An Ecologically Important Coastal Watershed
Exceptional Ecological Resources
Comprising nearly the entire Tajiguas Creek watershed, Rancho Tajiguas extends from the high ridge of the Santa Ynez Mountains in the Los Padres National Forest to unspoiled coastline of the Pacific Ocean, serving as a crucial natural linkage between mountainous habits and the coastal plain. Tajiguas Creek is a perennial stream that flows, along with its tributaries, through the central portion of the property, carving a rugged, remote canyon that supports wildlife dispersal, migration, and genetic continuity and interchange. Rancho Tajiguas Preserve supports rare plant communities and rare and endangered wildlife. With restoration, Tajiguas Creek can support migration of the Southern steelhead and help avert a permanent loss of this federally endangered fish’s anadromous form.
Conserving Rancho Tajiguas and preventing its conversion to residential estates protects exceptional examples of key habitats, wildlife corridors, and the native biodiversity of the Gaviota Coast to support public access and education. Our vision of restoring and enhancing Tajiguas Creek and other vital ecosystems at Rancho Tajiguas promises regional and population-scale benefits.
An Historic Working Gaviota Coast Ranch
Rural, working ranches that embody California’s iconic coastal heritage are slowly fading from the landscape, and with them a way of life cherished for its close harmony between land, economy and culture. The Gaviota Coast stands in relative defiance of this trend, with Tajiguas Ranch a foremost example. Intact for over 200 years in its orchard-dotted lowlands, fertile open pasture, and wild, natural canyons and hills, the Ranch sits literally and figuratively in the center of the Gaviota, long predating nearby Refugio State Park and rich with historic connections. Sustained by the Tajiguas Creek watershed contained almost entirely within its boundaries, Rancho Tajiguas has maintained continuous ranching and farming since at least the 1790s, likely the longest agricultural tradition in Santa Barbara County.
Treasures of architectural, agricultural and cultural history exist in abundance at Tajiguas, promising untold opportunities to celebrate, understand and preserve coastal California’s cultural and natural heritage. Our vision is to continue this agricultural legacy, steward and restore Rancho Tajiguas and its historic structures, and to educate the public about coastal California ranching history, this historically significant Gaviota Coast ranch, and regenerative agricultural practices that will help the land stay productive when faced with a changing climate.
A Model for Fire Resilience
Rancho Tajiguas, with its diverse ecosystems and productive ranchlands, is strategically positioned to enhance fire resilience along the Gaviota Coast. Spanning from the Los Padres National Forest to the coastal plains, the Ranch provides essential natural and managed buffers against wildfire. Through conservation and land management practices, Rancho Tajiguas supports regional wildfire mitigation, contributing to fire safety across the coast. Public education on fire-safe land stewardship and the integration of agriculture in fire-resilient landscapes is a key part of the vision for Rancho Tajiguas Preserve. Rancho Tajiguas will continue to serve as a cornerstone of fire resilience, blending natural habitats with managed agricultural zones that reduce fire fuels, enhance local firefighting capacity, and protect both communities and ecosystems on the Gaviota Coast.
One of several reservoirs at Rancho Tajiguas that provide a source of accessible surface water available for firefighting