Cabo Pulmo and the Opportunity to Thrive
For over two decades, almost as long as Cabo Pulmo National Park has existed, I have had the privilege of visiting and working with the community of Cabo Pulmo in Southern Baja California, Mexico, first with international conservation organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, then as a concerned citizen, and now with LegacyWorks Group.
Harnessing Markets to Achieve Conservation
if we only work with landowners who are willing and able to donate value, and on easements and restoration that we can fund via grants and gifts, we are working with a very small percentage of the overall ecosystem. This is where markets come in.
Why Migrations Matter
Whether it’s sandhill cranes congregating in local wetlands before flying to New Mexico or mule deer leaving the mountains to seek winter range in the Red Desert, our wildlife populations rely on a much larger landscape than we previously realized.
The Resilience Cycle
By now many of us have been exposed to the disaster cycle as it unfolds after a disaster strikes. The cycle takes us from the event itself to immediate search and rescue and early risk mitigation and relief work, into a sustained response through the first days and weeks…
Boca Del Alamo Community and Resource Restoration Initiative
In Boca del Álamo, the community has adopted a collaborative and sustainable approach, building on and diverging from the Cabo Pulmo model. While Cabo Pulmo's marine park became a global symbol of biodiversity conservation, it cannot alone address the broader coastal needs. Boca del Álamo, understanding that prohibition isn’t always the answer, has implemented partial fishing refuges that balance ecosystem restoration with sustainable, low-impact fishing practices. LegacyWorks is proud to support this initiative, working alongside the community to integrate conservation with social and economic growth, fostering long-term self-management.
Biodiversity Mapping
The status and distribution of the East Cape's terrestrial biodiversity using all available databases has never been mapped. Two years ago LegacyWorks, Pronatura and members of Cabo Pulmo Vivo Coalition began to assemble the data.
Watershed Study / Citizen’s Water Report
In partnership with the Baja Coastal Institute, we have completed a thorough investigation of water resources in the four watersheds that make up the greater Cabo del Este region between La Paz and Los Cabos.
Regenerative Development Working Group
To support sustainable coastal development, LegacyWorks is facilitating a diverse working group of community leaders, environmental advocates and developers to dialogue toward consensus on a technically rigorous conservation-based vision for the East Cape.
Public Policy
Land use planning policies in both Los Cabos and La Paz municipalities (which overlap in Cabo del Este) lag behind the realities of current development and represent scant protection for critical environmental or social values.
Cabo Pulmo Vivo Coalition
The Cabo Pulmo Vivo Coalition is a vital partnership of several environmental organizations that share the commitment to conserve, protect and restore the East Cape region, especially to safeguard the integrity of Cabo Pulmo National Park.
East Cape Impact Expedition
In November 2019, 60+ engaged actors explored Baja California Sur’s Cabo del Este region aboard the MV Sea Lion. The journey was designed to engage and harness the collective wisdom of participants.
Conservation Loan Fund
In the face of unprecedented threats from climate change, development and land conversion, LegacyWorks is launching the Central Coast Conservation Loan Fund to accelerate the pace and scale of conservation, restoration and regenerative agriculture in the region.
Ventura Land Trust Mariana Ranch
In late 2019, the Ventura Land Trust had an opportunity to purchase Mariana Rancho, an iconic hillside property overlooking the city of Ventura. LegacyWorks helped the Land Trust develop a short-term finance strategy and a longer-term fundraising plan.
White Buffalo Land Trust Jalama Canyon Ranch
LegacyWorks supported White Buffalo Land Trust’s campaign to acquire the Jalama Canyon Ranch. Together we worked to understand and articulate the vision, purpose, principles and goals of the White Buffalo Jalama Ranch Project.
Landowner Carbon Farm Plans
In partnership with the Cachuma Resources Conservation District, LegacyWorks helps owners of working lands to plan and implement regenerative agricultural and grazing management practices to increase the rate at which carbon is captured and reduce the rate at which it is lost or emitted.
Santa Barbara County Regional Priority Plan for Wildfire Resilience
The Cachuma Resource Conservation District (CRCD) is conducting a planning, mapping and assessment phase for a Regional Priority Plan (RPP) to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest and habitat health on public and private land in the urban/wildland interfaces.
Cachuma Resource Conservation District Capacity Support
LegacyWorks provides technical services and capacity support to CRCD including business systems, communications and conservation planning.
SBC Conservation Blueprint Facilitation and Project Design
In 2015, LegacyWorks was engaged by the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County and its partners to develop a strategy for creating a report on the community’s natural resources and an online mapping portal to enable us to proactively conserve natural resources.
Crises and Opportunities
When we launched LegacyWorks Group, we set out to become the best possible partner to help communities collaborate on important projects to achieve far greater impact. These kinds of collaborative projects are challenging and out of the reach of any single organization or agency.
It’s Time to Invest in Local Resilience
The COVID-19 global pandemic. The economic recession. The climate crisis. The drumbeat of police brutality. The abuse of power and disregard of truth by elected leaders. We are facing a suite of existential threats to our health and well being.