History of Campaña Agua de la Sierra
Foundations of Protection.
Our story began in 2004, when Kathleen Mitchell and her late husband Scott Landis purchased Rancho Encinalito from cattle ranchers. Located in the North-East corner of the Sierra de la Laguna, Baja California Sur, Mexico, by the village of San Bartolo, Kathleen and Scott have dedicated the last two decades to the protection of this 950-acre parcel of land. In 2007 they fenced off the entire property to prevent neighbors’ free-range livestock from grazing the land to allow for recovery of the heavily over-grazed vegetation and denuded landscape.
Upon completing their fence, Scott and Kathleen began to observe significant regrowth of vegetation and saw biodiversity flourish. Over the years, they engaged with scientists, non-profits, and technical experts to discuss the biological significance of the property. As avid environmentalists, and active members of the Baja California Sur conservation community, it was always Kathleen and Scotts dream to find a way to protect Rancho Encinalito for perpetuity.
Uncovering Biodiversity Together.
In 2022, Kathleen connected with Sula Vanderplank, a botanist and conservation biologist who has worked extensively throughout Baja California for the last two decades, and Tom Dudley, a professor and research biologist in the Marine Sciences Institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Together, Kathleen, Sula, and Tom began brainstorming the future of Rancho Encinalito.
In October of 2023, an organized a group of 61 participants (35 researchers, 8 government agency members, and 18 community members) participated in a bio-inventory survey where they sampled 3,000 m2 and recorded a total of 5230 observations, of 824 different species at Rancho Encinalito and the surrounding area. The bioinventory project was made possible through a $30,000 grant from the UC-Alianza-MX program at UC Riverside, aimed at supporting graduate students across the UC system in research in Mexico. This commitment led Innovaciones Alumbra to contribute a roughly matching sum to bring in Mexican researchers as collaborators and leaders for the joint program. The bio-inventory took place over the course of a week and depended heavily on the welcoming hospitality of several neighboring ranchers who graciously accommodated the participants . During this time, many of the local ranchers expressed their desire to learn more about and participate in conservation efforts.
Community Conservation Initiative.
In December 2023, the "Union de Conservación Agua de la Sierra" (UCAS) was established as a result of the bio-inventory survey, where local ranchers expressed significant interest in conservation efforts. UCAS, also known as the Union for the Conservation of the Water of the Mountains, aims to collaborate with cattle ranchers in the region surrounding Rancho Encinalito to enhance biodiversity conservation and explore avenues for sustainable small-scale economic development. Prioritizing the needs of the ranchers involved, UCAS consists of local ranchers and scientists working together to identify the best avenues for achieving their mission.
Upon UCAS's creation, the vision for the long-term protection of Rancho Encinalito expanded significantly. Kathleen, Sula, and Tom recognized the potential to amplify their impact and promote conservation within the region alongside local ranchers. From this realization, the Campaña Agua de la Sierra was born as an umbrella campaign, aiming to generate contributions for the Encinalito/UCAS working group and support their mission.
Student Led Efforts.
In January of 2024, a group of five Master’s Students from the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara began a thesis project dedicated to assisting Campaña Agua de la Sierra, reach their goals of engaging neighboring landowners in conservation efforts and working twards the long-term protection of Rancho Encinalito. While so much has occurred over the past two decades, we envision that this is only the beginning as we engage with more ranchers throughout the region, and work together to integrate conservation into the Ranchero lifestyle.
Preserving Scott Landis' Legacy.
Scott Landis had nothing but passion for Rancho Encinalito. He spent the last seventeen years of his life stewarding the land, building structures out of primarily native materials, tending an orchard he planted, and exploring the rancho and its surroundings. His first action at the rancho was to fence out the free-ranging livestock, a two year project. In the subsequent years, he witnessed the healing of the land with great excitement and satisfaction. The rancho became his soul place. There was really nowhere else he wanted to be. Whether it was in the heat of the summer or the middle of an intense chubasco (most especially during a chubasco!) he savored every moment he spent at the rancho.
Scott loved observing the natural world, fixing and crafting things in his shop, making trails with his machete, and hiking to new and undiscovered special places in and around the rancho. His beloved dog Bobo was usually by his side and always alerted him to the presence of rattlesnakes. When rattlesnakes entered the living area, Scott gently captured and relocated the snakes. He relished making these connections with wildlife and learning more about the native species of the rancho. He was delighted when a pair of Canyon wrens chose to nest in his workshop or when he first discovered the summer nesting Yellow-billed cuckoo, with its very unique call. These discoveries enhanced his sense of place and sustained him. Visitors were few given the remoteness of the rancho, but whenever they arrived Scott delighted in telling them stories about the rancho and giving them the grand tour. He often sent people away with citrus and avocados in their packs and gave them a ride out on his electric ATV. His laughter and enthusiasm were infectious, and folks left feeling Scott’s joy and reverence for the land.
Scott died in November of 2020. He had envisioned long-term protection for the rancho, but was not here long enough to see it come to fruition. If he were alive today, he would be ecstatic about the developments taking place: the biodiversity research, the conservation efforts, and the goal of protecting the rancho in perpetuity.
In loving memory of Scott. May his legacy live on through Rancho Encinalito.