Land Conservancy Gets $63,000 from Save the Mesa (Adobe Press)

Friday February 28, 2003

By Emily Slater

Save the Mesa will present $63,000 to The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County for establishment of a grant program to obtain open space in Nipomo.

"They asked us to help them protect open space; this is another way we can help the community," said The Land Conservancy Executive Director Ray Belknap.

The money comes from the settlement Save the Mesa made with PH Property Development when the grass-roots environmental group dropped its lawsuit against the Woodlands. Besides directing $250,000 to benefit the area's educational, environmental and cultural pursuits, Save the Mesa won the right to monitor the Woodlands project during its construction, according to Save the Mesa President Kathy Price.

The $63,000 will allow The Land Conservancy to pursue acquisition of open space in Nipomo. The funding will specifically give a Land Conservancy employee the time and resources to identify natural resources that need protection, contact landowners and write grants to obtain acquisition funds.

"We will identify resources (residents) want to protect and explore opportunities (for acquisition) with willing landowners," Belknap explained.

He will accept the check at the March 1 Save the Mesa meeting.

Belknap characterized the $63,000 as "risk capital, the hardest money to find" and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to help Nipomo.

A Save the Mesa settlement committee opted to offer the money to the conservancy.

Save the Mesa will meet from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the community room, located at 148 Wilson. At its upcoming meeting, the group will learn how to keep the creek from sweeping away Nipomo.

Scott Phillips and Bruce Paine of the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board will discuss surface and storm water management in the Nipomo area. They will speak about new guidelines and compliance measures and answer audience questions. The public is invited to the educational meetings.

For more information, call Marianne Buckmeyer at (805) 489-8384. Δ