Planning and Management

In response to the effects of climate change and growth beyond our watersheds’ carrying capacity, Greenspace has helped to develop several key management documents, including the Cambria Forest Management Plan (CFMP), prepared by a coalition of stakeholders, including Greenspace, the Forest Management Committee, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Cambria Community Services District and the consulting firm of Jones & Stokes. 

Published in 2002, the Plan addresses a need for management in the North Coast area’s Monterey pine/coastal live oak forest and outlines a framework of techniques for restoring and maintaining the forest in good health. It also addresses the benefit to other native plant species of this maintenance and its importance to protection of area residences and businesses against fire, landslides and other scenarios related to tree overgrowth or tree loss. A complete copy of the plan is available on this website under Resources and Archives. 

In 2010, Greenspace received a major grant from the California Department of Fish and Game (now Fish and Wildlife) to develop a technically sound plan to address the strategic and scientific needs for watershed management, restoration planning and steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) recovery in the Santa Rosa Creek watershed, which includes the town of Cambria and nearby agricultural holdings. The objectives of the SRCWMP are to assess existing creek conditions, prioritize limiting factors for steelhead, and identify and prioritize restoration recommendations to address these limiting factors, and improve physical functions and ecological conditions in the watershed.

Published in 2012, the SRCWMP provides a prioritized list of projects for creek health improvement. We continue to seek funding to implement the most urgent of these projects, including a population count and life cycle study for steelhead, instream flow studies and habitat restoration. Please find the full plan available under Resources and Archives.

The Chinese Temple, or Association House, sits in Greenspace's lush Creekside Reserve. Newly restored, the location serves as a cultural hub in Cambria's historical district where Cambria celebrates the community’s past. The building dates back to the 19th century, when Chinese immigrants helped build the county’s economy as miners, laborers and fishermen. 

As one of the the oldest remaining Chinese temples in Southern California, studies have  identified the site as potentially eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and it has been given an AH (Historic) overlay designation by the County of San Luis Obispo. Greenspace has relocated the temple back to its original setting, restored it in great detail, and made it available for public use and interpretation.