Preserving nature, heritage, and educating future stewards.
Rancho Tajiguas Preserve is permanently protected as a 3,272-acre coastal preserve.
Permanent Conservation
Located along the Gaviota Coast, the Preserve encompasses nearly the entire Tajiguas Creek watershed—from the crest of the Santa Ynez Mountains to the Pacific Ocean—protecting a continuous corridor of rare habitats and native biodiversity. Its protection safeguards threatened species, supports climate resilience, and prevents development in one of California’s last intact coastal ecosystems.
Education Hub
Rancho Tajiguas Preserve is being developed as a regional hub for environmental education on the Gaviota Coast. Building on its ecological richness and cultural history, the Preserve will offer immersive, place-based learning experiences that connect people to land, water, and stewardship.
Program development and pilot initiatives are underway.
An Historic Working 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 Preserve has maintained continuous ranching and farming since at least the 1790s, likely the longest continually farmed property in Santa Barbara County.
Tajiguas is home to a rich mix of architectural, agricultural, and cultural history, offering meaningful ways to learn about, celebrate, and protect the heritage of coastal California.
Model for Fire Resilience
Rancho Tajiguas Preserve, 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 Preserve 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 Preserve 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.