California Coast & Ocean

One of the conditions of the easement is a monitoring program to ensure that the Hearst Corporation adequately maintains the ranch’s rich natural resources--the rangelands, oak forests, riparian corridors, and the wildlife that depends on them. Even opponents of the agreement generally acknowledge that the property was maintained very well: historically the corporation was a good steward.

The California Rangeland Trust, a conservation organization composed of ranchers and their advocates, holds the easement on the eastside lands. Twice a year, biologists and rangeland ecologists working under contract to the trust check 57 sites for compliance. They measure the amount of residual forage to determine if overgrazing is occurring, and examine environmentally sensitive areas to make sure they are not being damaged. The trust has the final say on easement compliance. If it determines that Hearst has violated easement terms, it must enter into arbitration with the corporation. Should that process fail to yield a resolution, court action would follow.

Critics of the deal claim the arrangement is too cozy for Hearst. A ranching association, they say, could hardly be expected to take a big stick to one of the largest grazing operations in the state. But the trust maintains that its record of protecting open space and wild ecosystems is sound. “We’re now in our third [year of] monitoring,” said Michele Clark, the trust’s liaison with the Hearst Corporation. “Admittedly, two years is a very short timeframe in the history of the ranch, but so far there has been no real change. Things are looking very good.”

Any development on the Hearst property will require an extensive permitting process, with no guaranteed outcomes. Permits would be issued on a project-by-project basis, but only after the San Luis Obispo County Coastal Plan is revised. Attempts to revise the plan during the past decade stalled, usually over the Hearst Ranch. Now, with the conservation easement in place, it seems likely a final plan revision will be adopted in the next year.

Ultimately, the Coastal Commission will have to sign off on everything--not only on the county plan changes, but on each project as well. Commissioners may have serious reservations about any construction on the San Luis Obispo County coast. Water, in particular, is a potential deal breaker. The Central Coast has a Mediterranean climate, with relatively scant rainfall. In the past two decades, water shortages sometimes have been extreme. “We have long commented that water is a very critical issue [for the Hearst property], one that would have to be addressed by the county plan,” said Tami Grove, the Commission’s development and transportation liaison.

Grove added that any proposed Hearst development would raise other concerns as well. “For example, the Coastal Act stipulates that Highway 1 must remain two lanes in rural portions of the state, which certainly includes the San Simeon area. It remains to be seen how that could affect a resort at the cove.” For that matter, said Grove, the agreement’s general consistency with the Coastal Act remains unclear. That includes the realignment of Highway 1 north of Piedras Blancas Lighthouse due to beach erosion concerns--a project further complicated by home development on nearby private parcels that are surrounded by the ranch. The building permits were issued before the realignment was approved, and it now appears that the new routing could put the highway through at least one home currently under construction. It’s possible Caltrans will have to purchase the property to complete the realignment, raising the cost of the project significantly. “Caltrans is currently involved in a discussion with the [property owners], and the Coastal Commission is part of that process,” said Grove. “It’s one of many things that must be worked out.”

Glen Martin reported on natural resource issues for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1990 to 2007, and is now writing freelance. His work has appeared in Audubon, Sierra, Discover, Men’s Journal, Outside, and other magazines. In 1997, National Geographic and Roundstone Press published his guide to national wildlife refuges. He lives in Santa Rosa.

This article is slightly abridged. For the complete article, see the print edition of Coast & Ocean.