Ecology


  • The largest expanse of intact wildlife habitat in all of Santa Cruz County and one of the largest remaining redwood forests along the coast.
  • Hundreds of old, large redwoods and Douglas-firs that may support populations of federally threatened marbled murrelet.
  • 6,720 acres of redwood and Douglas-fir forest representing almost 5 percent of this type of forest in Santa Cruz County, and almost 12 percent of the county’s productive forest land.
  • 1,271 acres of live oak forest, including rare Oracle and Shreve oak, large Pacific madrones, and endangered Anderson’s manzanita.
  • Two insects found nowhere else in the world: the Mount Hermon June beetle and the Zayante band-winged grasshopper.
  • Critical habitat for known populations of sensitive threatened and endangered animal species, including Coho salmon, steelhead trout, California red-legged frog, mountain lion and peregrine falcon.
  • Four federally endangered plant species, including Ben Lomond spineflower, Santa Cruz wallflower, Ben Lomond buckwheat and Bonny Doon Manzanita.
  • Laguna Creek, a critical supply of drinking water for the city of Santa Cruz, and the headwaters of San Vicente Creek, sole source of drinking water for the town of Davenport.
  • A potential ecological refuge against impacts of climate change in Santa Cruz County thanks to high elevation, proximity to the coast, extensive microclimates, ecological niches, perennial water sources and north-facing slopes.
  • Site of more than 70 miles of unpaved roads with outstanding potential for public recreational access.
  • Conservation efforts will establish scientifically planned redwood reserves and restore water quality and fish and wildlife habitat.


History


The previous owner of the property, CEMEX, is the world’s largest building materials supplier and the largest producer of cement in North America. The Monterrey, Mexico-based company owned the land since 2005, when it acquired it from RMC Group, a British cement manufacturer CEMEX bought that same year.

POST and its partners are buying the forested uplands of the CEMEX Redwoods property, including an abandoned quarry site. A separate industrialized cement plant along Highway 1 is not part of the conservation purchase.

The property has been the site of cement production since 1906, when the San Francisco earthquake spurred a rebuilding boom in the Bay Area. The town of Davenport was founded as a company town, built to house workers near the quarry operations. According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, cement from the plant was used to construct the Golden Gate Bridge and the California Aqueduct.

Some development proposals suggested the property could be carved up to accommodate construction of anywhere from 33 to 69 luxury housing units. POST and its partners will craft a conservation plan to ensure that the property’s extraordinary natural resources and recreation potential will get the permanent protection they deserve.