this new program, which is anticipated to run through the year 2013. The purchase price for the three property interests is the appraised value of $448,000. Camp San Luis Obispo will provide $350,000 in funding, while the Morro Bay National Estuary Program will provide matching funds of $49,000 due to their interest in protecting lands in the Morro Bay watershed. The Land Conservancy needs to raise an additional $60,000 to close the funding gap to complete the purchase, as well as to cover the appraisal and closing costs associated with the transaction. The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
The City of San Luis Obispo has received an offer of a “bargain” (i.e., below market) sale from Ercole and Naomie Brughelli to preserve their 390 acre property on Buckley Road in agricultural use in perpetuity. The purchase price of the easement, $750,000, is about 75% of what an independent appraisal found the easement to be worth. The remaining $225,000 is being donated by the Brughelli family. The ranch has been in the family for generations and they wish to keep it as a viable, working farm and ranch forever. The acquisition is considered to be an important step in the implementation of the City of San Luis Obispo’s Greenbelt Protection Program, and will be the City’s second major agricultural conservation easement. The City of San Luis Obispo currently has $550,000 on hand to fund this transaction. We are therefore seeking to raise $200,000 from community sources to close the funding gap to complete the purchase. This needs to be done quickly, as the Brughellis need to complete the transaction by the end of 2006. With the Guidetti Ranch on the the southern border of the Brughelli Ranch the City of San Luis Obispo will have created a 1790-acre working landscape along the southern border of city at the completion of this project
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