Mitteldorf Preserve

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Ten miles southeast of Carmel, in the foothills of the Santa Lucia mountain range, there lies a magical thousand-acre property that twenty one years ago was owned by a timber company actively logging Monterey County’s old-growth redwoods. Thanks to the generosity of Harriet and the late Arthur Mitteldorf, The Big Sur Land Trust (BSLT) purchased the property in 1990, ensuring that it will remain undeveloped and protected forever. This sale marked the last time redwood habitat was owned by a timber company in Monterey County.

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Home to the largest redwood tree in Monterey County, Mitteldorf Preserve’s 1,057 acres support many diverse native plant communities, including redwood forest, riparian woodlands, oak woodlands, northern coastal scrub, chaparral, and grasslands. The Preserve’s San Jose Creek Watershed, which enters Carmel Bay just north of Point Lobos State Reserve, provides important habitat for the federally-protected steelhead trout and the federally and state-protected California red-legged frog. Extensive logging operations and a network of poorly constructed, poorly maintained roads created considerable creek sedimentation, which has been identified by the California Department of Fish and Game as a pollutant to steelhead trout. Rehabilitating roads to reduce creek sedimentation is an important restoration priority for BSLT.

Other stewardship activities include monitoring and removing invasive plant species, fire prevention, and water conservation. BSLT is collaborating with the Santa Lucia Conservancy and university researchers to study how Sudden Oak Death is spread and how to control it. BSLT staff and volunteers maintain trails on the property and over the years it has been accessed by community youth organizations for outdoor education.

Mitteldorf Preserve is available for hiking to BSLT members. Members may participate in the Land Trust’s season of scheduled hikes or may explore the property on their own by calling the BSLT office at 831-625-5523 to make a reservation.

You can help protect the plant and animal communities of Mitteldorf Preserve.